It’s kind of sad when bright, shiny, and iconic retail operations leave our landscape.
Sure, we’ll all soldier on, but things will be different.
Stores like RadioShack, Sears, and Kmart have fallen by the wayside. We learned last week that Toys ‘R’ Us and teen jewelry chain Claire's will soon be joining the fold — forever relegated to a footnote in shopping history.
Nostalgia buffs like me continue to lament the demise of brick-and-mortar stores, but we do little to stop the bleeding.
Things like “one-click ordering” and various digital shopping cart options — decorated with a collage of optimized PNGs and JPEGs — prove far too alluring and handy to resist.
Online giants like Amazon are convenient. That cannot be denied.
The great irony is that Amazon is now considering buying some Toys ‘R’ Us locations for retail operations. In 2015, they also discussed purchasing dormant RadioShack locations.
It’s like the victors at the end of a long war, trudging ahead to the vanquished castle, ready to take a seat on the empty throne.
I remember how much fun it was to go to a toy store as a kid.
There would be times when I’d get rewarded with a trip to the toy store for doing certain things — for example, reading a designated number of books was a benchmark that often resulted in a prize.
There would be other times when I’d get to go to the toy store “just because.”
I remember in 1978 when my mom and dad bought me my first set of Kenner “Star Wars” action figures at the Brandeis toy department at Crossroads Mall (located in the basement of the store...facing Dodge Street). Those figures — along with a shiny new Landspeeder — were important to me as a kid.
The C-3PO figure we purchased was one that the clerk at the register had been “limbering up” — because the hard-plastic joints were really stiff on the golden droid, and some customers had complained they broke easily.
That experience happened 40 years ago, but I remember the kind lady who made the experience of buying the figures special.
I recall moments when I’d be trying to decide between two Matchbox cars, and couldn’t make up my mind. My mom (God bless her heart) would often buy me both.
(I was either indecisive, or a master manipulator...)
I even had the opportunity to witness the next generation become "incentivized" with toys when my niece and nephew needed an extra nudge to go off the diving board at the pool.
There was something wonderful about perusing toy store aisles — like an explorer, you were curious to see what you’d discover around the next turn.
I went to my first Toys ‘R’ Us store in Austin, Texas, back in 1983. My brother had moved down there for work. We didn’t have the retail toy giant in Omaha at that time.
I was excited to check out the selection of “Star Wars” and “G.I. Joe” action figures and assorted vehicles. There is something soothing about gazing at row upon row of shiny action figures, trapped in plastic bubbles on flashy-cardboard backers.
The toy chain has one of the catchiest jingles in advertising history:
I mean, who didn’t “wanna be a Toys ‘R’ Us kid”...?
The toys we played with as children helped create the fabric of who we are. A couple months ago I reviewed the Netflix series “The Toys That Made Us” (read my full review of that show). The show focuses on the stories behind some of the most famous toy brands.
I can’t help but think that the rise and fall of Toys ‘R’ Us might one day be featured in a documentary of that sort.
The YouTube channel “Retail Archaeology” takes a look at the demise of Toys ‘R’ Us, and tours one of the stores being liquidated:
Apparently, a deal with a private equity firm in 2005 led to the current fate of Toys ‘R’ Us. The debt was substantial, and kept the chain from making improvements to its stores...
Like the narrator in the video, I’ve heard suggestions that the world of “analog toys” will die with subsequent generations because today’s kids are more interested in playing with their iPads and iPhones.
Maybe that’s true. Maybe it isn’t...
The tactile experience of playing with LEGOs and Lincoln Logs as a kid helped develop my creativity. I don’t know that I’d be doing the graphic design work I do today without moments putting together buildings and vehicles with those sorts of thoughtful toys.
But the wheel turns...and the clock ticks onward.
The cynical minded will say these sorts of operations had their fate coming. They’ll argue that change is inevitable.
But at times, you wonder if all the change is good.
“I don’t wanna grow up, cuz baby if I did, I wouldn’t be a Toys ‘R’ Us kid...”
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