Has anyone elses Toys R Us gone COMPLETELY out of their mind

[popnfresh]

Even moreso than the now regular TRU markups. I get that some locations (manhattan) can get away with huge markups, but I just visited a TRU in a small city that had markups near 50%, and in some cases more

9516 Jabbas Palace 164.99 ~45 markup
9515 Malevolence 164.99 ~45 markup
79003 Bag end 109.99 ~40 markup
Mindstorms 2.0 was over $350
The 200 dollar technics (unimog and rc 4x4 and excavator) sets were around 260.
The big TMNT set was close to 100 dollars when it has an RRP of 59.99

I just stopped looking and walked right back out the door, there is no way anyone in a working class city is gonna buy any of that, they must not be interested in selling anything.

[atmail35]

Mine has, they want $65.99 for the 2012 SW advent calendar! It has been selling at the LEGO Store for $25 since Black Friday and Christmas is over. Not to mention, although technically it doesn't matter, it does say "2012" on the box. They had dozens of them.

I have not bought significant amounts of LEGO from TRU in a long time because everything is overpriced.

[chenwaa123]

Sounds like ToysRus Canada. You are now being charged Canadian MSRP.

[hatcher]

Heck, Jabba's palace is only $150 in Canada. Yep, your TRU has lost its mind.

[Zeya]

79003 Bag end 109.99 ~40 markup

Uh, am I going to run into problems trying to use my in-store only coupons to buy that "Bag end" (Unexpected Gathering) set at my local store at MSRP? Their website lists that set at MSRP. I didn't realize the B&M stores charge different prices.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.js ... Src=search" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[popnfresh]

79003 Bag end 109.99 ~40 markup

Uh, am I going to run into problems trying to use my in-store only coupons to buy that "Bag end" (Unexpected Gathering) set at my local store at MSRP? Their website lists that set at MSRP. I didn't realize the B&M stores charge different prices.

http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.js ... Src=search" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

normal TRU has it for the price shown on the website before discount 87.99, that is the standard markup on this set. They also have a nasty habit of claiming they do not price match themselves, so you are gonna have to do some wheeling and dealing to get the 69.99.

[Zeya]

normal TRU has it for the price shown on the website before discount 87.99, that is the standard markup on this set. They also have a nasty habit of claiming they do not price match themselves, so you are gonna have to do some wheeling and dealing to get the 69.99.

Ugh. I'll wheel and deal myself on over to someone with better prices. Thanks for clarifying.

[Brickbuilder0937]

Sounds like out of control greed to me.

[lawpepperdine]

This actually sounds like a TRU Express, which pop around the holidays and are notorious for ridiculously high prices, even by TRU standards. If this was a full service brick and mortar TRU that is truly whacky.

[SpaceViking]

This could be the reason why prices have gone up... TRU reported yesterday that holiday sales were down 4.5% over last year. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/toys-r-us ... 48180.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Personally, I think their outrageous pricing strategy is hurting them. Raising prices may help boost the profit margin temporarily, but they are burning through a lot of customer trust.

[neomonkey]

Unless it's a big sale, I only get the exclusive sets from TRU.

[Orangechef]

They do have the Galaxy Squad line at MSRP at my TRU. I'm not normally a space person but I ended up using my rewards dollars to help get 70701 Swarm Interceptor.

[bea]

I also wanted to buy 70701 from TRU. One store near me had it priced at $21.99, another at $24.99.

[meyerc13]

Gee, I can't imagine why their sales were down. Could it be because a large number of people are smart enough to figure out when something is marked up by 57% (Bag End set mentioned above)?

I think they got greedy. They assumed that because people were buying things when they were marked up by 10%, that those same people would buy when the item was marked up by 20%, then 30%, and now apparently insane levels above 50%. That might work for an item that is hard to find, but the Hobbit sets have been readily available at Wal Marts, and heavily advertised as well. I think most people are going to look at that tiny box and realize it isn't worth $110.

Not only have I stopped buying LEGO there unless I have a coupon or it's on sale enough to drop the item 20% or more below actual MSRP... but because I no longer trust them I don't let my kids buy anything there without comparison shopping. My son wanted to buy some NERF guns there (which were supposedly 'on sale'), but I made him wait and we found the same item at Target for less at normal retail. A year ago I wouldn't have stopped him, but they've lost my trust and that's something that isn't easy to win back.

[dulait]

Gee, I can't imagine why their sales were down. Could it be because a large number of people are smart enough to figure out when something is marked up by 57% (Bag End set mentioned above)?

