A fight for a share of the toy trade
Toys R Us is gone, and neighborhood stores say they are doubling down on efforts to bring in new customers
For the first time in decades, parents won’t be able to rely on a trip to Toys R Us to check off items on their kids’ holiday wish lists.
While there may be fewer toy stores this holiday season, there will be more retailers with expanded toy departments. Amazon, Walmart, Target, and even chains like Party City and Kroger are rushing to fill the void left by the demise of the nation’s largest toy retailer, seeing an opportunity to pad their bottom lines while stuffing kids’ stockings.
But it’s not just national chains — neighborhood stores also are gearing up to fight for their share of the money parents spend on L.O.L. Surprise dolls, Scruff-aLuvs and other toys this holiday season. Chicago-area toy stores say they are spending more on marketing to bring in new customers, adding locations and doubling down on efforts to provide expert service.
“I think there’s a percentage of people that automatically went to Toys R Us, and now they need another solution,” said Katherine Nguyen, owner of Chicago’s Building Blocks.
Nguyen wants Building Blocks, which has stores in the Lakeview and Lincoln Park areas and Wicker Park, to be that solution. She estimates she’s quadrupled the amount she spends on marketing to encourage Toys R Us customers to give her stores a try. Those efforts include mailing advertisements to families in areas where the big-box chain used to have stores and sending emails to parents at a local school.