ToysRUs Restructuring $400 Million Debt (Could This Mean Possible Bankruptcy?)

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ToysRUs shoppers!

ToysRUs recently hired lawyers to help address the issue of restructuring their $400 million debt that is due in 2018. And this may mean that ToysRUs will be filing for bankruptcy soon…

So – if you have any ToysRUs gift cards laying around, you may want to plan to use them sooner rather than later. What are your thoughts on this and do YOU think they will file for bankruptcy?

Join The Discussion

Comments 60

  1. Laura

    You know it! Stopped shopping there years ago when my kiddos were young – it was a great place to browse – but wayyyy to expensive – they did it to themselves

  2. Melissa Pinkelton

    It would not surprise me …..they over-charge for everything ….toys are always so much cheaper on Amazon, Kohl’s, Target, etc …. side note >> Thank you for all you do, Collin ….you have saved me SOOOO much money over the years!

    • Laura

      I thought so too. But they price match. Pulled up a toy on Walmart.com and they price matched it!

      • Brittaby6

        Price matching is just extra work for the customer. No thank you. Ain’t nobody got time for that.

    • Collin (Mrs. Hip)

      Thanks for the sweet comment! Glad to help you score the savings! You’re most welcome! πŸ˜‰

      • Michelle

        I used to think they were too expensive too, but ever since I realized how many places they’ll price match they aren’t bad at all. They usually have a good selection and will take a store coupon on top of price matching (I think that varies by store). My daughter loves to look around so even though it’s the same stuff I can buy on amazon, target or Walmart, it’s more fun for her.

  3. Nichole

    Dang my daughter got a giftcard for her bday. Have to use it

  4. kaylan

    Thanks for the heads up on using gift cards. I have $30 in gift cards that I have been saving for Christmas shopping. I think I will be redeeming them in the next few days now.

    • Collin (Mrs. Hip)

      You’re welcome Kaylan!

  5. Michelle

    Well this is depressing… I know I’m part of the problem with the fact that I live about 35 min for all the major stores so I shop a lot online… However it is nice to go into the store and see things in person… The people at our store are all very friendly and helpful… 😒

  6. Donna

    Sooooo should I reconsider registering there? lol

  7. Julie

    Not surprised. They are so expensive! And our local store is not very nice, almost dumpy. When my kids have received gift cards, they struggle to spend them there.

    • Shannon

      My store is like that too. Only one in the city and it’s such a dump. I always leave empty handed and end up at Walmart after.

      • Holli

        I agree. The one. BY me in Florida is so dirty. I have a hard time shopping there.

  8. JA

    Not surprising. Drove past one this past weekend and it was dead. Stopped a few months ago-empty shelves, no one on the floor to help and only one cashier.

    • Liz

      Yep mine is located in a very populated area & it is always DEAD inside.

  9. Cristen

    Oh no! Toys R Us price matches Target, Walmart, and Amazon! I have been using this feature for over a year without fail.

    • Janell

      Ha! I tried price matching online to Amazon. After being on hold she came to tell me that since it was a Prime item, they could not price match. I said that’s funny because I’m not a Prime member and can get it for that price, that Prime just meant it could be shipped quicker. She went on to say well we don’t match Prime products. I laughed and asked if she could tell me of any Amazon products they’d match because Prime was not an option.

      • Jodi P

        Wow. Unless the Amazon item says “Price for Prime members only” (like for Prime day), all items that have the “PRIME” logo just means Prime free SHIPPING is available for that item. Next time ask for a supervisor, and if the supervisor says no, ask for their manager. Often (no matter who you call, bank, cable, etc) the first person you talk to knows the least, AND cannot get you to a supervisor unless you ask.

      • Jennine

        Oh yikes! I’ve never tried price matching TRU online. In store they price match quickly. They do ask me to click the product, and scroll on the phone to make sure it’s current and accurate AKA not a picture of a possible old sale.

      • Barrabas

        i’ve been doing this for two years now. They always say “we can do price match only to the items at regular price shipped by amazon.com” but they just look for the “shipped from amazon. com” under the price

    • Carrie L

      They will only price match 2 of the same item, so when you want to price match baby food to Walmart at $0.98 versus ToysRUS at $1.39 you can only get 2 of each kind (carrots, pears, etc.) making it a hassle to price match.

    • Erin

      Yeah mine too, and the associates are so friendly, and it’s a really nice clean, bright store. Guess we are lucky!

