It's So Hard to Say Good-bye

IT'S SO HARD TO SAY GOOD-BYE

Photos by Madeline Vega

LONG FAREWELL Between the need to break out of old routines and a curiosity about what would come out of the stock rooms, we kept an eye on what was happening at the stores. People bought bikes and furniture with their old gift cards, but some toys just sat forever on the shelves.

I’ll Always Be a Toys ’R’ Us Kid

From bikes to trains to video games, it’s the biggest toy store there is

To some, Toys ’R’ Us was just a store. To me, it was so much more. Toys ’R’ Us was part of my constant routine.

During the week, I would go to Toys ’R’ Us at least once for a lunch break. It was a place where I could escape from the stress of the office and get creatively inspired while surrounding myself with great packaging, wonderful signage and small pieces of art—all while looking for the latest collectibles. (For a small chunk of time, my main man JP and I would go to TRU before work and wait for the store to open so we could snag the latest Star Wars figures. We even knew the restocking days so we could even better our odds).

On the weekends, I would gather up the kids and head out to my local TRU to be there when they opened the doors. This would give us completely free and unfettered access to the store. I could calmly peruse the aisles while the kids ran and played. All the while, the employees knew my kids and me by name. If one child wasn’t there, employees would ask where they were. The kids would bring the big toy book to the store during the holidays and make their Santa wishlist. They would eagerly anticipate the next Lego building event, Beyblade Tournament, or Pokemon card giveaway. I never felt like just a customer.

My least favorite day of the summer was when TRU closed their doors for good. Not only did it feel like part of my childhood was gone, but it robbed me of a favorite lunchstop and weekend destination. Hopefully my little ones remember all the fun times we shared at TRU and remember that we are all Toys ’R’ Us kids. -Luis Vega

LANDSPEEDERS Betty’s favorite thing to do was test out vehicles. Target and Walmart do not have displays like this, so I don’t know where she’ll get her fix in the future.

The boxes for landspeeders and other vehicles didn’t appear until much closer to the end of TRU. It was odd to see what seemed like “so many” on the shelves suddenly one week. The next time we visited, the boxes stretched from the front of the store to all the way to the back, maybe a city block of merchandise.

NOT WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR I just needed to use the bathroom on the second to last day the store was open, but I get it. I wouldn’t want to clean the bathroom or be sure there is enough change or even want people to walk the empty spaces. The way boxes are packed at the factory left the store with hundreds of the same figure.

Opinionated people used the internet to tell Toy 'R' Us fans there's more to do with our lives

THINGS WE'VE DONE WITHOUT TRU...

• OPEN OLD TOYS ON VIDEO

• OPEN OLD BLINd BAGS ON VIDEO

• LOOK FOR NEW TOYS AT TARGET

• LOOK FOR NEW TOYS AT WALMART

• LOOK FOR NEW TOYS AT GAMESTOp

• LOOK FOR NEW TOYS AT BEST BUY

• LOOK FOR NEW TOYS AT KOHL’S