WHO'LL SAVE THE TOYS

[two fingers]

Not sure if I agree. With board games, Hot Wheels, legos etc., kids tended to play in groups. Now it seems their activities are run by adults (such as organized sports), or their "playing with others"means on line. For the most part, the days of children gathering at someone's house or sandlot after school and on weekends until dark are over. This is coming from the father of a college student, so I observed firsthand.

As the current parent of a 6 and 8 year old, with a dozen other close kids in the neighborhood, I am finding that outdoor activities warrant group play, not building blocks or cars. Also, they tend to gather around electronics too (such as going to each other's house to play video games or sitting around watching slime videos on my computer) but they interact less. But in neither situation is anything I would call a "toy" involved.

I have had as many as twelve in my yard playing kickball. I have had almost as many playing hide and seek. I have had even more swimming in my pool.i have had half a dozen or so shooting hoops. I have had as many as eight or ten playing MarioKart 8 on the Nintendo Switch. I have had half a dozen watching slime videos at my kitchen table on the computer. I have had ten or so over doing crafts. I've had half a dozen girls putting on a fashion show with dress up clothes. One of my neighbors likes woodworking. Most of the neighborhood kids would tell you their favorite activity is "building things" in his driveway using his two 55 gallon drums full of wood scraps....or taking turns driving our jacked up golf cart with big tires.

I have never had kids over to my house to play with dolls, cars, board games, etc. And I see zero interest in the Fingers girls to do so. They will occasionally play a board game with the family all together.

They do love to be surrounded by stuffed animals, but rarely "play" with them. They snuggle on the couch or in the bed with a couple.

Whenever they receive "toys" as gifts, they almost always wind up getting donated within a few months.

Full disclosure: We don't allow the girls to use screens or electronics of any kind in our house Monday through Thursday (unless a computer is requires for a homework assignment). During the weekend they are allowed limited time with their iPods to play games. They get a total of an hour or so on the Nintendo from Friday night to Sunday night. No screens are on during meals.... ever. So they may be more social than other kids.

 

[buldog5151bass]

@two fingers good to hear that your kids have a group to play with.

 

[buldog5151bass]

This article from Bloomberg puts the demise of TRU squarely on the shoulders of Bain Capital, who choked the company with debt such that they had little cash for operations.


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Sorry - I see Bain as a common whipping boy. For decades, Toys R Us has been known as a place that charged more to sell the same things that others did for less. With the internet, the only reason is if you offer some service that makes the premium worth it. I think the company has been on a downward spiral for decades.

 

[MEKer]

In the end, it usually comes from poor management to include (but not limited too) misreading or not reading changing economic conditions in the world today as opposed to what it was ___________ (you fill in the blank) years ago. And this "Come Get Your Debt Sky High, it'll be good for your credit rating" mentality certainly can't help.

I could care not less that the outcome comes in collapse--everyone/thing has the right to fail---but I do sympathize with long-term employees who may have had a retirement package building and could lose it all, much less the 30K jobs down the drain, from TRU's business choices. A good product(s) line (s) with savvy competitive skills does not have to fail (except for some catastrophe of course).

Is waving bye-bye sign language for Sayonara?

 

[MJ5150]

The man who founded Toys 'R' Us died today.

-Mike