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[Vulture capital] TRU/Sears/Tribune Memorial Thread of Asmodee being Embraced

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  • cloudeaglecloudeagle Registered User regular
    Krathoon wrote: »
    Hevach wrote: »
    tbloxham wrote: »
    Athenor wrote: »
    You know, if they dove in hard, and took on stuff like ccg tournaments and such. And make it an actual family friendly location at the same time. That would be amazing

    So tired of the only option for tourneys and toy related events being relegated to the toxic nightmare that is comic shops

    Oh yeah. I love my local game store, and they do incredibly well. but if you had basically a national chain version of that, sorta like HobbyLand but focusing on child engagement, learning, entertainment and such, and providing a safe, positive environment?

    Yeah. It might not always work everywhere. But it would be a hell of an experiment!

    I’ve honestly never been to a bad gaming/comic shop. They always seem like they should be a ‘toxic nightmare’ but when you actually go I find they are very likely to have a diverse and engaged staff, be filled with happy people, kids and their parents and so on. I’ve never actually been in one I’d view as bad, and I’ve been in a lot as I usually make a point of visiting one when I travel to a new city. Dedicated comic shops tend to be worse, but that’s mainly because comics are so impenetrable these days.

    There are good ones and bad ones and I've never seen anything in between. There's one in my area that's much like your experience, and a second (somehow more popular) where you will be ridiculed at the register for buying the wrong card game (they won't even stock Yu-Gi-Oh even though there's a surprisingly big tournament nearby and the racks just print money) and for Free Comic Book Day last year they handed out a crude chick tract style comic about how you don't deserve a free comic if you aren't a dedicated reader.

    Some days I long for the long prophesied end of specialty retail.

    But then there are chains like Harbor Freight opening stores and seeing them in the black within a couple months and which has never closed a store due to revenue and that make me think the problem is much more specific to the suffering retailers than people think. Even TRU was profitable if not for the burden of the LBO.

    Wow, you had the asshole TRU store.

    A while back, I went to a store called V Stock. They had vintage stuff. The cashier had to give his opinion on my Meta Knight amibo purchase. I just nodded and didn't listen.

    Oh, Vintage Stock?

    The store as a whole is a great fountain of used video games and DVD/Blu-rays, but you'll get the occasional opinionated register biscuit.

    Switch: 3947-4890-9293
  • tbloxhamtbloxham Registered User regular
    cloudeagle wrote: »
    Krathoon wrote: »
    Hevach wrote: »
    tbloxham wrote: »
    Athenor wrote: »
    You know, if they dove in hard, and took on stuff like ccg tournaments and such. And make it an actual family friendly location at the same time. That would be amazing

    So tired of the only option for tourneys and toy related events being relegated to the toxic nightmare that is comic shops

    Oh yeah. I love my local game store, and they do incredibly well. but if you had basically a national chain version of that, sorta like HobbyLand but focusing on child engagement, learning, entertainment and such, and providing a safe, positive environment?

    Yeah. It might not always work everywhere. But it would be a hell of an experiment!

    I’ve honestly never been to a bad gaming/comic shop. They always seem like they should be a ‘toxic nightmare’ but when you actually go I find they are very likely to have a diverse and engaged staff, be filled with happy people, kids and their parents and so on. I’ve never actually been in one I’d view as bad, and I’ve been in a lot as I usually make a point of visiting one when I travel to a new city. Dedicated comic shops tend to be worse, but that’s mainly because comics are so impenetrable these days.

    There are good ones and bad ones and I've never seen anything in between. There's one in my area that's much like your experience, and a second (somehow more popular) where you will be ridiculed at the register for buying the wrong card game (they won't even stock Yu-Gi-Oh even though there's a surprisingly big tournament nearby and the racks just print money) and for Free Comic Book Day last year they handed out a crude chick tract style comic about how you don't deserve a free comic if you aren't a dedicated reader.

    Some days I long for the long prophesied end of specialty retail.

