For more videos on business and entrepreneurship, check out our channel ContextTV: kzread.info Have you seen a famous store or chain close its doors in your town? Which do you miss most? Let us know in the comments.

@jkpwordy8297

3 жыл бұрын

Hi

@jacobrev6567

3 жыл бұрын

👍👍👍👍

@thecunninlynguist

3 жыл бұрын

yeah. too many to count.

@kennylong653

3 жыл бұрын

Most of these large stores deservedly went out business, bad business models, poor customer service, high overhead, high prices and the mass murder of so many mom and pop small businesses. Good riddance!

@johnnyfountainS

3 жыл бұрын

I miss the adult video store. To rent lots of real pron.

Given I used to work at Toys r us, it hurts not having them around anymore, even as an adult due to the memories I had going there as a kid!

@legarrick8340

3 жыл бұрын

Best job I ever had

@christianleocastelo342

3 жыл бұрын

Still running in the Philippines

@kingaxxidnt2484

3 жыл бұрын

Rip toys R Us😡☹️☹️☹️☹️🥺😫😫

@lunny0166

3 жыл бұрын

I thought they were coming back this Christmas

@TheGamingDead14

3 жыл бұрын

@RewindBobo toys r us closed back in 2018, wasn’t because of the pandemic.

I speak for everyone when I say, when Toys R Us & Blockbuster got shut down, parts of our childhood died at that moment!

@markmagician2471

2 жыл бұрын

I used to rent video games from Blockbuster

@matthewmatics5942

2 жыл бұрын

Toys R Us was my childhood.....

@jontaylor6068

2 жыл бұрын

There is one blockbuster store open. It’s in Washington state or Oregon.

@edgargonzales4628

2 жыл бұрын

Ture

@cathyosullivan718

2 жыл бұрын

I think it’s in Bend Oregon. I saw it when I went on vacay!

I miss Borders. My Mom worked there when I was little, and over the years she collected enough books from there to last me from elementary school till college. I used to have my own little Borders in my basement! I miss going to the promotional events with her and getting a free book at the end. I loved that I got to have one on one time with the authors at the end while my Mom cleaned up. I’m a junior in college now and I would kill to sit on a colorful rug with a hot chocolate while someone reads to me. I miss it a lot.

@SHROOMROBLOX

Жыл бұрын

In my country, borders is still there so ya might wanna move to the UAE ;)

Toys ‘R’ Us was everybody’s childhood, we all know that we always begged our parents to get a toy from Toys ‘R’ Us but once we all heard that Toys ‘R’ Us we’re going out of business, all of our hearts dropped, these stores will forever be in our hearts.

@averagelittlelulufan

3 ай бұрын

well 2021 was the year that they came back inside the american dream mall, and a year later in macy's

@Nini-vj8sw

3 ай бұрын

Yes.... Its heartbreaking, I no longer see toy stores anymore So sad 😭

@averagelittlelulufan

3 ай бұрын

@@Nini-vj8sw read my comment

Rest In Peace to Blockbuster and Toys R’ Us. Those stores were a big part of my childhood. 😔

@1LUVPITBIKES

3 жыл бұрын

Lmao toys r us is still in Canada sucks to be you guys

@andrewp.stewart4585

3 жыл бұрын

Same here…

@michaeloluwajuyemi4546

3 жыл бұрын

RIP.

@mandyfinlayson5282

2 жыл бұрын

Toys r us still exist in Canada 🇨🇦

@kiletaylor94

2 жыл бұрын

It's still alive

The ones I heard of: - Foot Locker - RadioShack - ToysRUs - Blockbuster

@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980

3 жыл бұрын

I'm surprised that Sears wasn't on their list to be honest.

@egyptianqueen4007

3 жыл бұрын

All were my favorite

@rayf8730

3 жыл бұрын

Where was Foot Locker on the list?

@cash_eye

3 жыл бұрын

@@rayf8730 when one of the stores on the list went out of business it pivoted to it's most selling items which was shoes so they rebranded as foot locker & somewhere in the video they mentioned this that's why I added it to my list

@TheJmall88

3 жыл бұрын

@@itwasagoodideaatthetime7980 there are still some but not too many

The “Welcome To Circuit City…Where Service Is State Of The Art” tagline/jingle is great.

My local Toys R Us was turned into a Wine and Spirits and they recently put a giraffe wearing sunglasses on the front, so it’s like Geoffrey the Giraffe grew up with us

Kids these days don’t know how awesome Toys R Us and Blockbuster was back then

@user-jc8zm6ef8p

3 жыл бұрын

So wat

@briandesens144

3 жыл бұрын

@@user-jc8zm6ef8p don't be mean to him

@briandesens144

3 жыл бұрын

@@z0ee996 yes they were

@chiimei

3 жыл бұрын

I know right

@YakkoWarnerTower

3 жыл бұрын

You don't know that man kids in canada are probably having awesome experience of Toy r Us.

I was heartbroken when Toys R Us and Borders closed. I went to them all the time as a kid

@insidetheredzone

3 жыл бұрын

Borders was expensive but the coffee shop was good.

@macaelatice-loma1048

3 жыл бұрын

@@insidetheredzone agreed expensive but their coffee was good... at least theres barnes and noble!!

I loved Borders. It was a great place to go to for magazines as well as books. They had a very extensive collection of magazinesm

At the risk of sounding prehistoric, the demise of Sears meant the loss of the very heart of U.S. retailing. Sears had invented nationwide sales, and the money back guarantee, defined middle class accoutrements, and built the world’s tallest skyscraper. All that being gone amounts to the fatal blow.

