Yeah, for a 20 years ago market. Markets change, you can't just keep doing things the same way and expect the gravy train to keep rolling.

Hasbro isn't going bankrupt. You're basically saying "Haha, they deserve a 5-10% dip in revenue in the short term. That will show them!"

Hasbro isn't perfect, and I would definitely like them to do some things differently. But their revenue and profits are stronger than ever, to the point where they're the #2 toy company in the world behind Lego. Obviously they're not as out of touch as you seem to think they are. They seem to have adapted just fine, maybe you're the one who hasn't adapted to today's market.

 

I can't say that I agree with you.. at least on those specific points. What does aggravate me is when they mix movie designs with comic designs that have nothing to do with the movie the wave is focused on. Like the Black Panther wave you referenced... why is Namor and Thunderbolt in there? And then they make the build-a-figure a figure that should have been released on its own. Why was Mantis a build a figure? That's a sneaky practice right there. Then there's stuff like re-releasing Erik Killmonger down the line in a two-pack with an unmasked head. The first release should have had the unmasked head. Sneaky shit. I've largely stopped buying Marvel Legends because of this sort of thing (Guardians related stuff being the one exception I'm making).

 

Others have commented, but I think it needs to be emphasized, because this concern about how there "does not seem to be a guarantee" seems to be somehow a surprise.

Nothing has been saved yet. Neither in the US, nor in Canada (I won't comment on other countries). Nothing is guaranteed until it actually happens. While there is good reason to hope for those stores to be saved, and while it even seems that TRU may start liquidating some stores later than others (to give a deal a chance to work out), it could all still fail.

 

So reports say TRU is trying to sell off (and save) ~200 of their best stores. Does anyone have any idea of which stores may be on that list?

 

Other than guesses, which would be based on limited knowledge, that information hasn't been released yet.

I can say that my local TRU has done pretty well. Good sales, clean store, good area, etc., but those may not add up to the winning combination that's needed. I may be missing, for example, high rent for the property that pushes an otherwise successful store into the red.

 

I remember when KMART was shutting down a ton of it's store, a couple in the Binghamton, NY area stayed open. I wondered why because they were dumps literally built on top of dumps (yes, they were built on top of old landfills). Turned out their square footage cost to operate was so low they were profitable. I sure we are all hoping our TRU is one of the more profitable ones. Certainly there's got to be some TRU people lurking around here who might have an idea if their store if profitable or not.

 

There certainly are "TRU people" on these boards, but while they can talk about day-to-day operations, I (bluntly) don't trust them to tell me whether or not their store is likely to be one of "the 200." For that, there are really only a couple of options:

1. An official list. I don't expect one for a bit yet. Seems that the hearing whereby MGA might get the stores isn't until April.
2. If a store still isn't holding a liquidation sale when all others have been doing so for a week or two, I would certainly accept it likely that it's because this store's liquidation is being delayed in hopes that it might yet be salvaged.

 

There is this really nice guy at one of the local TRU stores that I started chatting up about this situation. His predicament really struck a chord with me. He's been working with them since he was a junior in high school, and he's terrified about having to be back in the job hunt (something he never dealt with much anyway). I think he'll land on his feet, but man what a predicament to be in. To the employees at the TRU stores: My heart goes out to you. I hope you are all able to land on your feet. This is a terrible situation.

 

I've been through a couple of corporate buyouts, they're slow, not fun, and almost never seamless. Unless somebody steps up before the liquidation is set in motion (so... tomorrow) TRU will probably still have to go through the motions of shutting everything down and laying everybody off in order to settle their debts. All that would change at this point would be that those locations could reopen afterwards as Nü TRU

 

I'm sure that TRU will have to go through the motions of liquidating even "the 200." I'm merely recognizing that there's been a CNN report wherein TRU says that they may hold off on those (my mind inserts "at least at first").

 

If this kaybee coming back happens,I hope the store is gamestop/radio shack size with 2018 online improvements.

 

After eating most of their competition and becoming dependent on licensing, most of which Disney can take away in instant. Look what happened to Mattel for a preview of what could easily happen to Hasbro.

 

Watching that video triggers an initial sense of sorrow that TRU will soon be dead, but then reality hits and I realize the TRU I knew died long ago. In the 1980's, they had an ENTIRE AISLE dedicated to Transformers and other robots. Rounding the corner to the next aisle yielded EVEN MORE, such as the KO Dinobots. For the past 20 years, they have been nothing but a pale imitation of what I remember. I want to say I will miss them, but I won't.

 

Actually, Hasbro has been making overtures since last fall to Mattel for a merger. The suits at Mattel keep shutting down the offers.

 

No time in toys of our youth will ever be greater than what we had in the 80's.

 

Reports that the Canadian operations have multiple bidders, so it seems that Canada is safe, and maybe the top US stores have a little better chance than they did.

 

Are any of the bidders named S. Claus?