    But then there are chains like Harbor Freight opening stores and seeing them in the black within a couple months and which has never closed a store due to revenue and that make me think the problem is much more specific to the suffering retailers than people think. Even TRU was profitable if not for the burden of the LBO.

    Wow, you had the asshole TRU store.

    A while back, I went to a store called V Stock. They had vintage stuff. The cashier had to give his opinion on my Meta Knight amibo purchase. I just nodded and didn't listen.

    Oh, Vintage Stock?

    The store as a whole is a great fountain of used video games and DVD/Blu-rays, but you'll get the occasional opinionated register biscuit.

    I guess I don't view register people having opinions as a bad thing. Provided they aren't too in your face about it, I actually like it when they say, "you know, the new iron man is way better than that" or, "have you tried blah blah game. Better production values than tjat" because it shows me that actually care about the hobby.

    "That is cool" - Abraham Lincoln
  • JazzJazz Registered User regular
    When I was a register biscuit, I'd only pass my unsolicited opinion if it was complimentary to the customer. "Ooh, good choice" or something simple like that, then maybe elaborate slightly if they appeared to care.

    If they actually asked my opinion, then sure, I'd be honest regardless, but still try to frame it positively where possible ("I preferred this other one" rather than "this is shit", say). But otherwise it was very much a case of "if I've got nothing positive to say, say nothing". Well, aside from the necessary to complete the transaction, of course.

  • KetarKetar Come on upstairs we're having a partyRegistered User regular
    Went to go check things out at my local store after getting the email about prices up to 40% off. Ha. Ha. Ha.

    The only things 40% off were gift bags and wrapping paper. LEGO sets are 5% off. Which puts them at still more expensive than Amazon. Everything else was 10-15% off. The parking lot was fairly crowded, but nobody is leaving with more than 1 or 2 small items. Many people seemed to walk around for 5 minutes or so and then leave.

  • Toxic ToysToxic Toys Are you really taking my advice? Really?Registered User regular
    edited April 2018
    I was going to do the same thing today because of that email. I still might go as I really want that Mii Amiibo 3 pack. They seem to be taking their sweet time about the liquidation. I could have sworn the other store that closed around here was at 50% off by a month in. Are they still looking at a final closing date of May 14th? That's less than a month away.

    Toxic Toys on
    3DS code: 2938-6074-2306, Nintendo Network ID: ToxicToys, PSN: zutto
  • IlpalaIlpala Just this guy, y'know TexasRegistered User regular
    Hevach wrote: »
    tbloxham wrote: »
    Athenor wrote: »
    You know, if they dove in hard, and took on stuff like ccg tournaments and such. And make it an actual family friendly location at the same time. That would be amazing

    So tired of the only option for tourneys and toy related events being relegated to the toxic nightmare that is comic shops

    Oh yeah. I love my local game store, and they do incredibly well. but if you had basically a national chain version of that, sorta like HobbyLand but focusing on child engagement, learning, entertainment and such, and providing a safe, positive environment?

    Yeah. It might not always work everywhere. But it would be a hell of an experiment!

    I’ve honestly never been to a bad gaming/comic shop. They always seem like they should be a ‘toxic nightmare’ but when you actually go I find they are very likely to have a diverse and engaged staff, be filled with happy people, kids and their parents and so on. I’ve never actually been in one I’d view as bad, and I’ve been in a lot as I usually make a point of visiting one when I travel to a new city. Dedicated comic shops tend to be worse, but that’s mainly because comics are so impenetrable these days.

    There are good ones and bad ones and I've never seen anything in between. There's one in my area that's much like your experience, and a second (somehow more popular) where you will be ridiculed at the register for buying the wrong card game (they won't even stock Yu-Gi-Oh even though there's a surprisingly big tournament nearby and the racks just print money) and for Free Comic Book Day last year they handed out a crude chick tract style comic about how you don't deserve a free comic if you aren't a dedicated reader.

    Some days I long for the long prophesied end of specialty retail.

