Toys R Us has dropped the ball, seriously....

[Twiki1979]

95% of managers at Toys R Us have absolutely no idea what toys are in the store,when things come in or anything other than how the store is being run. I have worked for TRU longer than i care to admit and even i come on the boards to find out if TRU is getting them in. We get a truck in and no one at all has any idea what's on the manifest until the day of the shipment which is usually once a week until a busy season comes up,we know what came in literally when it's put on the shelves....when a "hot toy" is out everyone in the store hopes we get the product,sometimes if one local store gets more than we do they will bring some of their stock to our store ( usually with video games,very rarely have i seen it with anything else ) ......It's not TRU,it's the distributors....personally? I say F TRU let's all go to Child World

[geoffdude]

95% of managers at Toys R Us have absolutely no idea what toys are in the store,when things come in or anything other than how the store is being run. I have worked for TRU longer than i care to admit and even i come on the boards to find out if TRU is getting them in. We get a truck in and no one at all has any idea what's on the manifest until the day of the shipment which is usually once a week until a busy season comes up,we know what came in literally when it's put on the shelves....when a "hot toy" is out everyone in the store hopes we get the product,sometimes if one local store gets more than we do they will bring some of their stock to our store ( usually with video games,very rarely have i seen it with anything else ) ......It's not TRU,it's the distributors....personally? I say F TRU let's all go to Child World

TRU has long had a disconnect to what's on the shelves, needs ordering, and what's the main items to keep stocked. They're just way behind the times in managing their inventory properly.

That being said, they are not the sole problem for how bad their stores are for keeping stock fresh, or on hand. There are at least 3 major factors going on with their own inability to govern product. The 3 main factors being:

(1) Different world, harder times. Most stores do NOT keep large amount of extra stock on hand anymore. Not Walmart, Target, Kmart nor TRU. They just don't work this way anymore. New stock, or refresher stock, is triggered by amounts purchased, then new stuff is automatically ordered from the manufacture. This helps keep a stores inventory low, and losses lower. Also makes for many items tough to get now, as manufactures don't produce as much, and wait for new orders to ramp up production when needed. Obviously there is a lag that happens here.

(2) Manufactures hedge their risk... and thus don't produce as much as they used to. With stores cutting back on large orders (keeping inventory low), many manufactures only produce what has actually been ordered. This is contrary to how it used to be. Thus the available stock from most manufactures to ship out new product is minimal. Some items sell well enough to keep the flow moving (Hot Wheels, Star Wars, Barbie, etc.), but most items are really produced in quantities by direct orders only.

(3) The Internet. Long has this been an issue, but we are now seeing the true fate of disposable products. Items such as food, medicine, clothes and personal hygiene which are the main source of daily needs and revenue are taking over stores shelves (for the most part) and hobby based, entertainment items and seasonal stuff are moving to web sites. Basically, toys are being pushed out as a whole to make room for other items. As a result, "toys" in general are no longer a huge industry, and thus overall product numbers are down.

In summary, this is not a TRU problem only. There are many issues, and it will be this way for some time... maybe forever more.

Regards,

Geoff

[Teemu]

That is True...its not at the Store Level exactly..its the Higher ups and Buyer's for the company itself! The store's have very little control of inventory most of the time.I used to be a KB Toys Manager and I had to beg to get the 'Hot Toys' so we could make sales.
the Corporate Buyers are mostly to blame and then getting the product on the shelves.
I knew almost every toy we carried and didnt carry in the store...and told customers flat out if we were getting something or not carrying an item.

I dont expect to see Toy stores hanging around much other than select Holiday mall stores,which is when the money is usually made.Toys R Us has just been hanging along and are suffering sales.

The internet is the future of toys and when you look at it,the best toys are available to buy, are on the internet.

[Trappy Trek Freak]

I have seen waves 1-3 at our TRU in sleepy WV

[bizzaro megomauler]

I think i should go to all the local TRU buy the lex and sinestros, and return them all to one store....

[The Bat]

I gave up going my local TRU as well...they never got anything beyond Wave 1.

[CrimsonGhost]

Wow. I can say that I have two of each figure from the first 3 waves and all were bought at TRU. They put out the new stock on either Wednesday or Thursday because I only check on Friday nights. Three weeks ago they had 3 or 4 cases on the shelves and last friday there was only 1 Flash and two or three Capt. Colds.

I'm still waiting for wave 4 to hit the streets. Or shelves, I guess.

[Afaninfull]

I've always ordered a set online to make sure I get them but I've also found duplicates at TRU. It means being very clues in through this site as to when the are first reported and then hitting (multiple) locations that week.

The good news is TRU is getting and selling these figures.

The bad news is they are only getting a case or two. I believe every major retailer and manufacturer hasn't a very good idea about the true number of collectors out there. So, when these sell out in a matter of days (lex and Sinestro excepted) there is a long gap where there is no inventory. This is my source of frustration. Yeah, it's not like in 1975 where stores kept walls of inventory.

Sigh...

[MegoMark71]

My toysrus has never had anything beyond series one. The fact that i see the pegs is promising as pointed out, stores hate empty pegs. I still need series 3 before i can get 4.

[AAAAA]

yeah the same, old hulks, y fighters,and eagle force were the , than the remodeling came and nothing but tiger woods figures!

Is that the one on Route 9? I did my Circuit City Managers training back in '98 up there. I walked to the Toys R Us from the Best Western that was up the road a ways. I came home with some McFarlane stuff at the time that was super hard to find...they had a lot of hard stuff to find in that Toys R Us.

[BATMAN89]

TRU sucks!!!

Toys R' Us just plain sucks!!!

[Teemu]

Toys R' Us just plain sucks!!!

Its............Toys Arn't Us

[JediJaida]

I must respectfully disagree.

Toys R Us didn't drop the ball......

They never had it in the first place!

[bizzaro megomauler]

I must respectfully disagree.

Toys R Us didn't drop the ball......

They never had it in the first place!

ZZZZZZING!

[SANDLANTERN2]

I worked there about 15 years ago, and can't argue with what most of you are saying here...I'm honestly still shocked they are still in business.