Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle • Hacker News Board

Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle

#211

Post by kamaal » Tue, Sep 19, 2017, 4:36 AM UTC

SilasX wrote: post #110

atourgates wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Toy stores are a _great_ example of opportunity for brick and mortar. Just like book stores, they operate in a space where curation, discovery and the physical experience adds real value. The town I grew up in has a great independent toy store, and I make it a point to shop there every time we're in town. Every time I find something unique that I would have never looked for on Amazon, and often I'm hooked by the tact…

>Toy stores are a _great_ example of opportunity for brick and mortar. Just like book stores, they operate in a space where curation, discovery and the physical experience adds real value. Not anymore. Customers just use them as a free showroom and then buy it cheaper off Amazon.

>>Customers just use them as a free showroom

And that free showroom is now gone.

All the best buying something on Amazon, and realizing that you didn't like it after it was delivered at your home. The cost of treating it as a free showroom will now cost customers buying a lot of products they don't like.

Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle

#212

Post by _gcra » Tue, Sep 19, 2017, 4:44 AM UTC

soverance wrote: post #165

bodz wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think so too, but I wonder about the long term effect that doing everything in the virtual world will have on abilities in the physical world. It's extremely anecdotal, but my little brother, who almost exclusively plays Minecraft, seems to have a fantastic imagination but very poor fine motor skills. He has trouble doing anything physical that requires not using a keyboard and mouse.

I feel like there's a point far into the future where they might consider the current technology age as a turning point in our evolution as biological beings. Consider a future 1000 years from now, after we've spent a thousand years interacting with the virtual world. Imagine a world where the virtual is indistinguishable from the physical - where the virtual IS physical, and the physical IS virtual. Virtual worlds t…

Being "alive" forever, virtual or otherwise, sounds creepy and revolting. You are welcome to it, I think [1]; I and many others enjoy the inherent richness that comes with the ephemerality and unpredictability of biological life.

[1] my concern is how this line of thinking and "living" might continue on a path of mindlessly destroying everything that isn't it.

Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle

#213

Post by kamaal » Tue, Sep 19, 2017, 4:45 AM UTC

tootie wrote: post #121

dadrian wrote: post #104

The CEO of Toys 'R' Us as of 2015 is Dave Brandon. He was the former CEO of Dominoes Pizza. After he left Dominoes in 2009 is when they started the "We used to suck, we don't anymore, please come try us again!" advertising campaign. After Dominoes, Dave Brandon was the athletic director at the University of Michigan. During his time as AD, he managed to alienate the majority of the fan base, hire a coach who got wors…

I just sat through a meeting with a bunch of high-level execs at a huge corporation. The amount of shrugging and barely educated guessing that goes into million dollar decisions is pretty absurd. The main qualification seems to be the willingness to make decisions in the face of uncertainty.

This is the reason why people with an engineering background, basic math skills and a spreadsheet can do a lot more with A/B testing than a guy who has an expensive MBA degree can?

Also read this article: "The management myth": https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/06/the-man...

In places where there is more than non trivial work involved in making crucial decision most execs generally tune and do what you just said.

Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle

#214

Post by SilasX » Tue, Sep 19, 2017, 4:56 AM UTC

linkregister wrote: post #188

SilasX wrote: post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Toy stores are a _great_ example of opportunity for brick and mortar. Just like book stores, they operate in a space where curation, discovery and the physical experience adds real value. Not anymore. Customers just use them as a free showroom and then buy it cheaper off Amazon.

No way. The high-quality wooden hand-crafted toys at good mom & pop toy stores are not available on Amazon. Discoverability of good intellectually stimulating toys is similarly poor on Amazon. You also overestimate the delta between the Amazon price (if the product is carried by Amazon) and that of the brick & mortar price. Often the brick & mortar price is identical after shipping costs. The competitive advantage of…

Wooden hand crafted toys are kind of a boutique, luxury market, though, not a representative case.

Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle

#215

Post by kitotik » Tue, Sep 19, 2017, 5:01 AM UTC

lostapathy wrote: post #184

freehunter wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amazon may be local to my state but the small toy store is local to my _city_. The warehouse four hours away means less to me than someone who pays taxes in my city and lives two miles away.

If there were an Amazon warehouse nearby would that change things for you? I live about 2 miles from both amazon and jet warehouses, and that doesn't make it feel any more like a local business.

I don't think the size of the warehouse matters - that's like caring how a big the kitchen is at a great restaurant. It's the experience of finding the thing you spend money on, and then getting whatever value it is you hoped for.

There is a physical constraint aspect to local businesses that create an inherent diversity. Being next to a huge store curated by one entity is much different.

