I'm so very very done with Toys R Us.

[smitch425]

Here is why I won't shop Toys R Us anymore.

Took my Granddaughter to pick out a bike for her birthday. She picked it out, I took the ticket up to buy it. The computer said there were 2 in stock. They searched and searched and could not find it.

Finally I said "can I buy the display?" NOPE, they would absolutely not let me. They said I would have to order a bike and come back to pick it up once it comes in. Which is very hard to do as it is very far from our house anyway.
I questioned to the manager (had to ask for one) why I could not buy the display and he said "because then we won't have an example to show people when they come in." How dumb, you don't have any to sell them anyway!

So I am standing there with a broken hearted birthday girl who wanted her bike and only THIS bike! (no reasoning with a 8 yr old). There sits the bike, and I have cash in hand to fork over to them. So MAD!! I am thinking why don't YOU (the store) just order MORE bikes and sell me THIS one NOW??

I walked out and will never step foot there again. Not that they care.

The floor models are driven and crashed by many kids who want to try out the bikes. It really is not safe to purchase a bike from the floor because something could be improperly attached or broken. Sorry you had a bad experience, but you were probably better off NOT getting that bike at that time.

 

[Swimalie]

Are we reading the same report? TRU agreed (offered?) to reduce the PVC products they sell and packaging used. They can't actually control what the toy manufacturers do; toys are what they sell, so if they reduce or eliminate products containing or packaged in PVC, there goes the bulk of their business (referring to the poster predicting TRU/BRU will be OOB within five years). Don't kid yourselves, either. TRU banning PVCs won't reduce them. Other retailers will just jump in.

The report states that quite a few of their products are made just for them therefore they can control what is put in to them. They agree in 2008 to reduce the pvc or mark the items as being toxic. In 2010 they still hadn't done so. They went back on their word and it's harming kids. As the world's biggest toy seller, they can influence greatly what is used in the products they sell. They have chosen to ignore that fact and instead have toxic chemicals left in the toys on their shelves.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

We have a BRU/TRU near us and I'm not entirely sure how it stays in business! The shelves are always bare - always on sale items, but also regular price items.

I went there last week on the second day of their baby trade-in sale (which runs until the end of February), to trade in the Graco infant car seat that I hate for a new Britax one. It was only a few dollars cheaper than ordering the same seat from Amazon, but the big thing is that I was getting rid of the old car seat, that was just taking up space in our garage. So, I went in with my old car seat and a big stack of coupons for sale items. I was ready to drop $300+ on baby items and toddler furniture for DS's new room. I found the car seat that we wanted, but there was only one on the shelves and it was black - I wanted the red model. I asked an employee to check to see if they had the red in stock and he told me that the one that they had out was the only one in the store. Ok, fine, it's just a color. I went through the store, looking for the other sale items that I had coupons for (everything from a co-sleeper basinet to sippy cups and baby food pouches) and not a single item that I had a coupon for was in stock. Not a single item. Nothing. This was the second day of a one month sale.

So, I went over to the toy area to look for a new ride-on toy for DS. He's outgrown the little Playschool one that he has but still loves to play with it. There were 3-4 aisles dedicated to ride on toys and wagons.... there were a couple Power Wheels cars in one aisle, and some wagons in another aisle.... and the rest of the shelves were bare. I couldn't give my money away that day.

It's a nice big store that just opened just over a year ago, but they just never have anything to buy. I don't know if this is indicative of other TRU/BRU locations, but it just baffles me.

 

[UndercoverMama]

I actually love our TrU/BrU. I only bought things that were on sale (and I follow sales ) and when the holidays were over was able to get over $95 worth of stuff free with my rewards. (I actually hung the two receipts on my fridge because they made me so happy ) Sorry you had a bad experience.

 

[POOHsie]

The two last transactions I had with TRU convinced me to never set foot in there again. First, I bought a bicycle. You take a tag to the register and they bring a bike out of inventory. Tags indicated there were several in stock. After I was rung up, with a CC, I learned they had none in stock. So I asked for the transaction to be cancelled. TRU cashier told me I would have to get a credit on my CC (takes a few weeks). I said I didn't want to tie up my available credit while I waited to receive a credit for something I never bought. Finally, a manager intervened, and I was able to get the transaction cancelled. So it could be done after all, the cashier just wasn't motivated.

In the other event, I pre-bought a Nintendo game. I left a cash deposit, along with my name and phone #. When the game came in, I went to the service desk to pick up the game and pay the balance. The clerk had me fill out a form with name, address, phone, etc. I refused to fill out the form. I was paying cash, and I didn't feel they had any right to have my personal info for just a cash transaction. The lady gave up on me, rather rudely, and completed the sale with Jane Doe fake info on this stupid form. Geez!