@jchow5966

2 жыл бұрын

Agree and you do not sound prehistoric. It is a fact , and young people should learn about it. ☮️💟

Toys "R" Us, Blockbuster, and Borders used to be my favorite places to go as a kid. It's sad that many things from my childhood no longer exist.

@timdesote1726

2 жыл бұрын

that not true one of your favorite places is back and that place is toys r us

@Alexandria87

2 жыл бұрын

I know 😭😭😭😭

@kingkeno7127

2 жыл бұрын

toyrus still running in Canada 3 in my city

@glow1815

Жыл бұрын

@@kingkeno7127 we're in U.S

@Yolofolk

Жыл бұрын

Life does that to you you win some you lose a lot of it

I remember A&P as a little kid in Maryland. It was the first time I was made aware of the ampersand "&" sign and I still associate the symbol with today.

I worked at a TRU store for nearly 10 years, I was the last employee hired when they first opened. They started to fail when they began hiring upper level management from outside the company instead of promoting from within. Those new people seldom understood the toy business, some had never even worked in retail.

I feel like Sears will be going this way soon. I live in Massachusetts & they used to be in every mall. Now, only one remains.

@user-ix1rp9ff3p

3 жыл бұрын

Regina George has no way to try their plus-sized clothes then

@ANTiBassMetal

3 жыл бұрын

mass here too your missing aims & braddlees which are now pretty much where a walmart stands now

@d_dizzie_druck5753

3 жыл бұрын

Canada no longer has Sears

@fromthehaven94

3 жыл бұрын

Sears stores were always at the malls where I live. All four of them. Two of them are completely closed. A third is thriving with two anchor stores, the fourth somehow exists without them.

@YakkoWarnerTower

3 жыл бұрын

Sears, used to be my store as a kid in the 90s i don't have a lot nostalgia of it but it's sad they are closing down.

Kids today will never get that experience of walking around a Blockbuster on Friday afternoons

@kevinbothwell8425

3 жыл бұрын

Unless they live in Bend, Oregon.

@Randomark3087

3 жыл бұрын

@@kevinbothwell8425 Very true

@zheartlezz

3 жыл бұрын

I loved the smell.

@pooky-changaming4089

3 жыл бұрын

@Randomark3087 Nor will they get the experience of walking through the aisles of Toys R Us on a Saturday afternoon, searching for just the right toys/video games/bike(s)/books to buy--and trying to convince Mom and/or Dad to let you get more than 1 or 2 things.

@Randomark3087

3 жыл бұрын

@@pooky-changaming4089 Omg yes! Man, sometimes I really miss being a kid in the 90s.

My heart really hurt when I saw that toys r us was putting them out of business, when I had a kid I was telling myself I can’t wait to take them to toys r us. Oh borders closing hurt my heart too! I loved borders when I was kid I used to sit at borders for hours I liked it a lot more than barns and nobles. Also blockbuster was my whole childhood as well I loved going to blockbuster on a Friday night to rent movies, it’s so sad my childhood is crying

@averagelittlelulufan

3 ай бұрын

well 2021 was the year that they came back inside the american dream mall, and a year later in macy's

I miss Fry's. Their stores were awesome. Radioshack at the end of their run was like going into a mini swap meet. They sold cell phones no one wanted and just odd shit that no one was going to buy.

@funecheeseofficial3576

Жыл бұрын

My local Mall still has a RadioShack they just sell Bootleg toys snd other random crap

I still remember the MASSIVE ToysRUs book during Christmas

@FullDottle

2 жыл бұрын

That's pretty cool that you can remember something from 3 long years ago! You must have a memory like an elephant. LOL

@hyperbabe2009

2 жыл бұрын

Me too I remember every year me and my younger siblings would draw all over the catalog and argue over what we wanted lol

@darthdread6289

2 жыл бұрын

OMG I totally forgot about that 😭😭

@connorgg1346

2 жыл бұрын

Idk if you live near la but there’s a Toys “R” Us in la

@kidjames6875

2 жыл бұрын

We still have ours in the Philippines.

"I don't wanna grow up! I wanna be a Toys R Us kid!!"

@population-_-420

3 жыл бұрын

Nvr gonna let u up nvr gonna let u down 😭

@wajadrahimi9003

3 жыл бұрын

@Sheldon nope never

@markerikson7423

3 жыл бұрын

@@population-_-420 nvr gonna giv, nvr gonna giv

@everlenaoliver6912

3 жыл бұрын

Same. Hearing their jingle was like a trip in the Wayback machine. 😭

@Shinyhunterjareth

3 жыл бұрын

Critic wean are you gonna get a job

These stores were primarily located in the New York area (but both had stores in New Jersey, Connecticut, Philadelphia and Baltimore metro areas), Crazy Eddie's (electronics) and Modell's (sporting goods) were well-known, especially in the New York City metropolitan area, are dearly missed. Crazy Eddie's was short-lived due to rapid expansion, while Modell's, after over a century of business, couldn't make enough money to cover its brick-and-mortar locations and not enough revenue for its online business.

