Videogame Holiday Sales Weren't Great at Toys "R" Us

[vansau]

Videogame Holiday Sales Weren't Great at Toys "R" Us

This Holiday Season was a big one for videogames, but at least one retailer didn't do as well as it would've liked.

<a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/106701-You-Wont-Believe-How-Much-GameStop-Raked-in-Over-the-Holidays>GameStop may have hit record sales numbers during the past Holiday season, but this wasn't the case with every retailer. Toys "R" Us has unveiled its holiday sales numbers, and it turns out that it didn't move videogames all that well.

Overall, the chain's sales were pretty decent, with noticeable growth in North America and Japan. However, the company's entertainment division (which includes videogames) was the notable exception: "the entertainment category, which includes videogame hardware and software, was the weakest as it continued to experience sales declines."

It's not surprising that Toys "R" Us is still having problems with its videogame sales. When I lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, I'd often go to the store near my house instead of GameStop because its game section was never crowded and it often had the harder-to-find titles I was looking for. Still, hopefully the chain won't start cutting back on its entertainment sections in the stores as a result of these numbers.

Source: <a href=http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110106006948/en/Toys%E2%80%9CR%E2%80%9DUs-Announces-2010-Holiday-Sales>Business Wire

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[Beltom]

The problem, at least with the Toys "R" Us near me, is that the range of games available is rather limited. The only games they ever sold was the really new stuff, and mostly shovelware at that. They just don't, or didn't, have the breadth of stock, or the trade-in services, of a dedicated shop, like GAME or GameStop.

 

[linkvegeta]

well when i think of a place to buy i video game, toys r us is one of the last places i would think to look. I would go there if i needed a stuffed animal but i can see why they didnt do so well.

 

[Magnatek]

The problem, at least with the Toys "R" Us near me, is that the range of games available is rather limited. The only games they ever sold was the really new stuff, and mostly shovelware at that. They just don't, or didn't, have the breadth of stock, or the trade-in services, of a dedicated shop, like GAME or GameStop.

Here's my problem, as well. The only title I recall that had a faint glint in my eye with the past two times I was in one of those places was Pokemon Platinum. I miss the earlier game days with them, when they still had whole store rows featuring each current system in a display window (at the time, Sega Saturn, Playstation, and N64), and my last games I got there were actually big Gamecube titles (Melee, Metroid Prime). A few years after that, however, it was kinda shameful how they put the games out there.

 

[chickenlord]

idk...best holiday game sales has to go to steam...i bought 26 games there for under $100

 

[Rednog]

I'd never go into a Toys "R" Us considering I'm 24, with a full beard. I'm sure I'd get stares from random parents as to why I'm in a store that is mostly dedicated to young kids. I seriously doubt their first thought would be "oh he's here for the games."
Also, I rarely see them advertise any deals that I'm like "Oh man I have to go pick it up".
And finally, most Toys "R" Us are big and thus have to be located in major malls which can sometimes be out of the way, whereas a gamestop or other stores along the same line can be located at local outdoor minimalls or corner stores.

 

[WorkerMurphey]

Does Toys R Us offer any kind of pre-order bonuses, limited edition thingies, rewards clubs or used games? Without these things there's no real reason to shop there. In my experience there's not usually a huge gap in prices for new games at different retailers so there has to be something else to get me in the door.

I can get various sorts of deals from places like Gamestop and Amazon.com (my two primary sources of games) and even Best Buy and Walmart have deals.

Toys R Us advertising fails to reach me so I'm unaware of what they might have to offer. I think the last video game I bought from a toy store was X-Men for the Sega Genesis.

 

[Aura Guardian]

Granted it may have a limited amount of games. Some of their buy 1 get 1 50% of anything in the video game area the first week of December was awesome. I got controllers and games.

 

[Wolfram23]

Well it's their own fault. If they want to attract game sales they need to first off advertise themselves as the place to buy games, and secondly, implement a trade in system.

 

[Ironic Pirate]

I can see that. With gaming becoming more of a mainstream thing, dedicated gaming stores are becoming mainstream as well. The people that bought games at TRU have caught on to the better stores like Gamestop. To my knowledge, TRU doesn't even sell used games, which if I call are pretty significant for Gamestop.

 

[Aura Guardian]

Does Toys R Us offer any kind of pre-order bonuses, limited edition thingies, rewards clubs or used games? Without these things there's no real reason to shop there. In my experience there's not usually a huge gap in prices for new games at different retailers so there has to be something else to get me in the door.

I can get various sorts of deals from places like Gamestop and Amazon.com (my two primary sources of games) and even Best Buy and Walmart have deals.

