R.I.P. Toys R Us

[MIKE_G]

I worked at Service Merchandise "selling" electronics when I was first out of college. Bought my wife's engagement ring there while I was working there...$450, LOL.

Did you have to fill out the order form like a regular customer? I seem to recall there was a whole process that you had to go through to purchase anything. Fill out a sheet, take it to the customer service desk, then wait while they got it from the stock room and put it on a conveyor belt to the front.

 

[SoddyNole]

Did you have to fill out the order form like a regular customer? I seem to recall there was a whole process that you had to go through to purchase anything. Fill out a sheet, take it to the customer service desk, then wait while they got it from the stock room and put it on a conveyor belt to the front.

That is the way I remember it. It was a great system to reduce shoplifting and keep you from purchasing anything in a timely manner.

I recall going in there to purchase a Christmas gift during the holiday season for my mother around age 9-10 and was a teenager when I left.

 

[Fijimn]

I stole a gold pen

That is the way I remember it. It was a great system to reduce shoplifting and keep your from purchasing anything in a timely manner.

I recall going in there to purchase a Christmas gift during the holiday season for my mother around age 9-10 and was a teenager when I left.

Circuit City was the same way. During Christmas, when it was a really busy, an enterprising young rapscallion could lift a package from the compare and get past the girl checking tickets -- or I have been told. If your friend was working the ticket checking booth, you could get away with 2 - 3 CD players to pawn - or so I have been told.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

Did you have to fill out the order form like a regular customer? I seem to recall there was a whole process that you had to go through to purchase anything. Fill out a sheet, take it to the customer service desk, then wait while they got it from the stock room and put it on a conveyor belt to the front.

Yes, they had clipboards and pens and you wrote down the stock number and quantity.
I remember being 9 or 10 and so excited waiting for my stuff to come out on the conveyor.

 

[Nolomite]

The biggest inventory problem in retail is employee theft...the dot com drop shipment model takes those theft opportunities way down. Smart warehousing can virtually eliminate it in the steps prior to retail purchaser shipment

 

[travnole]

No more dreams of winning the Toy Run....... kids won't know what they are missing.

 

[noleit]

Hopefully it wasn't my return of a defective pez dispenser that did them in!

 

[Nole Lou]

That is the way I remember it. It was a great system to reduce shoplifting and keep you from purchasing anything in a timely manner.

I recall going in there to purchase a Christmas gift during the holiday season for my mother around age 9-10 and was a teenager when I left.

Yep. Also people would theoretically buy more if they didn't have to lug it through the store and just had to write it on a list.

We actually had a place called Dahlkempers where I grew up with that model, and then Service Merchandise came in and took bought them out in the early 90s.

I will say this having worked there, that back warehouse was pretty astounding with the shelves and walkways and conveyers. I had to go up to some top levels to look for something a couple times, and it was straight terrifying if you aren't a fan of heights, because it was all basically wide wire grate catwalks you were walking on.

 

[PoopandBoogers]

It was aamazing to me when I discovered you used to be able to buy a house from Sears. You would order a kit and put it together when it arrived. Here's one of the houses located in Jacksonville.

Wow never heard of this. That house is actually a pretty badass house. Never would of guessed it came from a sears catalog kit.

 

[Banditking]

My 13-15 year old bike run was circuit city, toys r us, a comic book store called sunshine comics and an electronics store with red lettering called Best.

 

[OsceolaNole]

The finally took it down, but until just the last year or so, the old Service Merchandise in Port Richey had it's store front sign still up. Pieces of it, at least.

Sadly, the one I visited as a kid. That entire area has gone to sh*t. Nothing like it once was.

 

[skramer100]

I remember doing the same thing with the Sears Christmas catalogue.

I did different things with the Sears catalog at 10.

 

[ohio#1nolefan]

I stole a gold pen


Circuit City was the same way. During Christmas, when it was a really busy, an enterprising young rapscallion could lift a package from the compare and get past the girl checking tickets -- or I have been told. If your friend was working the ticket checking booth, you could get away with 2 - 3 CD players to pawn - or so I have been told.