Also, used to be they would ask for your Zip Code when checking out. I gave them that. A few years later, they asked for your phone #. I refused. I don't like the idea of being tracked, when I am paying cash. I don't know if they still do that, it's been well over 10 years since I shopped there.

 

[UndercoverMama]

The lady gave up on me, rather rudely, and completed the sale with Jane Doe fake info on this stupid form. Geez!

Also, used to be they would ask for your Zip Code when checking out. I gave them that. A few years later, they asked for your phone #. I refused. I don't like the idea of being tracked, when I am paying cash. I don't know if they still do that, it's been well over 10 years since I shopped there.

I agree that they don't need all that info for buying a game.

The zip code info is for marketing and the phone number is so they can send you coupons (they use it to get your address At least that is why they asked for it when I worked at Bath and Body Works.

 

[richmond282]

I don't shop in TRU stores any more. I do occasionally order online if it's something I can't find anywhere else or is a really good deal.

I don't shop in-store b/c of the last experience I had there. I had pre-ordered some Disney movie. I went to pick it up and used my $10 off coupon that I printed from the disney website. When I handed it to the cashier, he asked me where I got the coupon from and then proceeded to tell me it was probably a fake coupon, he didn't think he could take it, etc. etc. Here's the kicker, the TRU AD for that week had a picture of the movie, the price, and then the website to go to get the disney coupon. It was in their own ad (which obviously this cashier had never even looked at) and this guy is accusing me of making a fake coupon. Why would I make a fake coupon if I an go to the website advertised in your own sales flyer to get a legit one???

 

[dhardawa]

I'll also never give TRU any of my business again. At Christmas, they offered a Toy Story Operation game for $1. I was going to buy the regular version for my nephew at Target for $10, so I decided to get them both at TRU online, even though they charged $14 for the original. Well, they "ran out" of the $1 game and sent the other game with a shipping charge of $9, so it cost me $23 for one game. Then they cancelled the rest of the order. I was so mad, I sent an e-mail to Hasbro asking if the Toy Story game was still being manufactured. They replied that it was and provided a list of stores it was available at, including TRU. I then e-mail TRU with a copy of Hasbro's e-mail and told them to reopen my order and ship the Toy Story game, at the advertised price when it was back in stock, or refund all of my money so I could go purchase the game at a reputable toy store. I also figured that since I was bombarded with sales e-mail from them since placing the order, that the only purpose of the "sale" item was to collect e-mail addresses. Never heard from them. They'll never hear from me again either. I wonder if anybody actually got the $1 game.

I got five of them, but I went to the actual store and was there when they opened. They were all gone within about 15 seconds.

 

[anna_chronistic]

Customer service at our local TRU is abysmal. The last time I went there, my mom and I were looking for toys they had advertised for $10 or less. We hadn't brought our ad with us, so we double-checked the ad in the store (and they only had one in the store ... which you could only look at as the cashier held it, because they couldn't hand over their ONLY ad ). It didn't specify the toys, so we asked which toys were at the special $10 or less price. She didn't know. We asked for a manager. He didn't know. He said, "They're listed in an e-mail for our customers. If you don't have the e-mail, you need to walk through the store to find them."

We said, "Wait a minute, you (the manager) don't know what the sale items are or where? And we need to print an e-mail to know?"

"Yes. But our customers get the e-mail."
"We ARE customers. We didn't get an e-mail, but it's in your ad. Can't you let us know what the sale items are?"
"I don't know. I don't get the e-mail. Our customers get an e-mail with the specials, though."
"We ARE your customers."

We went 'round and 'round, to the point that it was really funny. It was like beating our heads against a brick wall. He was completely unhelpful and somewhat befuddled. His thought process seemed to be: We didn't get the e-mail; ergo, we must not be customers. But we were there, willing to buy items, which made us customers, yet we hadn't gotten the e-mail so we couldn't be customers. Unable to compute! And of course he was an employee, not a customer, so he didn't get the e-mail list, either.

 

[Ginny Favers]

Toys R Us lost my business right before Christmas. All my daughter asked for from Santa was the Disney Princess Castle. I ordered it from them, and imagine how shocked I was to come home after picking the kids up from school, to find it sitting, in all its glory, on our front stoop! They didn't even have the intelligence to put it in another box! Luckily, I was able to distract her away from it so she didn't notice, but I'm never going to order from them for Christmas again. You would think a company that "specializes" in kids would "get it".