    But then there are chains like Harbor Freight opening stores and seeing them in the black within a couple months and which has never closed a store due to revenue and that make me think the problem is much more specific to the suffering retailers than people think. Even TRU was profitable if not for the burden of the LBO.

    "How can we grow our customer base...I've got it! Gatekeeping with a side of smug condescension!"

    And some people wonder why so many of these places go out of business.

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  • navgoosenavgoose Registered User regular
    I've never had a Toys R Us register person opine about a toy.

    Did they try to sell me an extended warrantee then also try to sign me up in some retail card then also sign me up for loyalty points? Yeah.

    The local boardgame store, on the other hand, acts as if every product is a personal favorite they played since childhood.

  • dlinfinitidlinfiniti Registered User regular
    Ketar wrote: »
    Went to go check things out at my local store after getting the email about prices up to 40% off. Ha. Ha. Ha.

    The only things 40% off were gift bags and wrapping paper. LEGO sets are 5% off. Which puts them at still more expensive than Amazon. Everything else was 10-15% off. The parking lot was fairly crowded, but nobody is leaving with more than 1 or 2 small items. Many people seemed to walk around for 5 minutes or so and then leave.

    Mine was the same way, I suspect they're waiting for after the final day of gift cards (4/21) before they really start cutting prices

    AAAAA!!! PLAAAYGUUU!!!!
  • shoeboxjeddyshoeboxjeddy Registered User regular
    Jazz wrote: »
    When I was a register biscuit, I'd only pass my unsolicited opinion if it was complimentary to the customer. "Ooh, good choice" or something simple like that, then maybe elaborate slightly if they appeared to care.

    If they actually asked my opinion, then sure, I'd be honest regardless, but still try to frame it positively where possible ("I preferred this other one" rather than "this is shit", say). But otherwise it was very much a case of "if I've got nothing positive to say, say nothing". Well, aside from the necessary to complete the transaction, of course.

    Yeah when I was at Blockbuster (very briefly), sharing opinions was much more about up selling, not doing the Jack Black High Fidelity thing and verbally assaulting customers for having the wrong opinions. If I was going to give a negative opinion, I would rarely be like "that was terrible" more like "I preferred this other new one."

  • AngelHedgieAngelHedgie Registered User regular
    As part of the liquidation of TRU, their stable of domains are up for sale.

    Including the ones they owned to avoid embarrassment:
    As part of a fire sale to repay its debt, beloved and bankrupt toy store Toys “R” Us is offering up its intellectual property—which not only includes its name and trademarked mascot, but also all the inactive domain names it bought up to avoid potential embarrassment.

    That’s right: kinkytoysrus.com and its frisky partner, sex-toys-r-us.com, are on the market.

    XBL: Nox Aeternum / PSN: NoxAeternum / NN:NoxAeternum / Steam: noxaeternum
  • Mx. QuillMx. Quill I now prefer "Myr. Quill", actually... {They/Them}Registered User regular
    I guarantee those were snatched up within nanoseconds.

  • KrathoonKrathoon Registered User regular
    Toys R Us is truly dead.

  • AngelHedgieAngelHedgie Registered User regular
    Company Man has done a follow up video to his first one, talking about the death spiral TRU found itself in:

    https://youtu.be/A8OPvx1nhSM

    XBL: Nox Aeternum / PSN: NoxAeternum / NN:NoxAeternum / Steam: noxaeternum
  • discriderdiscrider Registered User regular
    Heard two days ago that the Aus stores have not found a buyer and are going into liquidation

  • HevachHevach Registered User regular
    edited June 2018
    Last one I know of in Michigan is closing next week, after lingering with everything worth buying at the store at only 10% off everything slammed to the big discounts all at once, which makes me think those US stores they were holding in reserve for a buyer have also gone unclaimed.

    Their collectibles finally went on discount (they were excluded entirely as recently as Monday), I'll probably go make one sad pick over the corpse of my youth this weekend.