I have a few also-mentions to add. Before Toys R Us closed, there was Child World and KB Toys closing; the former being my favorite of the trio. If I'm not mistaken, FAO Schwartz also closed their doors as well. In the category of box stores, we lost others like Two Guys, Caldors (which I often frequented), KMart, Jamesway and Bradlees. I believe Sears may well be on that list. All these stores I have shopped at and enjoyed doing so because each was slightly unique from one another. Today, one Walmart is pretty much like the other. In the category of supermarkets, we used to have a Pathmark on the other side of town. There was also Grand Union three towns over. With electronics, the passing of Radio Shack hit me hard. I bought my Atari XL computer in NYC at a Crazy Eddies, another lost store. We had one at one of our local malls and I bought almost all of my LPS and audiocassettes from that chain. The impact of losing all these stores is tough. Though not a chain, there was a colossal book store a block or two from the southern start of Central Park that was absolutely enormous. I think it was called The Coliseum. When I discovered it had closed, I was dumbfounded. Most of all my texts on theater and filmmaking were purchased there.

I was deeply shocked when they announced that Toys R Us was closing. I loved that store so much, that I still miss it to this day. RIP to all of the stores that closed for good. Update: Fuck, I have 485 likes, one from WatchMojo, and 64 replies! Thanks! Keep liking and replying!

@joshuamohlman

3 жыл бұрын

Me too buddy. That place was one of my favorite childhood places

@sthoma04

3 жыл бұрын

Come to Canada. We still have them

@fransvanvuuren271

3 жыл бұрын

where i live in south afrika toys R us is the most known toy store there are like close to my town 6

@idkanymore9894

3 жыл бұрын

Same I’m 13 and I’m still sad

@joshuamohlman

3 жыл бұрын

@@sthoma04 me: MOM, WE’RE GOING ON VACATION TO CANADA!

Toys R Us and Blockbusters being on this list really hits you in the feels!

@dakkuri1

3 жыл бұрын

had some good times in those stores

@chubsstuart

3 жыл бұрын

Facts it does the Toys R Us especially so many memories with me and my parents there although there is talks of bringing it back

@marca7542

3 жыл бұрын

Ah yes, typical American centered idiocy: Toys R Us still exists here in Canada.

@m0z4rt9000

3 жыл бұрын

Not sure why TRU is listed...

@RC30019

3 жыл бұрын

Toys R Us is still in Canada. 😁😁😁

The ones I only know going out is. Circuit city,toys r us,dress barn,block buster,family video,radio shack and that’s all I remember.

Uff! Don’t know where to start here. In the last 30 years I’ve lived here I can remember so many of them and gives me so much nostalgia to see them all gone: my first computer was a TRS80. Radio shack was a main part of my life as an early 80s computer person. Then once in US, Woolworth was my to-go shop for everything. I loved Circuit City and Toys r Us was almost a weekly visit for my kids, even if not shopping was done. I loved Borders store in my neighborhood, and needless to say blockbuster (still keep my membership card!) And I even forgot Linens and Things. Other big ones not included here are Pan Am, Sears and Kmart.

the line " I guess everyone grew up , there's no more toys r us kids anymore " from Toys R' Us when they closed is heartbreaking.

@ETalamante

2 жыл бұрын

For some reason, that just tore me up.

@jurrasicworldvids1702

2 жыл бұрын

There's some in Israel I visited Israel and there's alot of toys R us there that is OPEN so if you want to go to toys r us go to israel

@MGD07524

2 жыл бұрын

I’m 13 and I used to go there all the time when I was little

@shadowsmith1386

2 жыл бұрын

@@MGD07524 you still is little boy

@melrobertson2743

2 жыл бұрын

Kid's and adults that are young at heart still have Toys R Us in Canada

Let’s all be honest, Blockbuster was one we ALL saw coming due to the age of DVR and On Demand. Didn’t surprise me at all to say the least. But it still made me a bit sad cause I had a lot of fond childhood memories at the old Blockbuster that was only a 3 minute drive away from my house where me and my family went to EVERY SINGLE WEEK ever since I was 6 years old and I discovered A LOT of movies and TV shows there that are STILL among my top favorites even to this day!

@HeavyDutyTruck

2 жыл бұрын

Is really Blockbuster fault cuz they could have taken Netflix in there company, An come together and be one big company, but no they didn't , if they did they could have been still around....

@B01G3n1us

2 жыл бұрын

How little do people know that there still is a Blockbuster in Oregon

@BangBang-hk4rg

2 жыл бұрын

I still remember the Blockbuster smell

@TCWRebelsResistanceWords

2 жыл бұрын

@@BangBang-hk4rg same here

@SamSitar

Жыл бұрын

blockbuster was fun too.

Radio Shack... that's the one I miss most! I used to cobble together A/V equipment into video game, TV & sound systems all the time. When it came to finding adapters and converters, there was no other option then Radio Shack, and they never failed to have it.

I too, wish that Toys R Us was still in business! When I collected Hot Wheels back around 2002, I found most of the best deals there! When I was a child, I can vaguely recall a place called: Union Co-op, that carried the best toys before I ever heard of Toys R Us! My mother bought me a Hot Wheels Fat Track "Giant O" set there! That's what I miss the most about the toys! Hot Wheels Sizzlers!!!

Man, the 80's really love their jingles and theme songs in all their commercials.

@Wakizashi25

3 жыл бұрын

Right!? I was thinking the same

@sgillman16

3 жыл бұрын

The 90s brought even more

@lexkanyima2195

3 жыл бұрын

@@sgillman16 more progressing

@sourpatchkid394

3 жыл бұрын

I don’t know if this is interesting to anyone, but me. The channel Cheddar on KZread has a good video about the 80s and the love of jingles.

