Tag: toys r us

So this week Geoffrey the Giraffe was laid to rest.  And I am devastated.

See, we have a history. As a kid, I couldn’t wait for the “holiday catalog” to show up in the mailbox.  I loved the campy commercials that would punctuate Saturday morning cartoons.  As a child of divorce, “Daddy days” often meant a trip to Toys R Us with a chance to wander through aisles and beg for a Barbie.

Yeah, I did have that Barbie stage.

As I grew older, I read about how one store was haunted.  When video game consoles were new, I would go to Toys R Us to check them out and decide which games were worth a try.

And when I was first a mom, I would go to Babies R Us for diapers, clothes, and bath toys.

Later, I would walk my son through the store’s hallowed halls and watch his eyes grow wide.

Even though the store symbolized childhood, its death marks something darker.  In this article, by the New York Times, we learn of how the chain’s closing has a devastating human impact.  The employees, some of which who have been there for years, have lost severance pay.

Not only do they have to find new jobs, they need to figure out how to make ends meet in the meantime.  And what about all those who look for holiday work to fill in financial gaps?

Toys R Us’ death may also illustrate how children today do not know how to play on anything without a screen.

As my son and I walked through the store near us last week, I marveled at the action figures, masques, outdoor toys, and playing cards that were still left behind.  What has happened to our notion of play in American culture?

It seems that more companies are offering delivery services to appease the consumer who will not leave the house to venture forth for the shopping experience.  And if a company cannot meet that demand, then they too may go the way of Geoffrey the Giraffe.

So sad for us all.

J.Monell