I'll one up that one...
20-25 years ago Allegedly this would happen. One could have a friend that worked in the back of a home improvement store.
1) One could place an order for something fairly inexpensive that came in a big box.
2) Friend in back could either take materials out of box and discard or go out onto the floor and go 'shopping' for expensive smaller items and insert those several items into the box.
3) Friend would show up to pick order up
4) Friend would then take said items to a different store location to get a full cash refund.

This was all prior to cameras and requiring any id or receipt for returns.
I heard one could make several thousand $ a month doing this. Allegedly, of course...

 

[TexSkills]

The only Service Merchandise I remember as a kid was one in Addison, Texas. I think I went in there twice.

 

[SeaPA]

Did you have to fill out the order form like a regular customer? I seem to recall there was a whole process that you had to go through to purchase anything. Fill out a sheet, take it to the customer service desk, then wait while they got it from the stock room and put it on a conveyor belt to the front.

I bet that smooth dog Lou proposed by filling out the form & having his girl pick up the order at the end of the conveyor belt.

 

[JohnnieHolmesNole]

I’m impressed they made it as long as they did.

So that is books stores, video stores, and now toy stores....all gone.

Who’s next?

I’m surprised we still have so many brick and mortar banks out there. But not sure they will ever be fully extinct.

Huge changes still coming. Malls are failing left and right. Places like insurance companies, investment firms, professional firms and other entities with traditional “offices” are downsizing those facilities as more people work from home, telecommute, etc. Hell, you can even get medical care, and prescriptions, via video link-up with your doctor (no physical contact). Will be interesting where this ends up.

 

[NJDoak]

If the traditional malls are to survive, they need a transformation to an entertainment destination: Restaurants, arcades, etc, with specialty stores mixed in. Make a mall like the Riverwalk in San Antonio, or a beach boardwalk. How cool would that be?

 

[JohnnieHolmesNole]

Winn Dixie is filing bankruptcy, and closing 94 stores across the South. Even the grocery industry is changing. Lots of things can now be delivered to your house, or at least pre-selected for a drive-by pick-up. The younger generation wants different food items than the old guard, and they have different price/cost motivations.

Many of the same factors discussed in this thread are why Doak probably needs to be further condensed.

 

[seminole97]

Hell, you can even get medical care, and prescriptions, via video link-up with your doctor (no physical contact). Will be interesting where this ends up.

Ive been involved with some telemedicine efforts for the Child Protection Teams, because of the difficulties in obtaining trained specialists in some areas. But where are the insurance and other reimbursement (thinking Medicare and Medicaid) coming down on this currently?

Can a therapist FaceTime a session and bill the patient’s insurance?

 

[JohnnieHolmesNole]

Ive been involved with some telemedicine efforts for the Child Protection Teams, because of the difficulties in obtaining trained specialists in some areas. But where are the insurance and other reimbursement (thinking Medicare and Medicaid) coming down on this currently?

Can a therapist FaceTime a session and bill the patient’s insurance?

I am no expert on Medicare and Medicaid, but I think the private insurance companies are actually pushing this trend. They view it as cheaper, which is their raison d'etre. To my knowledge, only certain (pretty minor) conditions are eligible for this gig (i.e., sore throat, sinus congestion, etc.). Obviously, you can think of ways this system could be gamed, and I suspect John Morgan is licking his chops over the potential lawsuits that lie ahead (i.e., misdiagnosis; failure to refer patients to emergency care; blah-blah-blah).

 

[Fijimn]

Ive been involved with some telemedicine efforts for the Child Protection Teams, because of the difficulties in obtaining trained specialists in some areas. But where are the insurance and other reimbursement (thinking Medicare and Medicaid) coming down on this currently?

Can a therapist FaceTime a session and bill the patient’s insurance?