@latinourbano

3 жыл бұрын

Yup it is still the best!

I was a manager of 3 different Blockbusters for 5 years while I was in college. It was a good job I enjoyed, and it had great benefits. Got 7 free rentals a week, had early access to movies and games, and a 10% discount on all purchases. And lets not forget that we got to play movies all day while working. It was sad when it went out of business, but I moved on to bigger and better things.

It’s sad to see most of my childhood places that are gone

Being from Massachusetts, I loved Ames, Fry's and a few more on this list. Hated Radio Shack,was a Child World kid that thought Toys -R- Us was a gaff, and every time I went to an FYE here in Texas, I called it Fry's. Great list. Spot on

The day Blockbuster and Toys R Us died, is the day when a piece of me had died I used to love going to both stores back in the day Good times... :(

@kawimason361

3 жыл бұрын

Me 2

@pooky-changaming4089

3 жыл бұрын

Seconded. Or thirded. It’s times like these, watching vids like this, that I miss my childhood-especially Saturdays. Watching cartoons in the morning, going shopping with my mother and sister in the afternoons-which almost always included a stop in Toys R Us… >sigh

@briannajohnson8910

2 жыл бұрын

I miss Blockbuster

@Nostalgicgirl

2 жыл бұрын

Yep. Friday night go to get a movie or 2, along with a video game. Toys R Us, I loved looking through their catalog at Christmas and then go look at some of the toys there. I got Virtual Boy from there for $30 when they were getting rid of them.

@lync6170

2 жыл бұрын

I've never gone to Toys R Us bc my parents wouldn't let me. It's sad that some people weren't given the chance to go before they shut down completely. :(

Blockbuster and Toys R Us are the stores I miss the most! I rented lots of movies and video games from BB, even RadioShack was fun going to back in the day, too bad they didn’t evolve with the times!

@haroldfridkis3536

3 жыл бұрын

And Radio Shack sold SiriusXM satellite radios,too.

@Markimark151

3 жыл бұрын

@@haroldfridkis3536 yeah, they sold lots of portable audio receivers and MP3 players.

Should of added in Maplins. Similar to Radio Shack, the British Store Maplins sold all sorts of electronics from circuit boards, to computer chips and USB flash drives, to RC cars and bicycle lights and disco party lights and speakers. The store opened in 1972 and closed all its stores in 2018 sadly. It was a sad day fore many in the UK because a lot of its electronics were affordable compared to rival shops like PC World and Curies.

I miss Fry's the most. They even showed my hometown Fry's in Roseville on this video and it nearly made me tear up

@neromauritzen9083

2 жыл бұрын

Awww... Must have been great 😊

I primarily remembered Circuit City, Toys R Us, and BlockBuster. The fact that they no longer exist when I grew up seeing them nearly everywhere makes me feel old.

@averagelittlelulufan

3 ай бұрын

well 2021 was the year that they came back inside the american dream mall, and a year later in macy's

Can someone build a time machine so I can travel back to the blue-tiled bathroom of my childhood blockbuster and sob uncontrollably as that video-rental institution marked the pinnacle of human existence??

@RapFanatic4ever

2 жыл бұрын

Yes please .

YEP! I live in Bend Oregon and am very glad that our Blockbuster is still alive and well!

I miss Blockbuster and Hollywood Video. Going there and picking a game to rent for the weekend. Fun times. Now I can just get whatever I want on my computer or console without going anywhere. The convenience is nice but it's not as fun.

@draconicusmathiusanytherio7630

3 жыл бұрын

I like Hollywood video a lot too

@lexkanyima2195

3 жыл бұрын

@Sheldon it's a VHS store

@chibifrenchfry3056

3 жыл бұрын

As a kid I stole a rugrats game and a Tarzan game from there. I mean I rented it but never returned it. What the heck lol

@staceyrox360

3 жыл бұрын

In my country we actually still have a Blockbuster it’s pretty wild actually- I’ve never seen anyone go in there so I don’t know how it’s still alive to be honest.

@nordy259

3 жыл бұрын

I still go to pawn shops and thrift stores on a regular basis looking to purchase Blu-Rays and games. It's like you said streaming/buying games off sites like Steam is easier but the hunt is fun.

As someone who grew up with Toys R Us, seeing all stores close is the most heartbreaking thing since the loss of KB Toys and Blockbusters/Hollywood video. Even worse, seeing the near empty store for the last time just makes me want to cry. Every kid today will never experience walking to a store filled with toys like the rest of us.

@o-mangaming5042

3 жыл бұрын

They really don't need to. A lot of them have parents who give them access to high grade tech anyway. Video games and KZread on the phone while they're in public to keep them quiet.

@krysila7722

2 жыл бұрын

@@o-mangaming5042 Technology isn't everything. I hate that its taking over.

The fact that I helped close down some of those stores (online purchasing) really hurts. Another store that died but due to cancel culture, that I loved, was Steve and Barry's.

I cried when toys r us closed. That was my childhood.

I think it's safe to say that overall, the Internet killed most of these brands off. Amazon alone has probably killed off 8/10 of these brands for sure, and the other two were probably done in by streaming services (so companies like Blockbuster went under because we can now stream, on-demand, whenever we want on platforms like Hulu and Netflix for a set monthly fee in most cases).

