Toys R Us is Closing
By StacyB
@Srbageldog (7716)
United States
January 24, 2018 2:01pm CST
My town can't keep anything nice. Yet another store is going out of business, this time Toys R Us, which first opened its doors in Yuba City when I was a kid back in the '90s. It's the only toy store in this area, and many people will be left unemployed by this store's closure. They will be closing in April.
Other chain stores we've lost in recent years include KMart, Gottschalk, Forever 21, and Hot Topic. We also couldn't keep our Krispy Kreme in business for more than a few years. Not to mention the countless Mom and Pop shops we are constantly losing.
Apparently our city officials think that we need more medical buildings (that most people around here can't even use) and banks. Oh, and fast food. This town is becoming so bad that pretty soon there won't be anywhere to go to shop or anything to do other than drink and get high. Which is what a huge chunk of adults here already do (myself not included) because this area doesn't encourage them developing any other interests. And unemployment is high.
Well, it's about to be higher with all those jobs lost. And they aren't creating new jobs to replace them. The banks and medical offices don't even employ people who live here. Any time I've talked to the employees at these places, they're commuting from out of the area.
It's a shame that our city has turned out like this. No wonder there's so much homelessness and crime happening. People get sucked into doing drugs as teens out of boredom and just never get out of it. This town seems pretty hopeless.
14 people like this
16 responses
@kobesbuddy (74420)
• East Tawas, Michigan
24 Jan 18
I don't understand, there are banks going up on almost every corner! What good are they, when many people don't even have enough money to live on? It's the same way in our town, kids move away to make a living!
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
25 Jan 18
@kobesbuddy Same here, you have to have connections to get hired anywhere good. You really do have to be born into a well-to-do family to succeed anymore.
A lot of businesses here are being bought out by Indian immigrants, who only hire their own relatives or people of their own ethnicity. I don't know how that's legal but somehow they get away with it. Like if they buy out a fast food franchise, they will fire the staff and hire only Indian workers in their place. Burger King and Subway have both had that happen, which means those are no longer employment options for non-Indians. 
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
25 Jan 18
That's exactly how it is here! If you go to college so you can have a career, you have to relocate because there are no good job openings here, so most the people who were born and raised here and still call it home end up working in retail, the food industry, or the medical industry. Only now they aren't hiring local people to work in the medical industry -- I know many people who went to school to become medical professionals, and they can't find work in our area. So they end up in debt and working at places like Walmart or the 99 Cents Only Store...or Toys R Us! And then when stores close, they don't attract new businesses and just replace them with government buildings.
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (74420)
• East Tawas, Michigan
25 Jan 18
@Srbageldog It's like that here, also. Anyone who gets hired into a good job, is someone important's relative. The only way people make it in this town, is to inherit a business from their parents. With the medical profession and our schools, they hire people from out of town!
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
25 Jan 18
You can blame Amazon for putting another brick and mortar store out of business.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
25 Jan 18
Unfortunately brick and mortar stores make it so you have to order things online anymore. I always look for things locally before I will order it online. Our stores just never carry what I need. Even simple things like those clip-on book lights so you can read in bed. I had to order one on Amazon because I couldn't find one anywhere. Our town doesn't even have a book store, so if Walmart or Target doesn't carry a book I want (and they carry very few,) I have to order it from Amazon.
Walmart put a lot of stores out of business too, which when we got one here is really when our town started closing down everything. So I blame them as well.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
27 Jan 18
@moffittjc I wonder what we will all do when there are no employment opportunities left due to everything being put out of business or being outsourced!
And I hope nobody puts Amazon out of business, I publish through them. 
They have helped us indie authors get our work out there when traditional publishers won't give us a chance.
They have helped us indie authors get our work out there when traditional publishers won't give us a chance.1 person likes this
@moffittjc (118365)
• Gainesville, Florida
27 Jan 18
@Srbageldog I totally blame Walmart for starting the downward spiral of the small town business. They were the first to put mom and pop stores out of business. Now Amazon is putting the big-box stores out of business. I wonder who or what will put Amazon out of business in the future? lol
1 person likes this
@scarlet_woman (23465)
• United States
26 Jan 18
sounds like here.mc donalds,burger king and subway all failed somehow.
i think our toys r us is closing too,but that's in warwick anyway,so it doesn't really affect us.
