Business & Tech
Toys R Us' Closing Is The End Of An Era
'Growing up in the 80s, there was nothing better than visiting #ToysRUs with your family,' one Twitter user said.
WAYNE, NJ — Wednesday signaled the end of an era for an entire generation.
News broke of Toys R Us shuttering all, or most, of its hundreds of U.S. stores.
The company confirmed reports Thursday that it will be "winding down" operations and sell or close 735 U.S. stores. The announcement comes about six weeks after Toys R Us confirmed that it would close about 180 of its U.S. stores, including 11 in New Jersey.
Find out what's happening in Waynefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"I'm heartbroken. Toys R Us, when I was growing up, I'd make a birthday list or Christmas list off of what Toys R Us had, not Amazon," said Michelle Vernuccio, president of the North Jersey Chamber of Commerce. "It's family bonding. Going to the store, seeing and touching the toy they want. Or unwrapping it on Christmas or for your birthday and watching your kids play with it, that's family bonding and that's something that can't be replaced."
The chain's closing leaves more vacant retail space throughout North Jersey. Sam's Club, Macy's, Kmart, Gymboree and other retailers have already closed stores in New Jersey and more may be forthcoming.
Find out what's happening in Waynefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"It’s not only a loss of sales, it’s a loss of memories that families have captured throughout the years," Vernuccio said. "You can't make memories off of a website."
People immediately took to social media and expressed their sadness about the news:
Growing up in the 80s, there was nothing better than visiting #ToysRUs with your family. Just getting to see & touch the packaging was all a kid needed. Alas, another brick and mortar retail chain is closing. #toysrusclosing All things must pass None of life's strings can last pic.twitter.com/X3yXve0BYO
— Adam Rackoff (@AdamRackoff) March 15, 2018
you've never lived if you've never had a Toys R Us employee ask you and your dad to stop riding bikes through the aisles of the store. I'm so sad kids aren't going to experience that anymore https://t.co/tCL7hfmcX5
— Brooke Materia (@brookeanne) March 15, 2018
Goodbye & good journey, my friend. You have meant everything to me. #ToysRus pic.twitter.com/ImG0ztf7to
— Jayme K (@brainexploderrr) March 15, 2018
soon we will have this but with the toys r us Rs pic.twitter.com/c9nCBfkNmE
— don (@DONDORORORO) March 15, 2018
I was a Toys R Us kid. My kids were Toys R Us kids. It's a sad end of an era.
— Beth (@mejustbeth) March 15, 2018
Remember kids, the Toys R Us bankruptcy and liquidation teaches us that poor spelling and grammar will always catch up with you eventually.
— Boyd's Backyard™ (@TheBoydP) March 15, 2018
And who could forget the iconic commercial jingle:
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With reporting by Katie Kausch, Patch Staff Writer
Email daniel.hubbard@patch.com. Get Patch breaking news alerts sent right to your phone with our new app. Download here.
Photo: A boy waits to enter the Toys R Us in Times Square in New York City in 2014. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
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