@UrSammich

2 жыл бұрын

Yes and no. It is true that the internet and moving to online purchases is what killed off some brands, but its also up to these brands to adapt. For instance, Blockbuster actually had a chance to adapt themselves when redbox/netflix began taking over, but they decided to stick to their guns and stay physical. Thus they screwed themselves. The other problem with some specialty stores are that they are tied to malls and malls are slowly dying. Most older malls are struggling to remain relevant while more newer and modern malls are generally doing alright to appeal to the newer demographic. Yet at the same time still struggling to some degree with online being the major drive. People still love going into stores, specially for clothes, but I agree that the internet and tech in general has made things easier where we don't have as much of a need to go out.

@eddieedwards8679

2 жыл бұрын

Amazon & Walmart plus the internet !

@glow1815

Жыл бұрын

Yup I can get just about anything on Amazon lol. I watch free good movies all day as well

@doggo6471

Жыл бұрын

Feel like redbox might be shot soon.

@superbroy1239

Жыл бұрын

Noooooo! Redbox is my childhood

I miss a lot of stores that are no longer in business. Circuit City, Toys R Us, Ames, KB Toys, Suncoast, Radio Shack, Hollywood Video, Blockbuster, etc.

@Juliaflo

Жыл бұрын

Do you remember W.T. Grants?

@MattWolfe1019

Жыл бұрын

@@Juliaflo no there was none of those around where I lived growing up in the mid 90s and 2000s. I just looked it up on Google it said that W.T. Grants was around back in the 70s but the company went bankrupt in 1976. I definitely wasn't alive during that time. I wish I was though. I'm a mid 90s and 2000s kid.

@UPBEATFOREVER

Жыл бұрын

In addition currently Walgreens is going down.and we thought they were doing good!I miss Montgomery Ward and Service Merchandise.Farmer Jack,A&P ,Chattam's.when people keep saying the future is now.yes,they are right!!!the future is torture!unless we can do something about it.if we want to bring our happiness back.we need to take bold action...not petty action.many people have been laid off and many store/business locations closed down for good!

@isaacd7619

Жыл бұрын

FYE

@MattWolfe1019

Жыл бұрын

@@isaacd7619 FYE is still in business at a mall that I live close to.

A couple I had never even heard of such as Frys. A few others not mentioned that I miss include Suncoast, B Dalton Books and Walden Books. I only got to go to Borders when I traveled but I enjoyed it very much and miss it very much.

Woolworth's was everywhere in the UK. I spent many a happy hour at the pick and mix counter. I didn't know that Foot locker was derived from Woolworth's. @5:31, Barnes & Noble is also in trouble with a raft of store closures. RadioShack was known as Tandy in the UK and had high street shops in several locations. The shops were closed and the line was taken in-house by Woolworth's. Today, it has an online presence. There was much weeping and wailing and the gnashing of teeth when Toys r us folded.

I loved Sam Goody and Suncoast as a kid, those were the destinations at the Mall...and Spencer's...and the Arcade. R.I.P. Malls Honorable mentions: Children's Palace and Kay-Bee Toys

@chiarac4967

2 жыл бұрын

Yes, and clothes from Scribbles and 5-7-9...

@mari_golden83

2 жыл бұрын

KB Toys was my job back in high school!

@pooky-changaming4089

2 жыл бұрын

Kay-Bee (KB) Toys and Toys R Us were both the best toy stores ever! I miss them…😿

All these stores are now located on Memory Lane.

@CholaHelloKitty

2 жыл бұрын

Or in Canada

@GambleOfGod

2 жыл бұрын

Or in parts of Asia. Just went to a Toys R Us not too long ago. Bought myself some toys I couldn't afford as a kid

@Will-eh6xe

2 жыл бұрын

Yup

We had Radio Shack in the UK for a while and then it became Tandy. I used to buy loads of stuff there. Motherboards, sound cards etc. Really miss it.

The Toys R Us wound is still fresh…😭

@MetxsightseerRailfan

3 жыл бұрын

Toys R Us was my childhood

@monkeystuff661

3 жыл бұрын

Toy r us was godly 🙂

@princeofddr

2 жыл бұрын

@deadmatt3 Not where I live…

I grew up with all these stores!! Blockbuster, Borders, RadioShack, and Toys R Us were the best! Kids today really missing out on getting the big book from Toys R Us in the mail and going to pick out what you want for Christmas! Those were the days!

@averagelittlelulufan

3 ай бұрын

well 2021 was the year that they came back inside the american dream mall, and a year later in macy's

I like the list, though I've a few honourable mentions for you. Comet, a firm I once worked for, was a big retailer who went bust in the 2010's, as they had a whacky policy where they wouldn't match online only retailer prices. Dixon's, who closed all their stores and went online only, and Debenhams. Since Comet and Dixon's were both electrical retailers, maybe you could do another video on favourite electronic stores which no longer exist.

Remember "Builder's Square"? They gave birth to stores like Home Depot and Lowes and even had their own College Football Bowl game:)......Excellent video, thanks!

