lol you've never lived in RI. there's a saying here that "if it's more than 15 minutes away it's too far."

 

Rhode Island is the third worst state in which to do business.  Hasbro: move to Texas.  

 

This is referring to the headquarters in Pawtucket, you may be thinking of the Hasbro building across from the Convention Center.

Also, Pawtucket may be desperate to try to keep Hasbro, as they just lost their minor-league baseball team, the Pawsox.

 

Oh right. That's what I was thinking of. Paw Sox are in Worcester now I think.

The headquarters is still in Pawtucket? Have you been to the store in there? It's pretty cool. I've moved out of state but grew up in RI. A few friends of mine were just laid off from Hasbro. Not a good situation...

Raimundo is the governor and not doing a good job, yet she somehow gets reelected this week. That state will never learn.

 

I guess part of what's baffling me is, if Providence and Pawtucket are so close to each other, why are they separate cities? Get a merger together, incorporate, something. Pawtucket residents: ever hear of suburbs? Don't look now, but I think you're living in them...

I mean, I live over thirteen miles from downtown, but I'm still considered a city resident. I'm not a resident of some other city.

 

Why doesn't the government (and by that I mean YOU the taxpayer) just fund their entire operation?

Every single individual that sells their labor is in effect a business. Demand the government pay all of your expenses because guilt trip buzzwords.

 

I hear businesses love moving their HQ to atlanta nowadays...

 

Wait...I thought the store closed down before Armada toys hit shelves. Are you referring to the big old warehouse store or the small corner section they call a store in the main hall of the employee headquarters?

 

When was Armada? I’m a geewunner. The warehouse was still considered a store for employees at least. I think everything was 30% off. That’s how I got my original tru mp10 before it came out in stores. It was there only a few years ago last I asked for someone to pick up something for me (right around when trypticon was re-released.

Also. Pawtucket is a shit town. Sorry, but it’s known as the “bucket” or “shit bucket”. I’m surprised hasbro is even still in RI. As an artist (RISD grad) growing up here we’ve always known about it, but RI is horrible for businesses and we have the worst unemployment rate in the country. I’ve since moved to MA. It’s in their best interest financially to leave and save on taxes unless RI cuts a deal.

RI is probably panicking because they’re still reeling from the shitshow of 38 studios. That was a joke, but off topic.

 

Hasbro already has people officed in Providence. They're looking to consolidate several offices in one location. Probably tearing down the vacant Superman building and making a modern one. Or building a campus of offices

Of course this story isn't likely to help their PR around the state.

 

It would've been in 2002 when the big warehouse store was closed down to the public and employees were let go. I remember because when I shopped there during its final days, employees were visibly upset that they were losing their jobs. This was at the big white building with the teal stripe around it at:

502–512 Division St
Pawtucket, RI 02860
United States

 

It could be a combination of:

1.) Employee consolidation. (They just lost a significant chunk of their workforce, so a smaller building might be in order.)

2.) Tax burden (sorry locals, but businesses don't exist to featherbed city hall.)

3.) Aging facilities. (Buildings get old, a factory built to make plastic widgets in the 70's isn't set up to run a global network of data transfers. And that toilet on the 3rd floor has been leaking since MTV had videos!)*

4.) Overall change in the mission. (Again, although I've always wanted to pilgrimage to Hasbro HQ, they're not strictly a toy manufacturer anymore, if they ever were, they're an IP and design company. They don't need a massive warehouse and manufacturing plant, they need a prototyping shop and a creative space.)

*have never actually been to Hasbro, I do not know the status of their bathrooms.

Looks like they're shopping around. Might have to build a new location and there isn't much room in Pawtucket from what I can see on the map. Like others have said, you go one to many blocks? You're in Massachusetts or Providence.

 

"Not taking more money" from them is NOT the same as funding their operations.

 

Attempting to extort a subsidy from the government by threatening to move is.

 

As long as another local gov't considers the tradeoff in additional jobs and tax revenue to be worth a little less in property tax increases, you're going to see this continue and it's not really a threat - at that point it's up to the original gov't to decide if they want to match that.

 

He's got a point. Those investment firms really did screw the pooch on that one. For lack of a better phrase.

 

I just want to echo this. In fact Wichita Falls, TX has some unused factory buildings that could be utilized, and We're so desperate to get people coming in to this city Hasbro might even get some tax breaks.

 

It would be awesome for Hasbro to come to Texas. Texas is a great state for businesses:

Texas is ranked #15 vs. Rhode Island #37 in the 2019 State Business Tax Climate - 2019 State Business Tax Climate Index | State Rankings | Tax Foundation

Texas is the #1 state for businesses (Rhode Island is 45) - America's Top States for Business 2018: The full list