# Toys R Us Going Out Of Business. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 16, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742 "2005-03-16T02:26:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![me\_jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@me\_jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/me_jane)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742/1 "2005-03-16T02:26:22Z")
Toys R Us Going Out Of Business. Is this rumor true? Anyone have the scoop? Or has anyone heard anything? ---
**Author:** ![Oat1957](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Oat1957](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oat1957)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742/2 "2005-03-16T02:36:54Z")
It’s possible. Toys R Us has been losing market share to stores like Wal Mart for several years now. [CBS News/March 9,2005](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/09/ap/business/mainD88NJO9O0.shtml) ---
**Author:** ![FaerieBeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@FaerieBeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FaerieBeth)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742/3 "2005-03-16T02:42:20Z")
I believe they are just putting the “toy” side of their business up for sale and keeping the “Babies R Us” part which deals with furniture, clothes, linens, and such for the under 2 set. Shame, really…I always liked TRU, even if that guy in the Geoffrey suit did scare the pee out of my kid. FB ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742/4 "2005-03-16T02:54:05Z")
I hope it doesn’t go under. Walmart has a crap selection of toys. I do hope they see fit to give us a Babies R Us store, since we have _no_ dedicated baby retailer in my city, or Atlantic Canada, as far as I know. There’s simply no selection of baby furnishings here. ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742/5 "2005-03-16T03:46:59Z")
Rumor’s been going around for up to three years now. Eh. Might happen, might not. Never know. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742/6 "2005-03-16T03:59:43Z")
Damn it! Don’t get my hopes up like that! I mean, here I was all excited, thinking about them having a going out of business saile, and I find out that it was only a rumor. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742/7 "2005-03-16T04:04:43Z")
But I don’t wanna grow up! ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742/8 "2005-03-16T04:07:50Z")
I will not be sorry to see them go, if it’s true. My very good reason-- I hate that damned backward ‘R’. It’s not cute. They never have what I’m looking for, the substitute is expensive, and the service is horrid, too. But mainly it’s that ‘R’ thing. ---
**Author:** ![Homebrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homebrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homebrew)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742/9 "2005-03-16T05:27:31Z")
> [@Ashes](#): > > I hate that damned backward ‘R’. It’s not cute. It bugs the crap outta my 7 year old son, too. ---
**Author:** ![Panzram](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/919ad9/32.png) [@Panzram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Panzram)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742/10 "2005-03-16T05:33:05Z")
> [@Menocchio](#): > > But I don’t wanna grow up! If Toys 'R Us goes, you won’t be a Toys 'R Us Kid. You’ll just be a spawl-mart orphan. I didn’t want to grow up either. Life was good. I met with Chuck E. Cheese now and again. _takes a neurotic puff from a wrinkled, bent cigarette_ :mad: These _bastards_ have ripped the soul, the vital f’n organs of it all, and I’m going gray today. A kid can’t be a kid anymore, with these damned terrorists! :eek: The only thing we can do now. . is resort to force. Toys U R OR ELSE. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742/11 "2005-03-16T05:37:11Z")
They just opened a _new_ Toys R Us a few months ago near me. If they were going out of business, why would they still be opening new stores? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742/12 "2005-03-16T06:37:49Z")
> [@](#): > > If they were going out of business, why would they still be opening new stores? Tax write offs? _alternatively_ Were you under some delusion that most American retailers are operated by people who employ logic in their decisions? Been to a Builder’s Square, lately? ---
**Author:** ![butter\_pie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/aca169/32.png) [@butter\_pie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/butter_pie)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742/13 "2005-03-16T06:41:48Z")
Good question. They have closed down at least two I know of in Houston, and I was told they were massively scaling back to focus on the Babies R Us stuff. I never liked the store anyway, even as a kid. Something about the atmosphere of the store just makes me want to leave as soon as I walk in the door. All the ones around here have bare concrete floors and almost a warehouse look. Home Depot? Ok. Toystore? Um, no. Or at least if you look like a bargain basement store, your prices should reflect that. My Mecca of toys as a kid was the Sears Christmas Catalogue. I don’t think they do that any more, either. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742/14 "2005-03-16T06:59:30Z")
> [@](#): > > the Sears Christmas Catalogue. I don’t think they do that any more, either. You can [order **a** Sears Catalogue](http://www.sears.com/sr/framework/home.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0210183402.1110956699@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccdhaddedljfgmkcehgcemgdffmdflh.0&vertical=SEARS&targetPage=/misc/sears/specialty/ordercat.jsp), but according to the [Sears detailed chronology](http://www.searsarchives.com/history/chronologies/chronology_brief.htm) (sidebar pop-up from linked page), the big catalog _was_ disontinued in 1993. (It appears that Sears Canada still may have one.) ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742/15 "2005-03-16T07:06:39Z")
It was inevitable. The joint venture between the People’s Republic of China and Wal_Mart is right on schedule. Next July, they’ll be selling nuclear weapons to Syria, where a hundred Super Wal_Marts will open in May. 😛 I’m kidding, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Cyros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a698b9/32.png) [@Cyros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyros)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742/16 "2005-03-16T07:06:58Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > You can [order **a** Sears Catalogue](http://www.sears.com/sr/framework/home.jsp?BV_SessionID=@@@@0210183402.1110956699@@@@&BV_EngineID=ccdhaddedljfgmkcehgcemgdffmdflh.0&vertical=SEARS&targetPage=/misc/sears/specialty/ordercat.jsp), but according to the [Sears detailed chronology](http://www.searsarchives.com/history/chronologies/chronology_brief.htm) (sidebar pop-up from linked page), the big catalog _was_ disontinued in 1993. > > (It appears that Sears Canada still may have one.) Indeed it does. Was the highlight of my childhood waiting for that Christmas catalogue to arrive. Sears Canada releases the Christmas Wish Book every September, also available on DVD. ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742/17 "2005-03-16T13:36:43Z")
I work for a place that has an inside track with TRU and I’ve heard nothing of the sort yet. ---
**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742/18 "2005-03-16T14:11:18Z")
About 18 years ago I decided to shop in one of their branches near where I live. I had already been buying some items and I was asked to leave my shopping bag at one of the counters before I would be allowed to enter. I had some valuable goods in my bag and refused to leave it, they wouldn’t let me in until I did. It was an impasse. I went elsewhere and never tried TRU again. I couldn’t care less if they go out of business. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742/19 "2005-03-16T14:17:44Z")
They’re not going out of business, [they’re going private](http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2005/03/16/bidders_for_toys_r_us_down_to_two/): > [@](#): > > The auction to acquire retailer Toys ''R" Us Inc. has narrowed to two suitors that offered to buy both the struggling toy store chain and the Babies ''R" Us unit for more than $5.7 billion, sources familiar with the situation said yesterday. > > Buyout firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. and an investment group led by Cerberus Capital have submitted bids, the sources said. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2005, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742/20 "2005-03-16T17:41:21Z")
I also have always despised that backwards R. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toys-r-us-going-out-of-business/294742.md?page=2)