    Hevach on
  • Toxic ToysToxic Toys Are you really taking my advice? Really?Registered User regular
    Hevach wrote: »
    Last one I know of in Michigan is closing next week, after lingering with everything worth buying at the store at only 10% off everything slammed to the big discounts all at once, which makes me think those US stores they were holding in reserve for a buyer have also gone unclaimed.

    Their collectibles finally went on discount (they were excluded entirely as recently as Monday), I'll probably go make one sad pick over the corpse of my youth this weekend.

    I was thinking about doing the same thing but next Friday or Thursday. Which ever is the last day that they are open.

    I'm just glad I already got some stuff with the "Only At Toy R US" sticker on it, because I don't think that last day is going to be pretty.

    3DS code: 2938-6074-2306, Nintendo Network ID: ToxicToys, PSN: zutto
  • AngelHedgieAngelHedgie Registered User regular
    Lenders (in Sega Zeus voice): "Wise from your grave":
    The top lenders of Toys ‘R’ Us have decided to cancel the bankruptcy auction of its brand name and other intellectual property assets and instead plan to revive the Toys ‘R’ Us and Babies ‘R’ Us brand names, a court filing on Monday showed.

    The bankrupt retailer’s debtors aim to open a new Toys ‘R’ Us and Babies ‘R’ Us branding company that maintains existing global license agreements and can invest and develop new retail shops.

    Well, there's a twist worthy of M. Night himself.

    XBL: Nox Aeternum / PSN: NoxAeternum / NN:NoxAeternum / Steam: noxaeternum
  • DoodmannDoodmann Registered User regular
    edited October 2018
    How the fuck does that work? That feels like it should be illegal.

    Doodmann on
    Whippy wrote: »
    nope nope nope nope abort abort talk about anime
    Sometimes I sell my stuff on Ebay
  • AthenorAthenor Battle Hardened Optimist The Skies of HiigaraRegistered User regular
    Yeah. I'm not sure which lenders they are talking about -- Bain would be first on my list.

    But yeah. This feels like "oh, this brand name is worth tons more than originally thought! Let's make MORE money off of it."

    He/Him | "A boat is always safest in the harbor, but that’s not why we build boats." | "If you run, you gain one. If you move forward, you gain two." - Suletta Mercury, G-Witch
  • abotkinabotkin Registered User regular
    I was listening to a thing about it this morning. In the lead up to the final auction, the investors realized they weren't going to get what they were hoping to get out of it, so two private equity firms that together held a majority of the debt decided they'd be better served by reviving the brand.

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  • cloudeaglecloudeagle Registered User regular
    edited October 2018
    These are the same lenders that blocked any attempt at keeping the stores going (which was apparently very possible) because they figured that they, personally, would make more money by shutting down.

    What a shitshow.

    cloudeagle on
    Switch: 3947-4890-9293
  • OrcaOrca Also known as Espressosaurus WrexRegistered User regular
    I can't even.

  • quovadis13quovadis13 Registered User regular
    The important thing for all of us to remember is that at least these very rich gentlemen will end up making as much money as they possibly could have. Please ignore the tens of thousands of people whose lives were disrupted by their honorable quest for money.

  • DonnictonDonnicton Registered User regular
    edited January 2019
    https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/11/business/ollies-buys-toys-r-us/index.html

    Ollie's is buying up former Toys R Us locations to open up new outlet stores in.

    Donnicton on
  • VisskarVisskar Registered User regular
    Donnicton wrote: »
    https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/11/business/ollies-buys-toys-r-us/index.html

    Ollie's is buying up former Toys R Us locations to open up new outlet stores in.

    They've been working on the store in my town. The Ollie's sign showed up in Dec, and is opening up early next month.

    steam_sig.png
  • Trajan45Trajan45 Registered User regular
    Didn't want to start a new thread, but Bain-Capital strikes again: https://theintercept.com/2019/03/25/gymboree-bankruptcy-severance-scam/

    Sounds like they've been dying for a couple years now but this the final nail in the coffin.