1 person likes this
@scarlet_woman (23465)
• United States
26 Jan 18
@Srbageldog i think part of the problem here is the hoops you have to jump through to get a business and the ridiculous cost of a licence per year..a lot just say F it after awhile and move to a bigger city.
walmart that can afford to take a loss basically forced everybody else out and now we're basically stuck with them.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
26 Jan 18
@scarlet_woman Our city officials claim that they try not to make it difficult for businesses to open (and stay in business) here, but every so often they actively prevent things from coming here...like about 15 years ago someone wanted to build a new theater, since we now only have the one in town. They claimed it would create "competition" for the other theater and wouldn't let them build it. Because a city with 65,000 people can only have one theater that shows less than 8 movies at a time, and it's the only theater in this entire area...at least 6 towns surrounding us don't have theaters, so they all come here if they want to see a movie.
We recently got named one of the top 10 places to live, and I laughed at all the local people being interviewed on the news about how so many "new and better" businesses are opening up and how they've taken care of the homeless problem and gotten rid of panhandlers...I'm like, do these people even LIVE here?? Are they blind?? 
Our city is a dump overrun with tweakers and bums! 
Our city is a dump overrun with tweakers and bums! 1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
26 Jan 18
Maybe the economy is just bad everywhere. The only things that really make it here are fast food places, although we couldn't keep our KFC in business, or Popeyes.
1 person likes this
@much2say (53909)
• Los Angeles, California
24 Jan 18
I just looked at the list of CA Toys R Us that are closing. Our 2 local ones aren't on the list . . . but it will be weird on that day that they do. If they leave, I can't really think of any other "big" toy store around . . . I remember other little ones when I was a kid, but they have been long gone. I'm still a store shopper (I am still not entirely attracted to online shopping) . . . so it's super sad when these businesses go.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
25 Jan 18
When I was little we had a KB's and also a local toy store called Ernie's...but for over a decade Toys R Us has been the only toy store in the area. I still like to shop in stores too, and Toys R Us is one that my sister and I frequent when we have our outings together...we both collect figurines that they sell there. Now we'll have to resort to buying those things online, which is always more expensive. And our city complains about people not shopping local, but they make it impossible to!
1 person likes this
@much2say (53909)
• Los Angeles, California
25 Jan 18
@Srbageldog Oh yah, we had a KB's too . . . then it reduced to a smaller store - and then it left entirely. I have 2 kids so we still like to roam around Toys R Us. I suppose we can go to Target or Walmart but their toy departments aren't anything compared to Toys R Us (but I will say Target and Walmart can be cheaper!). Have they closed down other stores out your way . . . like Macy's, Sears, Kmart . . ?
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
25 Jan 18
@much2say I loved KB's...we had one in our mall and then it just disappeared.
I don't have kids but I still like to roam around Toys R Us sometimes (and even buy collectible figures from time to time.) Target and Walmart are definitely cheaper, but they don't compare to Toys R Us by a long shot!
Kmart closed here about 5 years ago, and the building has sat empty ever since then. Now our city says it's converting it into a government office of some sort, which is what they always do when stores close. We never had a Macy's...we had a Mervyn's which closed about 10 years ago, though (and became a government building.) I'm not sure if our Sears is closing, but it wouldn't surprise me.
1 person likes this
@infatuatedbby (95001)
• United States
24 Jan 18
All the ones in my area are closing. I went in and it’s expensive 
1 person likes this
@infatuatedbby (95001)
• United States
25 Jan 18
@Srbageldog No kids here, but I manage to find deals. I do shop Toys R Us sometimes but usually online feature, not in stores.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
25 Jan 18
@infatuatedbby No kids here either. I collect some of the "toys" (or figurines) they sell.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
25 Jan 18
Yes they are expensive! But some of their stuff is cheaper than ordering stuff online. I honestly don't know how people can afford to have kids nowadays.
1 person likes this
@sunrisefan (28524)
• Philippines
25 Jan 18
Could it be because kids nowadays enjoy more in playing internet games on computers or even smartphones? Sales of toys must have gone down because of this.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
25 Jan 18
@sunrisefan Yes, many kids are addicted to their technological gadgets here.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
25 Jan 18
That's an interesting question, actually. I hadn't thought of that! I suppose you could be right.
