In fact, between the two of us, I probably felt more of a loss, though it has more to do with the impending disappearance of his childhood. Although he had grown up shopping at Toys R Us, he is also a child of apps and iPads and YouTube, and that’s where he learns of new objects of interest. My 12-year-old son barely blinked when I broke the news to him. ![]() Maybe the promise of drone delivery will make it more exciting for us. ![]() Or we’ll just take it easy like everyone else and let Amazon handle everything. Once Toys R Us finally closes down all its locations-bequeathing our communities with yet more big buildings no one wants to lease-we’ll just move our toy shopping down the road to Target and Walmart, and hardly be able to tell the difference. The real mercantile tragedy here (beyond the loss of jobs) is that the prior success of Toys R Us killed off many of the local toy stores that used to offer mystique and charm, if fewer choices. To me, the underlying message of the place seemed to be: Just buy your toys and get the fuck out. ![]() There was never much pretense of eye-catching displays or lovingly chosen featured items-just endless, interchangeable aisles patrolled by surly clerks stocking countless shelves, the toys stripped of any magic by the insufficient glow of the bare fluorescent bulbs far above. It always had the feel of an impersonal, unwelcoming warehouse. The news of Toys R Us’ imminent liquidation did not cause many pangs of nostalgia for me.
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