Would you rather live next to a Wal-Mart or a thriving strip/block with a dozen or so various options? It depends on your needs and desires I suppose.

Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle

#216

Post by nradov » Tue, Sep 19, 2017, 5:46 AM UTC

soverance wrote: post #165

bodz wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think so too, but I wonder about the long term effect that doing everything in the virtual world will have on abilities in the physical world. It's extremely anecdotal, but my little brother, who almost exclusively plays Minecraft, seems to have a fantastic imagination but very poor fine motor skills. He has trouble doing anything physical that requires not using a keyboard and mouse.

I feel like there's a point far into the future where they might consider the current technology age as a turning point in our evolution as biological beings. Consider a future 1000 years from now, after we've spent a thousand years interacting with the virtual world. Imagine a world where the virtual is indistinguishable from the physical - where the virtual IS physical, and the physical IS virtual. Virtual worlds t…

Since we don't understand the nature of consciousness there is zero evidence to indicate that mind uploading will ever actually be possible.

Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle

#217

Post by nradov » Tue, Sep 19, 2017, 5:54 AM UTC

kamaal wrote: post #213

tootie wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just sat through a meeting with a bunch of high-level execs at a huge corporation. The amount of shrugging and barely educated guessing that goes into million dollar decisions is pretty absurd. The main qualification seems to be the willingness to make decisions in the face of uncertainty.

This is the reason why people with an engineering background, basic math skills and a spreadsheet can do a lot more with A/B testing than a guy who has an expensive MBA degree can? Also read this article: "The management myth": https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/06/the-man... In places where there is more than non trivial work involved in making crucial decision most execs generally tune and do what yo…

Nope. Most of the really important decisions can't be quantified in that way. Any most senior executive do have basic math and spreadsheet skills. Plus they have analysts on staff who can help with the more complex math.

Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle

#218

Post by heurist » Tue, Sep 19, 2017, 6:20 AM UTC

jimmaswell wrote: post #190

heurist wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Local will re-emerge with tighter communities. Suburbs are unsustainable wastes and we'll have to adapt by reforming walkable cities. Kids will have tons to explore at that point, like they used to. AR/VR will enable more spatially interactive technologies as well. Pokemon Go was a fad but I think it heralds a yet-to-come wave.

>Local will re-emerge with tighter communities. Suburbs are unsustainable wastes and we'll have to adapt by reforming walkable cities. Kids will have tons to explore at that point, like they used to. The suburb hate bandwagon on here has gotten way out of hand. They are not inherently unsustainable and it is not a "waste" to spend a bit more resources to make a space that's nicer to live in. Not everybody wants to ha…

If you can form that argument more convincingly than Jane Jacobs I'll give it more thought.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Death_and_Life_of_Great_Am...

Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle

#219

Post by kamaal » Tue, Sep 19, 2017, 6:28 AM UTC

nradov wrote: post #217

kamaal wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the reason why people with an engineering background, basic math skills and a spreadsheet can do a lot more with A/B testing than a guy who has an expensive MBA degree can? Also read this article: "The management myth": https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2006/06/the-man... In places where there is more than non trivial work involved in making crucial decision most execs generally tune and do what yo…

Nope. Most of the really important decisions can't be quantified in that way. Any most senior executive do have basic math and spreadsheet skills. Plus they have analysts on staff who can help with the more complex math.

Sorry, but I have seen billion dollar worth front page releases made on A/B testing results. The tests and analysis long over several months, and the data is looked at from various dimensions to see what's good.

If there is a manager that has an excuse to not look at data or play the usual 'I know better' game, its generally an indication that person is hiding a bigger incapability behind these 'appeal to authority' word games.

Re: Toys ‘R’ Us Plans Bankruptcy Filing Amid Debt Struggle

#220

Post by dsnuh » Tue, Sep 19, 2017, 6:48 AM UTC

tyingq wrote: post #172

Pxtl wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the place brick and mortar seems to do well is where the store adds value over just selling merch. You go to Home Depot for expertise as much as for parts. You go to a local boardgame store for recommendations and events. You go to a toy store to get your hands on them and leverage staff expertise and curated inventory. The only big problem with this approach is showrooming. Toys r us or best buy carry bad pr…

There's a lot here I agree with, but... >You go to Home Depot for expertise as much as for parts Has not been my experience. Ace hardware is a little better, but not much. I suppose sometimes they get lucky and a knowledgeable retiree is willing to work for those wages.

My strategy is to look for the people working there around retirement age. A lot of times they have been tradesman or contractors, and are working part time for some extra money.