1 person likes this
@sunrisefan (28524)
• Philippines
25 Jan 18
@Srbageldog Asked that question because that's how I have observed with kids here. Just don't know if it's the same situation over there at yours.
1 person likes this
@Ithink (9980)
• United States
26 Jan 18
Kinda sounds like our town, although by the sounds of it ours is way smaller. We have 1 grocery store, a Dollar General, Country Fair and Kwik Fill. Those are our major stores. The rest are little in door flea markets really. Even lost a few bars! lol This is why hubby has to travel for work.
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
25 Jan 18
It is a shame, there's already a job shortage as it is these days.
1 person likes this
@dodo19 (47038)
• Beaconsfield, Quebec
25 Jan 18
@Srbageldog It really is. We do need more jobs, not less.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
26 Jan 18
@dodo19 I wonder what people will be expected to do when there are no jobs left?
1 person likes this
@Courtlynn (66921)
• United States
24 Jan 18
Sorry to hear yours is ond closing. Ours isnt but we dont go there.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
25 Jan 18
It sucks, especially since they will likely replace it with another government building! 
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
25 Jan 18
I agree. Some of their pricing is outrageous. It's cheaper to buy from Walmart or order online in some cases.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
25 Jan 18
@Plethos They really did. I was in there recently and was shocked over some of their prices. Like $40 for a toy magic wand just because it had Harry Potter on the packaging. Who is going to pay that price for that? My mom would have just told us to go outside and find a stick to play with.
1 person likes this
@Plethos (13560)
• United States
25 Jan 18
@Srbageldog - i always thought that was a stupid toy concept.
1 person likes this
@andriaperry (116860)
• Anniston, Alabama
25 Jan 18
When the fort closed here places closed down and the town across bridge grew and now Oxford is the nice town.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
25 Jan 18
That is what happened to Marysville (the town across the bridge) when all their businesses started closing, only our town is the "nice" one. Only it's becoming not so nice these days.
@JohnRoberts (109857)
• Los Angeles, California
24 Jan 18
The real "villain" in brick and mortar stores like Toy R Us closing is Amazon. Everyone prefers to shop online and don't seem to realize there is huge affect upon society.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
25 Jan 18
Sometimes you have to shop online because local stores don't sell what you're looking for. At least, that's the case here. We no longer even have a book store (and ours was small to begin with) so if I want to buy a new book and Walmart or Target doesn't carry it, I have to order it from Amazon. I would gladly shop locally if they offered the stuff I'm shopping for. Also, Toys R Us is very expensive, and it's probably cheaper to order toys elsewhere online. (Some, anyway. I collect Funko Pop figures and those are cheaper to buy at Toys R Us than to order from Amazon.)
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
4 Feb 18
They are expensive here too. Which may be why they are going out of business.
1 person likes this
@BabeSays (8576)
• Mauritius
5 Feb 18
@Srbageldog Exactly what I thought. They should also invest in some affordable toys but all of their toys are overpriced.
@tamaraash89 (268)
• Saint Lucia
24 Jan 18
How unfortunate. Income should be generating within the city, I’m sure there are lots of skilled individuals within the area. Sad that those store have closed down, that presents a huge decrease in employment.
1 person likes this
@Srbageldog (7716)
• United States
25 Jan 18
It is unfortunate. The medical field used to be one that guaranteed employment. Now people go to school to become medical professionals and none of the facilities around here will hire them, so they wind up in debt and working at places like Toys R Us or Walmart. Whenever I talk to the medical assistants and CNAs at the doctor's offices I go to, they are not from the area. A lot of the teachers teaching in our schools don't live here or aren't from here, either. Even our local hospital got bought out by a non-local company that has laid off most of the hospital's employees so they can bring in their own. My mom works for the company that got bought out and she and all her coworkers are worried about losing their jobs.
@shaggin (71659)
• United States
25 Jan 18
That is so sad. Unfortunatly if people are not spending enough money at those chain stores they are closing them. Thankfully the two I shop at (one an hour north and one an hour south of me) are not closing. This past Christmas I shopped pretty much all online at Amazon though. So many people are shopping online that actual stores are going bankrupt. It is sad for all the people out there needing jobs! No where near me has a Kmart anymore either and I was sad about that as I loved shopping there.
