> The same toys were available at Target for a lot less money.
True for a relative handful of the most popular toys, but Target doesn't have the floorspace dedicated to toys to cover any but a small fraction of what a Toys R Us would carry. Last time I was in a Toys R Us, the section dedicated to play houses was, no kidding, the size of an entire Target toy section. Target might stock one item in that category in store (though I don't think I've ever seen one in a Target).
It's Amazon and friends, not brick and mortar stores with smaller but discounted toy sections that killed the advantage of having floor space and variety in stock to browse, since people would use the store for discovery and then order from a discount online channel that didn't have the overhead of brick and mortar showrooms.
True for a relative handful of the most popular toys, but Target doesn't have the floorspace dedicated to toys to cover any but a small fraction of what a Toys R Us would carry. Last time I was in a Toys R Us, the section dedicated to play houses was, no kidding, the size of an entire Target toy section. Target might stock one item in that category in store (though I don't think I've ever seen one in a Target).
It's Amazon and friends, not brick and mortar stores with smaller but discounted toy sections that killed the advantage of having floor space and variety in stock to browse, since people would use the store for discovery and then order from a discount online channel that didn't have the overhead of brick and mortar showrooms.