Toys R Us advertising fails to reach me so I'm unaware of what they might have to offer. I think the last video game I bought from a toy store was X-Men for the Sega Genesis.

When Halo Reach and Black ops was being sold, they offered a $25 gift card for Reach. When Black Op was out, it was part of a Buy 1 x360 or ps3 game, you get a $20 gift card. Buy 2, You get a $50 one

 

[JoJo]

I'd never go into a Toys "R" Us considering I'm 24, with a full beard. I'm sure I'd get stares from random parents as to why I'm in a store that is mostly dedicated to young kids. I seriously doubt their first thought would be "oh he's here for the games."
Also, I rarely see them advertise any deals that I'm like "Oh man I have to go pick it up".
And finally, most Toys "R" Us are big and thus have to be located in major malls which can sometimes be out of the way, whereas a gamestop or other stores along the same line can be located at local outdoor minimalls or corner stores.

I don't see why you think that going to a Toy's R us would make you seem creepy (as you imply), you could easily be there to buy a present for a younger relative. People aren't that judgemental.

 

[sheic99]

Does Toys R Us offer any kind of pre-order bonuses, limited edition thingies, rewards clubs or used games? Without these things there's no real reason to shop there. In my experience there's not usually a huge gap in prices for new games at different retailers so there has to be something else to get me in the door.

I can get various sorts of deals from places like Gamestop and Amazon.com (my two primary sources of games) and even Best Buy and Walmart have deals.

Toys R Us advertising fails to reach me so I'm unaware of what they might have to offer. I think the last video game I bought from a toy store was X-Men for the Sega Genesis.

When Halo Reach and Black ops was being sold, they offered a $25 gift card for Reach. When Black Op was out, it was part of a Buy 1 x360 or ps3 game, you get a $20 gift card. Buy 2, You get a $50 one

They did the same thing for Arkham Asylum, that's how I got my copy of Saint's Row 2.

OT: I hope they did better with their other merchandise for the Holiday season because they're fairly close to being bankrupt.

 

[NLS]

I remember some ad campaign for a Hi-Fi store stating "You don't get REALLY great sound in the same shop where they sell washing machines"
I guess the same applies to video games. You don't get really great games the same place they sell Scooty Puff Junior.

 

[GonzoGamer]

I'd never go into a Toys "R" Us considering I'm 24, with a full beard. I'm sure I'd get stares from random parents as to why I'm in a store that is mostly dedicated to young kids. I seriously doubt their first thought would be "oh he's here for the games."
Also, I rarely see them advertise any deals that I'm like "Oh man I have to go pick it up".
And finally, most Toys "R" Us are big and thus have to be located in major malls which can sometimes be out of the way, whereas a gamestop or other stores along the same line can be located at local outdoor minimalls or corner stores.

I don't think you should worry about getting weird looks. As long as you don't hide in one of the yard tents trying to scare the kids or just following one kid around, you wont get one weird look. I often go to the TRU by my office when they have one of those deals with the gift card when you buy a new game. Hey, maybe that's why they had problems. Did they have those deals?

Was it a big holiday for games? I got about half the amount I usually get. There weren't many that me or my wife wanted to get. It just seemed like a pretty lame game year. The one that I really wanted (New Vegas) turned out to be a total disappointment.

 

[Sniper Team 4]

I found Psychonauts (?) at Toys R Us several months--maybe even a few years--after it was released. Good price, brand new, and no one else in town had it.

 

[thenamelessloser]

Toys R Us sometimes has GREAT deals though which makes this rather odd. I got Fallout New Vegas with a ten dollar gift card and the free strategy guide.

I'm also supposing maybe some of the bigger name titles such as Fallout New Vegas or Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood aren't for kids, having stuff in them equivalent to a Rated R or PG-13 movie. thus people may be less likely to buy those games there since it is a children's store. But in reality, should Toys r Us even be selling Mature games? (I guess I'm a bit of a hypocrite considering I bought Fallout New Vegas there) I mean, does Toys R us sell rated r movies? I doubt it? Should Toys R us sell anything that is clearly meant for people in the late teens or older?

 

[gsf1200]

I haven't went in a toys r us for years. The last 10 times I checked, they were selling crap games for $50. Prices on most games was way to high.

 

[BabyRaptor]

One of my friends found a Collectors Edition copy of Cataclysm at a TRU in his town almost a week after launch. Given that most stores were out of CEs about 10 minutes after midnight (I literally had to cuss out a manager to get mine, even with a receipt that showed I'd preordered a CE and put 50 bucks down on it.), I think that says something about how few people go there for video games.