 

[Metsfan520]

Toys R Us lost my business right before Christmas. All my daughter asked for from Santa was the Disney Princess Castle. I ordered it from them, and imagine how shocked I was to come home after picking the kids up from school, to find it sitting, in all its glory, on our front stoop! They didn't even have the intelligence to put it in another box! Luckily, I was able to distract her away from it so she didn't notice, but I'm never going to order from them for Christmas again. You would think a company that "specializes" in kids would "get it".

Well, then don't order from Amazon, or Walmart or Target--they all do that.

 

[Ginny Favers]

Well, then don't order from Amazon, or Walmart or Target--they all do that.

Not true. I ordered from about a dozen online stores and the only place that sent something to me in its original packaging prior to Christmas was Toys R Us. Amazon, which normally sends large boxes like diapers to me in the original packaging, put everything, even a couple very large things, in boxes!

 

[pigletto]

Also have ordered from Amazon, and Target and received shipments always in a plain brown box.

 

[Styx Fan]

Christmas 2010 I ordered several things from Parisian and they all came in just the original wrapping. That was bad enough, but then it rained when some were left on the porch by UPS and the box was ruined. I will say the local store was very nice and put the items in nice boxes and wrapped them at no charge when I complained.

Target, Amazon, Kohls and any smaller stores all had things in plain outer boxes.

 

[LisaNJ25]

Not true. I ordered from about a dozen online stores and the only place that sent something to me in its original packaging prior to Christmas was Toys R Us. Amazon, which normally sends large boxes like diapers to me in the original packaging, put everything, even a couple very large things, in boxes!

Walmart sent me a blu ray dvd play in its original box I have also had larger boxes from almost every online retailer I order from come in its original box.

 

[maxiesmom]

Customer service at our local TRU is abysmal. The last time I went there, my mom and I were looking for toys they had advertised for $10 or less. We hadn't brought our ad with us, so we double-checked the ad in the store (and they only had one in the store ... which you could only look at as the cashier held it, because they couldn't hand over their ONLY ad ).

That is because most of the ads end up going into the garbage. It is part of companies trying to be greener. Why have a ton of ads in your store when very few people use them? It is always smart to bring your ad from home if you want something. That way you know what you are looking for, and don't have to grab yet another ad in order to find it. I have no problem with that, I don't need another ad in addition to the one they already sent me.

 

[anna_chronistic]

That is because most of the ads end up going into the garbage. It is part of companies trying to be greener. Why have a ton of ads in your store when very few people use them? It is always smart to bring your ad from home if you want something. That way you know what you are looking for, and don't have to grab yet another ad in order to find it. I have no problem with that, I don't need another ad in addition to the one they already sent me.

But them having only the one ad was really the least problematic part of the whole visit. I don't mind them "going green" (heck, I LOVE when stores will accept coupons that I show them from my iPhone!), but the ad did NOT list the actual sale items, it just stated there were weekly specials of toys reduced to "$10 or less." Yet the manager said he couldn't find out what the special sale items were because he wasn't on the e-mail list. If the ad had said something along the lines of "special sales when you sign up for our e-mail!" that would've been understandable. But the manager himself couldn't find out what was on sale. Craziness!

 

[MAH4546]

Not true. I ordered from about a dozen online stores and the only place that sent something to me in its original packaging prior to Christmas was Toys R Us. Amazon, which normally sends large boxes like diapers to me in the original packaging, put everything, even a couple very large things, in boxes!

Its absolutely true. All retailers do it, but most, including Amazon, warn you before you order.

 

[lizabu]

My oldest is 17 and even when he was a baby Toys R Us is always more expensive than Walmart. The thing is sometimes they're the only store that has a certain item while Walmart only sells the most popular items. Sometimes if you want something that's hard to find there is no other option than to go to Toys R Us.

 

[disneymom3]

Not true. I ordered from about a dozen online stores and the only place that sent something to me in its original packaging prior to Christmas was Toys R Us. Amazon, which normally sends large boxes like diapers to me in the original packaging, put everything, even a couple very large things, in boxes!

Its absolutely true. All retailers do it, but most, including Amazon, warn you before you order.

Well, clearly not in Ginny's experience or mine either. shopped almost exclusively online this year and everything came in brown boxes. My MIL ordered a Keurig off of Amazon and it came with the original box inside a box that was practially the exact same size. The one thing from Amazon that was obvious were the Kindles. While the box is brown it says right there in big bold print what's inside. My SIL ordered a bike online from Target and had it shipped to MIL's house because she was afraid the box would be exposed and it to came in a brown outer carton.