Integration

rann · 03-09-2018, 08:24 AM

When I first started collecting action figures (Kenner Super Powers) around 1980, at least in this small college town, Target was THE place to go! One could thumb thru dozens of identical figures hanging from pegs to locate the best paint ops. Target seemed to get new cases of toys in every week or so, and back when a dollar was closer to a dollar in value, collecting action figures seemed an embarrassingly inexpensive vice. (The Super Target here still has a decent toy section. No toys at our floundering Sears in decades. No K-Marts remaining here. I will not go to our WalMarts...parking lot crime there is legendary!) Then our fancy mall opened that contained THREE toy stores. One by one, they closed and our TRU opened (next door to the mall). This honeymoon lasted a while, but over the past few years the gloomy handwriting was on the wall.

Toys? Face it. Kids are not as toy-oriented anymore, unless you consider video games to be toys. Our TRU still contains ~3000 BOARD GAMES. And rather dusty ones at that. Anyone care to play Chutes & Ladders?

Over half of our TRU was relegated to baby items. Not sure what genius determined that parents wanted to go to TRU to buy Pampers or strollers.

As for action figures? Any that remain on the pegs after TRU employees have cherry-picked to resell on ebay are truly pathetic. Weird, off-brands that never seem to be refreshed.

It is indeed a shame, because I did purchase some nice items at our TRU in the '90s...my 20" HTF Iron Giant, as well as some awesome, VERY detailed 1:18 scale WWII airplanes (that were only $35 at the time). Would I prefer to shop for items IN HAND and support local shops & vendors? You bet! But most B&M stores of ANY ilk simply do not have much if any INVENTORY in the backrooms anymore. They can order it for me? Heck, I can do that. Amazon, BBTS, not to mention Asian vendors are only a mouse-click away.

An earlier post about Sears got me thinking. When I was in college here, Sears was my ONE STOP. I bought everything there. Jeans. Appliances. TVs. Record albums (remember those?) I even had my car serviced there! Now? Well, about 10 years ago I happened to be at the mall Sears anchors, and remembered I needed some enamel paint. No problemo, right? I ducked into Sears...but could find no enamel paint at all. Finally I asked a teenaged floorwalker where to locate the enamel paint. After a fruitless search, he returned a few minutes later and told me (wait for it) "They don't make enamel paint anymore."

It is indeed sad that TRU is closing. I wish better decisions had been made by upper management. I wish a better understanding of their market demographics had been possible. If wishes were horses, rides would be free. Every year or so I might still drive out to our TRU, hopeful that some surprising new holy grail might be swinging from a peg...but I ALWAYS have left empty handed.

03-09-2018, 08:24 AM	#16
rann Join Date: Jun 2017 Posts: 55	When I first started collecting action figures (Kenner Super Powers) around 1980, at least in this small college town, Target was THE place to go! One could thumb thru dozens of identical figures hanging from pegs to locate the best paint ops. Target seemed to get new cases of toys in every week or so, and back when a dollar was closer to a dollar in value, collecting action figures seemed an embarrassingly inexpensive vice. (The Super Target here still has a decent toy section. No toys at our floundering Sears in decades. No K-Marts remaining here. I will not go to our WalMarts...parking lot crime there is legendary!) Then our fancy mall opened that contained THREE toy stores. One by one, they closed and our TRU opened (next door to the mall). This honeymoon lasted a while, but over the past few years the gloomy handwriting was on the wall. Toys? Face it. Kids are not as toy-oriented anymore, unless you consider video games to be toys. Our TRU still contains ~3000 BOARD GAMES. And rather dusty ones at that. Anyone care to play Chutes & Ladders? Over half of our TRU was relegated to baby items. Not sure what genius determined that parents wanted to go to TRU to buy Pampers or strollers. As for action figures? Any that remain on the pegs after TRU employees have cherry-picked to resell on ebay are truly pathetic. Weird, off-brands that never seem to be refreshed. It is indeed a shame, because I did purchase some nice items at our TRU in the '90s...my 20" HTF Iron Giant, as well as some awesome, VERY detailed 1:18 scale WWII airplanes (that were only $35 at the time). Would I prefer to shop for items IN HAND and support local shops & vendors? You bet! But most B&M stores of ANY ilk simply do not have much if any INVENTORY in the backrooms anymore. They can order it for me? Heck, I can do that. Amazon, BBTS, not to mention Asian vendors are only a mouse-click away. An earlier post about Sears got me thinking. When I was in college here, Sears was my ONE STOP. I bought everything there. Jeans. Appliances. TVs. Record albums (remember those?) I even had my car serviced there! Now? Well, about 10 years ago I happened to be at the mall Sears anchors, and remembered I needed some enamel paint. No problemo, right? I ducked into Sears...but could find no enamel paint at all. Finally I asked a teenaged floorwalker where to locate the enamel paint. After a fruitless search, he returned a few minutes later and told me (wait for it) "They don't make enamel paint anymore." It is indeed sad that TRU is closing. I wish better decisions had been made by upper management. I wish a better understanding of their market demographics had been possible. If wishes were horses, rides would be free. Every year or so I might still drive out to our TRU, hopeful that some surprising new holy grail might be swinging from a peg...but I ALWAYS have left empty handed. Last edited by rann; 03-09-2018 at 08:27 AM..