Of course Blockbuster... I remember friday nights going up there right after my mom picked me up from school. We'd either go to Blockbuster, Hollywood video,or Movie Gallery because alot of times one of them didnt have anymore of the new releases and back then, We didnt have a DVD player yet, so we couldn't get the DVDs only the VHS and that whole 'new release' shelf was empty. Nothing but the styrofoam filled sleeves on the shelves and you were hoping you'd spot one that had the blockbuster case behind it!! Lol and when you found it....just that last one...you felt like Charlie when he found the Golden Ticket!!

man, I remember the tradition every year with geoffrey the giraffe calling me on my birthday saying "wow, you're... another year older!" then when they'd send the christmas toy ads right after thanksgiving & I'd be able to circle items & my parents would basically play an elimination game of what I'd get on christmas day lol man the memories of my childhood

I live in Chicago, IL so wondered why I didn't see Sears or Wards stores closed on list. I miss Blockbuster & Borders Books!!🥺

10. Circuit City! My family bought our first computer there in the mid-90’s! 9. There wasn’t one nearby when I lived in Tennessee, and there was never one nearby in Kentucky, where I live now. 8. Same as No. 9 7. Ah, Sam Goody-that and Suncoast were regular haunts during all the mall trips in my teens. 6. I don’t think I ever set foot in a Borders-I’ve always preferred Barnes & Noble. 5. See Nos. 9 and 8. Also, I never needed anything they sold. 4. Linens ‘n’ Things? I never shopped there, and never needed to; lots of other shops sell what L’n’T sold/sells-and at much better prices, too! 3. Again, I’ve never been in a RadioShack-because, as with Fry’s Electronics, I’ve never needed what they sell. 2. OMG, TOYS ‘R’ US!!! So many childhood memories! Whenever my sister and I got good marks on our report cards, our mama would always reward us with money and take us to TRU to spend it. I always made a beeline for the Barbie Doll and Disney aisles, while my tomboyish sister tended to loiter in the Jurassic Park and LEGO aisles. 1. We had other, cheaper video rental stores nearby. However, my mama, my sister, a few of my cousins, and I are going on a long-overdue road trip to the Pacific Northwest-and yes, we fully intend to stop by Bend, Oregon to see the last Blockbuster in the world!

There's actually 1 blockbuster left that's still open in Oregon

@aj42k

3 жыл бұрын

Yes. Only one left and it's also a museum as well.

@danyellejones5871

3 жыл бұрын

The video stated this.

@jag92949

3 жыл бұрын

I stopped in Bend just to visit that store.

@ellenoregaard5766

3 жыл бұрын

we have a Sam Goodie in Medford, OR too

@Gamble661

3 жыл бұрын

Just don't watch the Netflix documentary about it, it sucks.

R.I.P. toys R us for the good memories of spiderman & batman action figures... 🌹

@johnnyfountainS

3 жыл бұрын

Gi Joe's and mad balls for me.

@KonnerKreed

3 жыл бұрын

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Disney toys for me.

@monkeystuff661

3 жыл бұрын

I miss the batman tmnt spongebob marvel cartoon network wonder pets toys and dvds😢🙌

@monkeystuff661

3 жыл бұрын

@@KonnerKreed Me too dude

@MikeyBats

3 жыл бұрын

@@johnnyfountainS mad balls…wow

Toy's'Rus used to be my favorite store ever! They opened again in Macy's and American Dream, but they don't have bikes, video games, and stuff like before.

Woolworths was very popular in the UK as well, especially the pick 'n' mix for kids.

Suddenly, I want to cry. So many memories in so many great stores

It was sad to see the big iconic Toys R Us in Times Sq NY close it's door. Use to take my little sister there. But the fact that Japan still has several stores is amazing.

Grew up with Toys R Us in the 80's as a kid, always went to blockbuster to rent movies for the weekend, hanged out at circuit city to see all the new computers, bought all my electronic knick-knacks at Fry's and Radioshack, always visited Sharper image at the mall and studied at Borders during college...life goes on

Thank you. Watching this with law enforcement and people in my neighborhood.

I loved Borders. I bought most of my books there since I lived close to one before it closed down

@cocoaorange1

2 жыл бұрын

I liked them too.

@5488awestify

2 жыл бұрын

Barnes and noble?

@josbar2835

2 жыл бұрын

@@5488awestify Yes. I was just thinking earlier today that there used to be three chains of bookstores at the mall: Barnes & Noble, Waldenbooks...and I couldn't recall the third ( Borders). Nine of my last ten book purchases were eBooks through Amazon and they are all at my fingertips on my phone.

@ladydawgfan4832

2 жыл бұрын

Borders was my favorite book store. I even have their membership tag still on my key ring. I guess I'm just too sentimental to take it off. We still have Barnes and Noble and Books-a-Million, but I will always miss spending hours (and a LOT of money) browsing for books at Borders. BTW, B. Dalton was another bookstore lost to the past, as well as Kroch's and Brentano's. All are sorely missed. Amazon just isn't the same.

@michaelpalmieri7335

2 жыл бұрын

@@josbar2835 Those ebooks may be at your fingertips on your phone, but I'll bet it's not the same thing as reading an actual book, full of real paper pages and words. Did it ever occur to you that since paper is made out of the wooden pulp from trees, and the ink used to create those letters and words was made from soy or other products derived from natural sources, that reading a real book might be one of your few chances to connect with nature, especially at a time when much of nature is being destroyed by pollution, climate change and global warming? Did you ever think about how reading ebooks off of the internet or on your cellphone might not be so natural, and/or that it might be detaching you from nature, thus causing you to become apathetic towards the dangers of environmental damage? Can you really get the same sense of the natural world from your cellphone that you could receive from reading a naturally made book? Somehow, I don't think so.

