Toys We’R’e Us
After 70 years of making millions of children happy, Toys R Us stores have closed their doors for good nationwide.
According to CNN Money news, 735 stores are getting ready to close and 31,000 workers will be laid off. After filing for bankruptcy back in September, the stores were hoping to reinvest in others but apparently had $5 billion in debt, unable to turn it around.
Unfortunately, CEO David Brandon said this “horrible news” would not be able to stick around through the rest of 2018.
This doesn’t exclude the Toys R Us and Babies R Us located on Route 9 in Poughkeepsie. Workers at these locations are just as disappointed in the news as the customers. Antoinette Robinson, an avid shopper at Toys R Us explained her feelings about the closure. “This is where I come Christmas shopping and shopping for my children’s friends and family. It’s really upsetting.”
She also mentioned how much she would enjoy going into these stores as a child. “I would love coming here,” Robinson added, “As a kid, you know, you always look forward to going to Toys R Us, it was like a fairy tale land with every toy you could ever imagine.”
Luckily for those who still obtain gift cards to these locations, Bed Bath & Beyond is picking up some of the slack as they are accepting Toys R Us and Babies R Us gift cards. According to USA Today’s report, a $100 Toys R Us/Babies R Us gift card is worth $64.
One worker at Babies R Us described her experience with her first time being laid off. Natalie Rivera said, “I’ve never experienced anything like this. I mean, thank God I have a college degree and have already applied to other stores.”
Rivera didn’t seem too shocked, though, since she expected it ahead of time. “I’ve been following the news, I always had a feeling this would be the outcome but never wanted it to happen, obviously.”
Many customers and workers are blaming the closures on today’s technology. With every child playing on a tablet or video game system, there doesn’t seem to be much use for toy stores anymore.
Lauren Ritchards, a benefits analyst for the Toys R Us stores weighed in on this dramatic change. “I think it’s making more adults upset than kids,” she explained, “older generations are the Toys R Us generation. We grew up with toys, not iPads and iPhones.”
The majority of people tend to agree with Ritchards and a lot of younger generations are seen commenting on articles expressing their feelings about losing what they felt was their “childhood.”
However, toys will still be sold at Targets, Walmarts, and many other retailers, leaving a glimmer of hope that children will still play with toys rather than electronics.
