Regarding modern toystores

[robthethundercat]

Recently ive been deploying all over the province (northern ireland) in the hope to see what action figures are on the market these days. My primary goal was to find..dc superheroes, marvel legends, other dc direct related figures, and also rocky figures. All these are popular especially the marvel and dc superheroes...not one store sold any of these..this is not some corner shop, im talking about Toys R Us and Smyths (which is a big toy firm in UK). I think this is appalling that i couldnt even find one of these figures at these listed toy stores especially as their meant to be the biggest toy chains out there. With the exception of one Forbidden Plant toy store i found who had all the toys i listed above and even more rare/american toys. They had a limited number but nonetheless still had some. Is it only me who thinks that these toy firms are goin down the drain and ignoring collectors such as myself and others? The best sculpted, rare, popular toys are not really to be found here at the moment. The internet seems to be my only option which i think says alot. Ofcourse these firms still have a huge selection and appeal to parents for their kids etc but people like me and you..whos hobbies are collecting toys/action figures and yet here i am struggling to find even one from a huge worldwide selection i think they owe us alot. Forbidden Planet for example..a smaller store than toys R us and Smyths and who concentrate on comics as well as books still appeal to me and satisfy me more than a self centered toy store whose primary goal is to sell toys and only toys..yet here i am a toy collector who cant even find one toy from 4 or 5 major toylines

[bec9681]

I honestly think that because of the cheap prices found on the internet most toy stores as we know it will be going bye bye. I had read a year or so ago that Toys R Us was talking about giving up selling toys and focusing solely on their Babies R Us stores, as that is apparently where they make all of their money. Toys R Us is having a hard timecompeting here in the USA with stores like Wal-Mart and Target that can sell the same toys at a much cheaper price. This makes me sad because there was nothing I liked more as a kid than going in to a toy store. Sure the toy sections at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Venture, etc. was great and all, but there was something about going to a store that was JUST toys. I want my kids to be able to enjoy that. Heck, I want all kids to be able to enjoy that.

[10incher]

You know I was in ND a few times over the last few months and the action figure shelves were pretty sparse at Target, Walmart, K-Mart and Zellers. All that was there was a bunch of rehashed Star Wars figures. Barely anything from the superhero lines. The last trip even the Transformers sections were empty. When I used to collect newer figures years ago, Fargo & Grand Forks were the places to go to pick this stuff up! Haven't checked the stores lately here in Winnipeg, but is it like this everywhere?

[gort]

I was in my local (UK) Toys R Us today and I noticed they have Marvel Legends and some DC figures (not my thing so I didn't look what), they've also had the Rocky figures in the past although I didn't see them today, but again I wasn't looking. I've also seen some other stuff from time to time that I would have thought I was more likely to see somewhere like Forbidden Planet (Spawn etc.)

Maybe it's down to the size of the store, or perhaps the discretion of the manager, that decides what they carry To be honest my TRU isn't that bad.

@ Bec
I know what you mean about a proper toy store. Toy departments are all well and good but nothing beats a good old fashioned toyshop, big or small.

[toyboxraider]

Here in Fayetteville, NC, USA my one and only local Toys R Us just renovated for the 4th time in like 3 years, each time has been dissastrous for Action Figures and Toys, resulting in a large Babies R Us with some toys thrown in.

It is almost better to take my kids shopping at our pharmacies like Walgreens where you can find everything from Barbie to Batman to M.A.R.S.

[blockbuster]

a few years ago i all but stopped going to my "local" TRU stores because the only figures they would have were the latest in japamation she-it.

the only thing i have to say about toys at store like walmart is i found better selection at real canadian superstore.

so it came down to 1 shop that was still an actual toy store, Toy Traders in Langley BC.
the prices were higher than most but you were almost ganrunteed to have what you were looking for ...and some things you didnt know that you were looking for!
but alass ..in the past few years it too has sucum to the baby market that now dominates 60% of the store.

i blame videogames... when a 5 year old is more interested in the latest X-box than the newest gijoe or transformer... all hope is lost.

[aeutlutian]

Walmart and target dominate my area we have a Toys r us but it too is half baby stuff, I am 20 years older than my brother he is 13 and after the age of 7 he had maybe 10 toys ,when I was a kid I lived for toys, even when I got a Nintendo I still played more with Joes, and playing OUTSIDE period, Outside is a concept my little bro doesn't comprehend , and he is of course becoming Obese

[meanmachine]

My area (Maryland suburbs) is also dominated by the big 2 (Walmart and Target). There are three TRUs in the area two of which are dominated by baby items.

It would make sense on paper that TRU just adopt the strategies of Walmart and Target in order to stay afloat, but i'm sure there are other factors involved in this.

I think that video games could be the answer to toy woes. HALO figures fly off of the shelves because of the game. Say there was a GI Joe video game (akin to HALO) then the younger generation would snap up those figures as opposed collectors.

I also feel that if there was a brick and mortar store that offered as vast a selection as some of the online venues than the toy store wouldn't be going the way of the dinosaur.

Another Universe was on the way to doing this but alsa along the way they lost focus.