For many people, Toys “R” Us was their childhood heaven. It was a world where they could find anything and everything they wanted with the infinite amount of toys towering over them. Sadly, all good things come to an end. Toys “R” Us announced that it’s closing all of its stores in the United States. With all of the competition from Amazon, Toys “R” Us cannot keep up with the convenience and quality.  

The store filed for bankruptcy in September 2017 and could not recoup, so Toys “R” Us announced that it had to liquidate, which means that the company officially started the process of closing its stores. Toys “R” Us recently started its clearance sales at about 170 stores, according to Business Insider. Amazon had one thing that Toys “R” Us didn’t – an online presence. Amazon’s main source of revenue comes from its website as many adults do not have the time to make special trips to stores. If Toys “R” Us had more of an online presence, it might’ve saved itself from bankruptcy, especially because Toys “R” Us’ main customers are busy parents.

However, Amazon isn’t the only one to blame for Toys “R” Us’ downfall but also the consumers that drive Toys “R” Us’ success – kids. Kids nowadays get most of their entertainment and joy from TV shows and games. A lot of the toys don’t involve screens and the conveniency in which screens give to children. The Wall Street Journal also pointed out that millennials are watching a lot less television than they used to, so they don’t know what toys are out there as the advertisements are what draw people to the products.

Lastly, the debt that Toys “R” Us accumulated over the years also contributed to Toys “R” Us’ downfall. Toys “R” Us was taken into the hands of KKR, Brain, and Vornado which are private equity firms in 2005. During this time, the company took in a lot of debt that it could not recover from. According to the Atlantic, Toys “R” Us spent $250 million every year to pay back its $5 billion debt.

The silver lining here is that you can get a number toys for discounted prices, now. Sadly, a piece of your childhood might’ve been taken away, but there’s always Amazon to supply people with a bunch load of toys, and we know Amazon isn’t going bankrupt anytime soon.