    Origin ID\ Steam ID: Warder45
  • quovadis13quovadis13 Registered User regular
    Trajan45 wrote: »
    Didn't want to start a new thread, but Bain-Capital strikes again: https://theintercept.com/2019/03/25/gymboree-bankruptcy-severance-scam/

    Sounds like they've been dying for a couple years now but this the final nail in the coffin.

    Are there actually any success stories for these Bain Capital like companies? It seems like they are only able to "Weekend at Bernies" these dying companies for long enough to make themselves a bunch of money but they don't ever seem to actually manage to turn any place around and get them back to being a standalone company.

  • H3KnucklesH3Knuckles But we decide which is right and which is an illusion.Registered User regular
    quovadis13 wrote: »
    Trajan45 wrote: »
    Didn't want to start a new thread, but Bain-Capital strikes again: https://theintercept.com/2019/03/25/gymboree-bankruptcy-severance-scam/

    Sounds like they've been dying for a couple years now but this the final nail in the coffin.

    Are there actually any success stories for these Bain Capital like companies? It seems like they are only able to "Weekend at Bernies" these dying companies for long enough to make themselves a bunch of money but they don't ever seem to actually manage to turn any place around and get them back to being a standalone company.

    Listen, when you're a soulless vampire, you learn to celebrate even the small victories.

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  • Martini_PhilosopherMartini_Philosopher Registered User regular
    quovadis13 wrote: »
    Trajan45 wrote: »
    Didn't want to start a new thread, but Bain-Capital strikes again: https://theintercept.com/2019/03/25/gymboree-bankruptcy-severance-scam/

    Sounds like they've been dying for a couple years now but this the final nail in the coffin.

    Are there actually any success stories for these Bain Capital like companies? It seems like they are only able to "Weekend at Bernies" these dying companies for long enough to make themselves a bunch of money but they don't ever seem to actually manage to turn any place around and get them back to being a standalone company.

    That's the public's great misunderstanding of the purpose behind companies like Bain. Bain and those like them are not here to rebuild the companies or otherwise help them in the usual sense. Instead, Bain is a literal vulture, here to pick the bones of the best bits and then to sell the remains to the highest bidder. Once Bain has you, there is no "turn around", there is only one direction you go in: Down the drain.

    All opinions are my own and in no way reflect that of my employer.
  • daveNYCdaveNYC Why universe hate Waspinator? Registered User regular
    quovadis13 wrote: »
    Trajan45 wrote: »
    Didn't want to start a new thread, but Bain-Capital strikes again: https://theintercept.com/2019/03/25/gymboree-bankruptcy-severance-scam/

    Sounds like they've been dying for a couple years now but this the final nail in the coffin.

    Are there actually any success stories for these Bain Capital like companies? It seems like they are only able to "Weekend at Bernies" these dying companies for long enough to make themselves a bunch of money but they don't ever seem to actually manage to turn any place around and get them back to being a standalone company.

    That's the public's great misunderstanding of the purpose behind companies like Bain. Bain and those like them are not here to rebuild the companies or otherwise help them in the usual sense. Instead, Bain is a literal vulture, here to pick the bones of the best bits and then to sell the remains to the highest bidder. Once Bain has you, there is no "turn around", there is only one direction you go in: Down the drain.

    They weren't bad at the venture capital game back in the 80s, but once they switched over LBOs and the like they were pure vampire squid.

    Shut up, Mr. Burton! You were not brought upon this world to get it!
  • AthenorAthenor Battle Hardened Optimist The Skies of HiigaraRegistered User regular
    I can update the thread to be a general Bain capitol thread, seeing as how the damage to TRU is pretty much done.

    He/Him | "A boat is always safest in the harbor, but that’s not why we build boats." | "If you run, you gain one. If you move forward, you gain two." - Suletta Mercury, G-Witch
  • HevachHevach Registered User regular
    edited March 2019
    Toys R Us IS the Bain Capital success story. That's what an LBO ends in.

    As we've seen with the stock implosion at Activision, it doesn't even take losing money. Toys R Us was profitable, but it had some years of negative growth, so it's stock value tanked.