This video was depressing. When the ‘Toys R Us’ song was being sung, I started to tear up. I WANNA BE A TOYS R US KID! 😢

@monkeystuff661

3 жыл бұрын

Toy r us kid 😭😭😭*cries and tears up*

@TeamWickedOpinion

3 жыл бұрын

@Sheldon You're dead inside. I feel bad for you. 😂

@TeamWickedOpinion

3 жыл бұрын

@@monkeystuff661 Nothing is wrong with your comment.

@chiarac4967

2 жыл бұрын

We will always be toys r us kids... they can't take our memories!!!

@rewardunkind4541

2 жыл бұрын

I remember I go there to get nerf guns

Toys R Us ruined itself once at lunch when I worked at Target we got on the subject of that store and my Supervisor said "You ever noticed everything is always on sell there? It's because they are selling it at full price and trying to make you think you are saving money."

I used to love going to Montgomery Ward Auto to buy tires for my 99 Intrepid. The next best smell to new car is new tires. Long before that Dad took me downtown to OTASCO to buy tires for his 67 Impala. Like father, like son.

The way he said "Blockbuster", you could tell the narrator thought it was a real shame they closed down.

@blind_t2

2 жыл бұрын

right? this is how I learned about some games that today turned out to be legendary classics, or underrated gems that were so slept on, the flops as well. my first game was a classic, as a kid, I was shocked to see the mario bros get a non platform game. I’m like, come on, where are the coins, me going to the castle to rescue the princess and stuff, this game is weird! come to find this was Super Mario RPG, what would give way to the paper mario and mario and luigi series. 2 game series that friggin still rule. once I got further into the game and beat it, that ending though, you know it, the one where Geno says goodbye, a complete balling session. oh, and we get cameos, but not him as a playable, I’m sorry, the smash costume don’t fly. we need this dude in full! another good classic was mega man 7.

maybe we should do an episode, called "Ghost stores" :D

@johndoesstuff352

3 жыл бұрын

Well u have Roblox ight?

@YakkoWarnerTower

3 жыл бұрын

That's actually a good idea

@neliaironwood7573

3 жыл бұрын

Aka stores that people would say *"I can't believe they're still around"* on Reddit, like ImageShack.

Those who got to visit these stores for real were lucky indeed. There is nothing like visiting a huge store like these and spending a couple of hours. I relish visiting Sam Goody(FYE), Toyr R Us, RadioShack, Fry's, Borders & Circuit City. Used to work for Toys R Us for a while and Circuit City and Best Buy were the tech partners.

theres a radioshack in my area still. also honorable mentions of Gallery of Sound, The Wall, Laneco, Jamesway, K-mart.

Circuit city Toys “R” Us RadioShack and blockbuster the nostalgia is just to much

@pooky-changaming4089

3 жыл бұрын

@Sheldon Stop being such a jerk!

Toys R's Us going out of business really hurt me. That store was a huge part of my childhood. Also some honorable mentions should have been Goody's clothing store and KB Toys.

@devingiles6597

3 жыл бұрын

Yeah. I agree.

@pooky-changaming4089

2 жыл бұрын

Same here.

Aww whenever I think about Toys r us it brings tears to my eyes. I had some amazing memories with that place. One crisp cold night in the 2010s I cried and dragged my parents to toys r us because I was bored, we ended up having the best time, ate at a restaurant and enjoyed your lives and I’ll always remember those memories.

I still have a shortwave I bought as a kit from Radio Shack a half-century ago. Bought so many kits and parts there.

Toys R Us may be gone, but their legacy will never, ever, ever, ever, ever die. Even as an adult, I appreciated how they drew in kids with incredible marketing. I am proud to have been one of those kids. This also came with lots of memories to be made.

@averagelittlelulufan

3 ай бұрын

well 2021 was the year that they came back inside the american dream mall, and a year later in macy's

@ethankajfosz5912

3 ай бұрын

And that’s the year when I found out about that. It was surprisingly good news to me!

I miss the 2000's!!!!, these stores were relevant......I will never forgive the world on how it is now..

@Jackferrett6781

3 жыл бұрын

The 2000s were the perfect time for me. Particularly the early 2000s

@dpax2195

3 жыл бұрын

People from the 80s could say that as well. The good thing is that things aren’t actually worse, but they’re simply changing as literally everything does. Even you don’t really retain the same bodily materials from 7-10 years ago

@ironbat5481

3 жыл бұрын

@Sheldon stfu

@brotheldan2009

3 жыл бұрын

Chris J. Long 2 words ruined stores.....JEFF BEZOS

@CJLX805

3 жыл бұрын

@@brotheldan2009 oh really

The fry’s one surprised me. I used to go to that one in San Jose from the video. I think we all learned one thing from this video, being that the government/state should have never shut down business for covid. Should’ve been up to the individual to go shopping or not.

I was an assistant manager for Sam Goody in the Sherman Oaks Galleria in the early 1990's. We had a lot of fun with all the celebs that came into that prime location and just played whatever music we wanted, not always the new releases and promo stuff we were supposed to, LOL.

It still hurts me till this day that there’s no Toys R Us anymore I thought it was going to be round until I had kids and grandkids it’s sad to what this world has come to I really wish I could roll back time and go back to being a kid again were Toys R Us was thriving

@blind_t2

2 жыл бұрын

IDK what happened, but there was last one that reopened in the east, like around the NYC area.