I think they got greedy. They assumed that because people were buying things when they were marked up by 10%, that those same people would buy when the item was marked up by 20%, then 30%, and now apparently insane levels above 50%. That might work for an item that is hard to find, but the Hobbit sets have been readily available at Wal Marts, and heavily advertised as well. I think most people are going to look at that tiny box and realize it isn't worth $110.

Not only have I stopped buying LEGO there unless I have a coupon or it's on sale enough to drop the item 20% or more below actual MSRP... but because I no longer trust them I don't let my kids buy anything there without comparison shopping. My son wanted to buy some NERF guns there (which were supposedly 'on sale'), but I made him wait and we found the same item at Target for less at normal retail. A year ago I wouldn't have stopped him, but they've lost my trust and that's something that isn't easy to win back.

Totally agree! But what makes me wonder is if LEGO is charging them more where Toys R Us have no choice but to mark them up more. Or they are ordering less, either way bottomline is that they are being greedy.

[markerpk]

More than likely this is more a reflection of TRUs declining buying power due to loss of market share. They don't sell as high a volume as Wallys and Targets because they have fewer outlets, so they don't get as good a deal from Lego on their wholesale cost. So it is quite possible that they have slowly been increasing markup in an effort to stave off increasing losses from shrinking sales volume. They also carry a wide range of toys that often do not sell very well (KREO anyone?), so they also increase markup on more popular brands and toys to offset those losses, too. If the markup is going to 50%, it's not a good sign. In fact, the TRU in Anaheim is closing down. This may well be a sign of things to come. I worked many years ago for one time giant retailer CompUSA and the direction TRU has been headed looks alot like the way things were going with CompUSA the few years prior to them closing down. I would not be too surprised to see them filing for chapter 13 bankruptcy and end up closing stores as well in the near future.

[Zeya]

Very interesting quote I found in an article:

The business of Toys ‘R’ Us is highly seasonal with fourth quarter accounting for over 80% of the fiscal net income, primarily due to strong holiday sales.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/290182- ... t-concerns

That's a lot of percent! Old article btw. Looks like TRU has been on hold for an IPO for a year or two now. I'm too lazy to dig any more into it, lol.

[vynsane]

This could be the reason why prices have gone up... TRU reported yesterday that holiday sales were down 4.5% over last year. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/toys-r-us ... 48180.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Personally, I think their outrageous pricing strategy is hurting them. Raising prices may help boost the profit margin temporarily, but they are burning through a lot of customer trust.

It's really unfortunate, frankly. I remember when I was a kid - Toys R Us was THE place you always wanted to go. The only other real outlets for toys were department stores, and generally only during the winter holidays. I remember circling things in the J.C. Penney's catalog for my Christmas list.

The way TRU is now reminds me of the final days of Tower Records. Everyone complained about Napster et al but it was really the big-box stores that strongarmed them out of competition. Now try finding anything over a year old in the record or movie section of Target or Walmart. Even Best Buy's selection is poor compared to what you could find at Tower.

That's the other side of the coin. Sure, you can get a better deal at Target or Walmart, but you have a much wider selection at TRU, and they have things available for much longer. I remember seeing Agents Robo Attack well into 2010 at my local TRU. Sure, it was above MSRP, but if I missed out at other retailers (I was just emerging from my dark ages while that set was being clearanced elsewhere) I could still find it there. Of course, I then missed out at TRU and had to eventually resort to buying it from someone who found it at Barnes & Noble. So the "TRU Tax" is really the premium you pay for either A: getting it before everyone else (since they generally have stuff available before everyone else) or; B: waiting until after it's gone everywhere else.

Still, it's unfortunate to see them passing the expense on to the consumer this badly. If it's a wholesale price issue, their buyers should be trying to negotiate better deals. If it's just the fact that they can't compete with big-boxes then increasing their prices by staggering percentages will only widen that gap and drive them out of business.

[pumbaugh]

I thought this was TRUs standard policy during the 10% back redemption period? I think I remember prices staying high/getting increased until well after the promo period ends to redeem your TRU $$. Then come early spring things seem to go back to the TRUs normal markup. They give you $$ rewards with short term expiration dates to get you to come in and buy something inflated in price....because after all your TRU $$ will expire if you don't use them ;)

[Mrbill317]

This actually sounds like a TRU Express, which pop around the holidays and are notorious for ridiculously high prices, even by TRU standards. If this was a full service brick and mortar TRU that is truly whacky.

My TRU express which isnt too jacked wouldnt even honor my Rewards R Us coupons , saying that their stuff is clearance/closeout.
This was for some brand new WWE figures , not clearance ones. Crazy.