    Hevach on
  • AngelHedgieAngelHedgie Registered User regular
    Well, this is an interesting twist in the Sears story:
    Sears on Thursday lodged a lawsuit against its former CEO Eddie Lampert and a string of its high-profile past board members, including his former Yale roommate Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, for allegedly stealing billions of dollars from the once-storied retailer.

    Sears Holdings filed for bankruptcy this past October, after years of losses under Lampert, who was then its chairman, CEO and largest shareholder. Lampert saved the retailer from complete liquidation by buying it through Transform Holdco, an affiliate of his hedge fund ESL Investments.

    But Sears' unsecured creditors repeatedly argued that Lampert was the cause of, not the solution to, Sears' downfall. They believe that Lampert, along with Sears' biggest shareholders, unduly benefited from deals that occurred under Lampert's watch, including its spinoff of Lands' End in 2014, and the carve out of many of its best properties into Seritage Growth Properties, a real estate investment trust Lampert created a year later.

    It's nice to see people stand up against the vulture capitalists.

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  • jothkijothki Registered User regular
    Since this thread is occasionally rising from its grave, and Toys R Us clearly isn't, can we get the title changed?

  • AthenorAthenor Battle Hardened Optimist The Skies of HiigaraRegistered User regular
    jothki wrote: »
    Since this thread is occasionally rising from its grave, and Toys R Us clearly isn't, can we get the title changed?

    I asked earlier if people wanted a title change and didn't get any reply or thoughts. See 3 posts up.

    He/Him | "A boat is always safest in the harbor, but that’s not why we build boats." | "If you run, you gain one. If you move forward, you gain two." - Suletta Mercury, G-Witch
  • JazzJazz Registered User regular
    edited April 2019
    [Vulture capital/Bain vs Decency] TRU/Sears Memorial Thread, etc, etc.

    Something like that?

    Jazz on
  • H3KnucklesH3Knuckles But we decide which is right and which is an illusion.Registered User regular
    edited April 2019
    Every time I saw the old thread title, I thought of this:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOQcnliEjXM
    Zeus wrote:
    Wiiise fwom youw gwaaave!

    H3Knuckles on
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  • H3KnucklesH3Knuckles But we decide which is right and which is an illusion.Registered User regular
    edited April 2019
    Shit, now I'm trying to figure out what bizarre attack power would Sega give to a Geoffrey the Giraffe transformation.

    H3Knuckles on
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  • DonnictonDonnicton Registered User regular
    H3Knuckles wrote: »
    Shit, now I'm trying to figure out what bizarre attack power would Sega give to a Geoffrey the Giraffe transformation.

    Children who form a contract with him will never grow up.

  • H3KnucklesH3Knuckles But we decide which is right and which is an illusion.Registered User regular
    edited April 2019
    Athenor wrote: »
    jothki wrote: »
    Since this thread is occasionally rising from its grave, and Toys R Us clearly isn't, can we get the title changed?

    I asked earlier if people wanted a title change and didn't get any reply or thoughts. See 3 posts up.
    H3Knuckles wrote: »
    Every time I saw the old thread title, I thought of this:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOQcnliEjXM
    Zeus wrote:
    Wiiise fwom youw gwaaave!
    Donnicton wrote: »
    H3Knuckles wrote: »
    Shit, now I'm trying to figure out what bizarre attack power would Sega give to a Geoffrey the Giraffe transformation.

    Children who form a contract with him will never grow up.

    Ha, no I meant if there was a Geoffrey mod for Altered Beast. Think of the Werewolf's hadoken & falcon kicks, the bearmorph's petrifying breath & Sonic spinjump, or the Ghidora-knockoff's lightning beam and Blanka-style defensive electricity move. AB was a weird game, and the beast forms' powers rarely had anything to do with the animal you turned into.

    Edit: Dangit, sorry for the weird, off-topic TOTP. Added in quotes to show how I got on this little tangent.

    H3Knuckles on
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