@burgerking7862

2 жыл бұрын

There is one in Canada where I live

@jurrasicworldvids1702

2 жыл бұрын

There is alot in Israel I once visited Israel and there's alot of open toys r us

@MGD07524

2 жыл бұрын

I agree

@pooky-changaming4089

2 жыл бұрын

@DJ But the toy sections of Walmart and Target-as grand as they are-pale greatly in comparison to the kids’ nirvana that was and is Toys R Us!

There is nothing like Toys R Us anymore.... used to love going in there even if it wasn't to buy anything....😭

@Jessparada

3 жыл бұрын

I didn't buy anything cause it was sooo expensive 😳

@Jessparada

3 жыл бұрын

But it was still a ton of fun seeing all the toys

@janetlieb2507

3 жыл бұрын

Always wanted to go..wish I had!

@blind_t2

2 жыл бұрын

right? if they ain’t brought it already, I’d just go in to play with the toys on display as if it were mine already.

@bluepeng8895

2 жыл бұрын

Walmart’s toy section is the closest thing to Toys R Us

I never thought a toy store like Toys “R” US would go out of business I remember my mom taking my father to work back in the 70’s and there would be line of people going around the corner of the store waiting to go in especially with the holiday season. A&P was another store my mom shopped at all the time.

I have tom agree on these stores. I remember Ames back in the late 90's to 2000s.

Sigh…. A lot of these stores remind me of my “mall rat“ days. I wish Toys “R” Us never had to declare bankruptcy……. Fond memories indeed………

@jameswalker4225

3 жыл бұрын

Kaybee toys too. And both B Dalton and Waldenbooks…. Depressing AF

@pooky-changaming4089

3 жыл бұрын

Toys R Us, Circuit City (where my family bought our first computer), Kay-Bee Toys, Sam Goody, Charming Charlie (an accessories shop), Payless Shoe Source, Suncoast Motion Picture Company (practically a carbon copy of Sam Goody), and Hastings Entertainment Store-those were my haunts in my younger days.

@CalixReyes

2 жыл бұрын

ToysRus still exist in my country

@fullbatteries1335

2 жыл бұрын

You just gotta move to Canada.

@MGD07524

2 жыл бұрын

I agree that was were my dad and I got all of our games and a lot of my crafts

Honestly I miss BlockBuster it always made for a fun Friday night as a kid

@DillonColtMusic

3 жыл бұрын

Hells yeah. Rented countless playstation games from there.

@LAURA---

3 жыл бұрын

My fondest memory of blockbuster is when I had food poisoning as a kid and threw up right outside the exit door so they had to lock it to stop people stepping in it✌🏼 😂

@knineknights

3 жыл бұрын

And they had nearly every movie to pick from, instead of only the small list that your streaming service provider is prepared to pay for.

@monkeystuff661

3 жыл бұрын

Did Blockbuster have video games? i used to go when i was a baby and when i was in preschool

@azae00Vids

3 жыл бұрын

@@monkeystuff661 yep they had video games 🙂

I remember that on my first visit to New York ever, there was a Toys 'R' Us store at Times Square, and the next year when I came back, there wasn't. A shame.

One store that was not mentioned was a favorite of mine was Hastings books music store in Arkansas and Kmart.

My mom was devastated when A & P closed the store in our town. It closed years before the chain went out of business. Ames was the other big store we hated to lose. My mom worked at a grocery store, Beit Bros, which is also closed, in the same plaza as Ames. We would shop there all the time and the quality of the products was significantly better than anything you get at Walmart.

Regarding Frys, the pandemic really didn’t affect them. I’ve followed a subreddit about the stores and for a couple of years they ran on zero stock. People were waiting for the day they admitted it’s all over. Poor management, poor service. Sad, because the stores once seemed fun and they had quite a following.

@mikethemechanic7395

2 жыл бұрын

Always hated that place. Crappy customer service and this was in the late 90s. I remember any open box item they would mark down I swear 1.87 that’s it..

@richeybaumann1755

2 жыл бұрын

@@mikethemechanic7395 Frys was almost entirely aimed at tech nerds who liked to build their own stuff and wanted expensive tech. I went a few times and it kinda sucked, even pre pandemic.

@glow1815

Жыл бұрын

Agreed. We went there the last time we know they're in a procces of closing. Nobody was there but 2 of us and the shelves were partially empty an were wonderful why only 3 or 3 employees there. They're gone long a go.

@jrnfw4060

Жыл бұрын

Bad customer service will do a business in much faster than anything else, as word gets around. There are still places today whose management seems to forget that disrespecting the customer can doom them pretty quickly, what with Google reviews and other internet reviewing sites, and word-of-mouth sharing of bad experiences. Good managers know better.

I remember a TRS80 in my 8th grade trigonometry class. I told my dad, who worked at a hydro electric power plant. He laughed and said that the computer at the plant he worked at was housed in a 40 x 40 foot room and cost over a million dollars to put in back in the late 60s when the dam was built. The TRS80 was 10 times faster and the size of a portable TV. It cost $599 brand new.

There used to be a Woolworth's in Pecos, TX where my dad grew up. I remember Waldenbooks, Hastings. When they introduced computers, they shoud've known it would eventually be the end of chainstores. The internet can be a wonderful tool, but it can also be a distraction, like anything.

Radio Shack, Fry's, and Borders were all favorites of mine. Fry's actually put a former employer of mine, Wolf Computer, out of business.

Ironic that Fry's slogan was "your BEST BUYS guaranteed"