  10. Amanda

    I am also not surprised. I could occasionally find good deals, but their policies always kept me away. I always had issues with employees following their price match policy and return policy. I used to enjoy buying online but then they got rid of shoprunner. I hope if they are restructuring they follow a guest friendly policies like target, amazon etc.

  11. Beck

    It explains why on Saturdays for months I’ve been in lines that are 20+ deep. Craziness!

    • Happymama

      I think it’s just because it’s Saturday. The last few months were summer where kids are out of school, and then back to school sales draw big crowds.

  12. Nicole

    Doesn’t surprise me. Used to work there. One of the worst companies to work for! I refuse to buy from them.

  13. Jantini

    Thanks! Have two $45 gift cards that we haven’t used.

    • Collin (Mrs. Hip)

      YW!

  14. mom of 2

    deals pliz… should use all my gift cards now πŸ˜‰

  15. Christi

    The best thing I can say about Toys R Us is… Did all of my baby hurricane prep shopping there. It was a breeze. They were fully stocked and no crowds! 😊 I figured no one would think to go there during this time. They even had gallons of water.

  16. Heather

    They are sneaky with their own prices too. Many of the items in store are more than online and when I wanted them to price match their own store to online they told me no because they have to accommodate wages. I am sure this person was just saying that. After that comment while still in line I said fine I am going to order online now and do In store pick up. Picked up the one I had in my hand. So silly!!

    • Me

      I have been told they won’t price match their own prices as well. They didn’t say WHY, but that they wouldn’t do it. I wasn’t too happy about that, so I went next door to Target. I can’t believe that it would be worth it to turn away business over not matching their OWN prices online, but they have done it. Seriously, what percentage of people are actually going to do that that would make it worth it for them to turn away business? We also have GCs which I was saving for birthdays, Christmas, etc. Yikes I might have to use them sooner rather than later? Same goes for my points with Sears/Kmart, and GC from JCPenney. I think it’s so sad how the stores are all doing so poorly. I wonder who will be left standing after Christmas?

      • Sara

        Well Target won’t pricematch Target.com if the items are part of a promotion…. I tried to buy a Fisher Price Little People Zoo, and it was $10 cheaper online vs in store price. I took it to customer service and they said they couldn’t give me the online price and still get the bogo free promotion. So I just ordered it online and had it shipped to my house.

  17. Rebekah J

    Register at Buy Buy Baby instead. They have a much better selection, better customer service, they keep their shelves stocked, cleaner in the stores, and they accept unexpired Bed Bath and Beyond coupons plus their own store coupons.

    • D

      Buy buy baby is way over priced too. Nice that they accept bbandb coupons. Mine won’t but bed bath and beyond will accept buy buy baby. Never understood why.

      • Sara

        Agree, Buy Buy Baby is soo overpriced!!! Their coupons are beyond frustrating, they exclude like 100 different things in the teeny tiny print at the bottom. You can’t use them on diapers or formula most of the time. The customer service experiences I had were a little rude, except when I was pregnant and stocking up for baby and she let me use all my coupons in the same transaction. Buy Buy Baby and Bed Bath and Beyond are the same company, and World Market. Bed Bath and Beyond will take anyone’s coupon, never tried it at Buy Buy Baby

  18. Flmomof2

    Noooo! I love toys r us! They are the only place I can find certain toys, and they do good sales, and their price matching is amazing. I just price match all amazon, Walmart, target, etc prices when shopping for birthdays, Christmas, or whatever else. If ToysRUs goes away I will miss them so sooo much.

  19. mommyx4

    Love taking the kids there after church since its close to church but far from home. So sad our little routine might have to change soon

  20. Tracy

    On my fb memories yesterday it showed a picture of an empty toys r us parking lot, middle of the day. I expected this to happen and many stores to close.

  21. ET

    I’m not surprised. Their stuff is way overpriced. The check out lines are long and slow.

  22. Aleshia Jones

    They may be way more expensive at whole cost, but way cheaper clearance. 2 years ago i scored 600$ worth of toys for 100$. They were marking so many thing to 90% off. I still fimd great dealls all of the time. You jusy have to happen on it. Also I have a switch on Layaway, it they go bankrupt will i lose my purchase?

    • Kim

      You could loose your layaway. The wedding dress company that just went bankrupts couple of weeks ago. Women were not allowed to get dresse they OWNED either were there for alterations or waiting to be picked up. And those were $10s of thousands of dollars. They will be allocated in an auction last time I checked and sold off. Even if that’s changed it will not be any to get your items if it’s not paid off and you will need all records of payments if you need to go to the hearing/covered under the lawsuit.