Our BCBS carrier started a telemedicine program for your routine issues—primarily childhood symptoms (ear infections, sore throat, etc). It’s a little more than a visit to CVS or the co-pay at a doctor. My experience is that therapists are not restricted to in-person visits for sessions and billing.

 

[FSUTribe76]

Our BCBS carrier started a telemedicine program for your routine issues—primarily childhood symptoms (ear infections, sore throat, etc). It’s a little more than a visit to CVS or the co-pay at a doctor. My experience is that therapists are not restricted to in-person visits for sessions and billing.

Nor should therapists be restricted to in-person. Out of date facilities have no way for remote family members to check in on loved ones who may be getting treatment in other states and patients who go through a residential program but then go back to their original living situation (or those without easy access to transportation) are cut off from the support network they just built. Both of those situations are horrible for recovery. Meanwhile up to date facilities like mine have videoconferencing capabilities in all group and individual therapy rooms so that remotely located patients and family members can just log in even from their smartphones without having to worry about transportation. It allows for easy and cheap family and aftercare which means that support network is always available to the recovering individual.

In person is a little better than remote. But remote is infinitely better than nothing or trying to insert a patient into a new support network in a new area (which may not even exist).

 

[Nole Lou]

I bet that smooth dog Lou proposed by filling out the form & having his girl pick up the order at the end of the conveyor belt.

LOL. That would have been a good idea, if I had any control over the situation. My girl picked out her rings, gave me a deadline of when I needed to propose by, and then just casually mentioned when and where would be a perfect time. I had actually planned that time and place anyway, but it certainly took any remaining element of surprise out of it.

I guess that's what happens when you just impulsively sit at a pizza place together one night and start talking about the future and ended up making one of those pro/con charts on whether we should get married on a greasy napkin...our courtship was just all magic!

 

[FSUTribe76]

LOL. That would have been a good idea, if I had any control over the situation. My girl picked out her rings, gave me a deadline of when I needed to propose by, and then just casually mentioned when and where would be a perfect time. I had actually planned that time and place anyway, but it certainly took any remaining element of surprise out of it.

I guess that's what happens when you just impulsively sit at a pizza place together one night and start talking about the future and ended up making one of those pro/con charts on whether we should get married on a greasy napkin...our courtship was just all magic!

My wife was well aware I was going to propose as I had scheduled a “random” weekly trip to California and then a coworker at a laboratory I was working for asked if I had proposed yet when I was on the phone with him in the car during the trip when he was asking about some paperwork. But she didn’t know the place (neither did I actually, I was planning on proposing at McWay Falls in Big Sur

But the light was running out quick so I just pulled off at a vista point and proposed with Bixby Bridge in the background.

So I still got some great proposal pics but not quite the spot I was planning on.

 

[funksouljon]

........... The long and short answer was- traditional retailers are minimizing their footprints, or closing all together; while online stores are strategically opening brick and mortar stores.

So am returning a couple items to Amazon, they have 5+ return lockers around town, one happens to be in the parking lot of a 7-11 nearby. Drop off with a printed label, no shipping costs.... I would expect this is step one, then they begin to expand them a bit and take some smaller store fronts, possibly staffed but not necessarily. last week's purchase was the first time I returned something and had this option of a Amazon locker drop off vs UPS/USPS.

 

[Nole Lou]

My wife was well aware I was going to propose as I had scheduled a “random” weekly trip to California and then a coworker at a laboratory I was working for asked if I had proposed yet when I was on the phone with him in the car during the trip when he was asking about some paperwork. But she didn’t know the place (neither did I actually, I was planning on proposing at McWay Falls in Big Sur

But the light was running out quick so I just pulled off at a vista point and proposed with Bixby Bridge in the background.

So I still got some great proposal pics but not quite the spot I was planning on.

Eh, I guess that's okay, if you can't propose on the shore of Lake Erie in the shadow of abandoned grain elevators...

 

[ReliableOstrich]

Once upon a time the only places to buy software in Tallahassee were Electronics Boutique and Babbages.