  23. C

    Would this effect babies r us too?? I hope not. I love babies r us! We live near such a nice store and the people are so friendly.

  24. Laura

    Bummer! While they are overpriced, I can usually price match some things. This week I scored 9 backpacks (for hurricane Harvey displaced children) and 9 lunch boxes for $25 total!!!

  25. Thehenrydthoreau

    I quit going there when they stopped their annual 90% off sales. Many people are struggling with housing costs and putting food on the table. Toys are not a priority.

  26. Holly

    I’ve been surprised at how good their Christmas deals were these past 2 years; got lots of toys from them in December with BOGO Playmobil offers etc, and that’s about it. Fun to browse with my boys, but the good sales are only in December.

  27. Shelly

    Ugh makes me sad my kids love going to toysrus πŸ™ I never had a problem with price match

  28. maggie

    They have lots events on Saturdays.

  29. Amber

    Is this babies r us too or are they separate? We have both in one store so was curious if that applies to gift cards for babies r us.

  30. Sara

    I like ToysRUs clearances in store, they’re great. And I used to love their website when you could get any order over $19 shipped for free. But they raised the free shipping price, I don’t shop online there anymore, I never go in store hardly either. The closest one is 20 mins away, and they closed the big Babies R Us that had been open for 20+ years. The ToysRUs I’d been going to since I was a child, has gone really downhill. The selection sucks, shelves aren’t fully stocked, it just looks crappy and depressing. Compared to when I was little it was like Disneyland, when they had a whole aisle dedicated to nothing but Barbies. The nicer BabiesRUs and ToysRUs are across state lines, which is only 25 mins away; but it’s just not worth the drive. I go to Target.

  31. Patandrod

    I’m sad to hear this. Toysrus has been great to me. I was able to price match every single item I have bought without issues. I was able to return registry items (a swing and a baby play mat) in exchange for store credit that I had taken out of the box and threw away with no problems. They also have great sales and super cheap stuff when on clearance. I will miss bringing my son there if they do close down.

  32. Beth

    This post reminded me I have a gift card for sears. I better use it soon. They are getting scarce

  33. Carrie L

    This isn’t surprising at all. Its prices are not even close to being competitive with its competitors. Everytime I go in there I have to price match and their competitors are usually 30% cheaper.

  34. Lucy

    I have a 40 off 100 under armour coupon to trade. Please let me know what you have to trade.

    Lintbunny@hotmail.com

  35. Kb

    Not surprising at all. They have horrible customer service. I only shop there for BabiesRUs registry purchases and my experience with the last 2 registry purchases was so frustrating that I will just give cash before buying there again. They constantly discontinue items within a couple of months of the expectant mother registering. Over 2/3 of the items on the last two registries were not available in the store any longer and most were also not available online. Registries were made in June for August showers.

  36. Sarah

    This makes me sad. If Toys R Us closes there won’t be any major toy store remaining. There is something special about walking with your kids down the aisles and watching their faces light up with excitement. Then you know the toys they REALLY want. They really do have a bigger variety of toys compared to Target and Walmart.
    Our local Toys R Us was not the cleanest, but they restructured it a few years ago and it’s much better. I find great deals at Christmas and other times of the year-you just have to look sometimes. I NEVER have a problem price matching either! Customer service is really good here!
    Internet shopping is great for convenience, but it’s taking all the fun out of it. Its impossible for me to buy clothes online and becoming impossible for me to find them in actual stores since they all seem to be closing.

  37. Marie

    Kids love it there, but on a regular day it’s always overpriced. They haven’t changed the way they operate so, if I had gift cards I would use them now and save the receipts.

  38. Amy

    Not to sound bitter, but I will be thrilled if they go under. I’ve boycotted them for years because of a traumatic personal experience I had in one of their stores on a black Friday. I vowed to never set foot in there again. Their greed put many people in danger that day. I’ve always loved crazy black Friday shopping, but we thought we would die. I was groped and had to knock down a wall of boxes to escape the store.

  39. Angie

    I’ll be sad to see it. After years of not buying there recently I made few purchases( some of thanks to you guy’s). It changed a lot. I was amazed and pleasantly surprised by the excellent customer service that I received. The level of service truly outstanding and mutch better then any stores that I buy in.

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