 

[TexSkills]

Winn Dixie is filing bankruptcy, and closing 94 stores across the South. Even the grocery industry is changing. Lots of things can now be delivered to your house, or at least pre-selected for a drive-by pick-up. The younger generation wants different food items than the old guard, and they have different price/cost motivations.

Not surprised SEG is filing bankruptcy. I worked at the corporate office several years ago and still know a few people there. They've all been trying to get out for a while. They're stuck in the middle between Publix and Wal-Mart.

Next question is how long Publix will last. Their exorbitantly high prices make them vulnerable to new chains coming into Florida like Trader Joe's, Aldi, etc.

 

[Oclawaha]

Winn Dixie is filing bankruptcy, and closing 94 stores across the South. Even the grocery industry is changing. Lots of things can now be delivered to your house, or at least pre-selected for a drive-by pick-up. The younger generation wants different food items than the old guard, and they have different price/cost motivations.

Many of the same factors discussed in this thread are why Doak probably needs to be further condensed.

Two of them closing in Tallahassee. One of them is out North Monroe which is kind of a surprise as that is actually a nice store. Not so dumpy like a lot of them including the Tharpe St location which is also closing.
Not fooling around either. They’ll be gone by 4/30.

 

[seminole97]

But the light was running out quick so I just pulled off at a vista point and proposed with Bixby Bridge in the background.

So I still got some great proposal pics but not quite the spot.

 

[JohnnieHolmesNole]

I just realized that Babies R Us is also part of this shut-down. There will be some pretty sweet commercial properties available soon.....but I question what brick and mortar businesses could safely take over the existing structures. Interesting times.

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

I just realized that Babies R Us is also part of this shut-down. There will be some pretty sweet commercial properties available soon.....but I question what brick and mortar businesses could safely take over the existing structures. Interesting times.

If you can get by the neighbors, a combination indoor shooting range / strip club would be a nice option.

 

[JohnnieHolmesNole]

If you can get by the neighbors, a combination indoor shooting range / strip club would be a nice option.

That might actually work!!

 

[Formerly Rockymtnole]

That might actually work!!

I call it Big'Uns.

Plenty more where that came from. I'm a regular idea factory.

 

[JohnnieHolmesNole]

I call it Big'Uns.

Plenty more where that came from. I'm a regular idea factory.

There is already a “Biggins” in Daytona — a friend told me — so check your trademarks before you pull the trigger.

 

[LesClaypool]

Not surprised SEG is filing bankruptcy. I worked at the corporate office several years ago and still know a few people there. They've all been trying to get out for a while. They're stuck in the middle between Publix and Wal-Mart.

Next question is how long Publix will last. Their exorbitantly high prices make them vulnerable to new chains coming into Florida like Trader Joe's, Aldi, etc.

Just one person’s opinion but there is no worse shopping experience than at Aldi, but if there’s a second, it may very well be Trader Joe’s.

I don’t think Publix has anything to worry about from those two. Maybe from Amazon/Whole Foods...but definitely not those two.

 

[JohnnieHolmesNole]

Just one person’s opinion but there is no worse shopping experience than at Aldi, but if there’s a second, it may very well be Trader Joe’s.

I don’t think Publix has anything to worry about from those two. Maybe from Amazon/Whole Foods...but definitely not those two.

Also, Publix has an existing base that is unlikely to quickly fragment. I think they are good for a while, anyway.

 

[billanole]

If you can get by the neighbors, a combination indoor shooting range / strip club would be a nice option.

Add a laundry mat, topless car wash, plus a bar and you have an idea me and buds came up with long ago....

 

[Oclawaha]

I just realized that Babies R Us is also part of this shut-down. There will be some pretty sweet commercial properties available soon.....but I question what brick and mortar businesses could safely take over the existing structures. Interesting times.

Well I don’t think we have quite enough mattress stores so there’s that.

 

[billanole]

Well I don’t think we have quite enough mattress stores so there’s that.

Make sure Jim passes that along to his son. I see his career jumping as he transitions into site acquisitions.