Toys "R" Us/Babies "R" Us/Kids "R" Us

[XISMZERO]

Here's the former Kids "R" Us in Springfield, Mass. located a little ways down the road from Toys "R" Us in a half-abandoned plaza. There's only two parcels, so only one store (restaurant) was vacant.

Notice the racetrack-circular motif around the entrance. Also note the plaza lights - saw the exact same ones in Horseheads, NY.

[XISMZERO]

Former Kids "R" Us road pylon now belonging to Namco Pool Store. Check out that enormous billboard behind it for Toys "R" Us.

[webcookie]

What is it with Toys R Us and them being way ridiculous about taking pictures of the store? I've never had trouble taking pictures in any store, yet everyone seems to have trouble at TRU. We're just trying to document history, not steal a government secret or anything.

[XISMZERO]

Originally posted by webcookie
What is it with Toys R Us and them being way ridiculous about taking pictures of the store? I've never had trouble taking pictures in any store, yet everyone seems to have trouble at TRU. We're just trying to document history, not steal a government secret or anything.

Unfortunately, most managers of stores are realistic and serious about small things we deem harmless - they almost have to be. Cameras and photography, as well as our defense of taking it for historic purpose, is never clearly accepted by management because their job is to worry about security threats - clearly you must understand this. Most aren't just being bullies, they're doing their jobs and being curious about thievery.

When I asked the gentlemen at the Horseheads store, the associate had no qualms. When he forwarded my request to management, he was hesitant. While he said it was alright to shoot pictures of the wall (imagine the weird thoughts he was thinking then!) he also noted "as long as you don't..." he never really finished the sentence but I think I knew what he meant. No shooting behind counters, money, generally off-personnel zones. That I get.

Taking photos of certain things, especially in retail stores is taboo and/or eccentric behavior often suspect - that's just how it is in America. On one hand I understand this clearly, which is why I respect the word of the one in charge and ask if it's alright to proceed taking photos (even though I do not feel obligated to ask anyone to shoot in free-fire zones which are practically anything public). I don't get hassled as much as I get perplexed (and often comical) looks from strangers. You're on candid camera!

Ultimately, I'm going to do what I do. I'll know it's worth it when I look back at my pictues in 10 years when things have changed :)

[powersbt]

Originally posted by XISMZERO

Originally posted by webcookie
What is it with Toys R Us and them being way ridiculous about taking pictures of the store? I've never had trouble taking pictures in any store, yet everyone seems to have trouble at TRU. We're just trying to document history, not steal a government secret or anything.

Unfortunately, most managers of stores are realistic and serious about small things we deem harmless - they almost have to be. Cameras and photography, as well as our defense of taking it for historic purpose, is never clearly accepted by management because their job is to worry about security threats - clearly you must understand this. Most aren't just being bullies, they're doing their jobs and being curious about thievery.

When I asked the gentlemen at the Horseheads store, the associate had no qualms. When he forwarded my request to management, he was hesitant. While he said it was alright to shoot pictures of the wall (imagine the weird thoughts he was thinking then!) he also noted "as long as you don't..." he never really finished the sentence but I think I knew what he meant. No shooting behind counters, money, generally off-personnel zones. That I get.

Taking photos of certain things, especially in retail stores is taboo and/or eccentric behavior often suspect - that's just how it is in America. On one hand I understand this clearly, which is why I respect the word of the one in charge and ask if it's alright to proceed taking photos (even though I do not feel obligated to ask anyone to shoot in free-fire zones which are practically anything public). I don't get hassled as much as I get perplexed (and often comical) looks from strangers. You're on candid camera!

Ultimately, I'm going to do what I do. I'll know it's worth it when I look back at my pictues in 10 years when things have changed :)

That's the truth. Nothing is more satisfying than knowing that you caught something from the past that has since been changed. Preserving the Past. That's what it's all about.

Working in a Retail Setting myself, I see both sides of the coin. I would get pretty ansy if someone with a camera was in the store taking photos. However, if someone like XISMZERO was the one with the camera, and asked permission, I would probably grant him access to shoot photos. Some places would be off limits, primarily any place that is normally off limits for Customers.

The problem is that you just never know. To see someone with a camera in the store, it just makes you wonder what the person is photographing for. Who knows, it could have to deal with finding Evidence for a Fake Slip and Fall incident. It could be anything. About a year ago, I had a couple of College girls in the store with a Camcorder. Of course, they created trouble with it, and they were asked to leave the Premises. They're story was one where they were probably looking to put Video Footage of Walking through a Supermarket at Night on something like YouTube.

It's funny because even I hesitate taking photos in my own store. I have brought my Camera to work many times, but never taken photos inside of the store. I run the store at Night, it's my call, but still I hesitate. Corporate would probably frown if they saw them. Basically I just always wanted to get photos of Aisles after I finished blocking them which gave them the "Supermarket Sweep" Appearance.

[dmx10101]

Well I work in Loss Prevention so I know what its like most all stores have a written or unwritten no photography policy. One day I was working and saw a group of three people with a camcorder in the store recording. I told management to tll them to put it away or leave. The people told management they were visiting from New York, I'm in Georgia and that they wanted to record some of their trip. Well it turns out the really were employees of the Target store at the other end of the shopping center (that explains why they were all wearing red shirts) and one of them was some type of manager at the store, so I guess the were filming the prices and layout of the store or something. In short retailers can never be too careful about people recording and taking pictures. I was in a Macy's one day with my girlfriend and we were at the fitting room because she was trying on some clothes and I was going to take a picture of her in the one outfit with my camera phone, well I'm holding the phone up to take the picture and this lady appears out of nowhere and tells me that I cant take pictures and to put it away. I was pissed but I understood...that was before I started working in Loss Prevention.

[XISMZERO]

Here's an older picture of the Danbury Square (Danbury, CT) road sign featuring an older Toys R Us sign (like the one on the the other sign on the backstreet) and Kids R Us. The store had already been renovated at this time.

Picture from SiteRide.

[XISMZERO]

Here's another aerial shot of the Danbury, CT Toys "R" Us before renovation! Image courtesy SiteRide.

[Marc82]

In my opinon the no photography rule has to do with shop lifting. Wouldbe shoplifters taking photos of high-priced merchandise and then coming back after hours and stealing it. Not that Nick or anyone else here on this forum would do that, it's just I've watched enough America's Most Wanted over the years to know these things.


I do have a bizzare store photography story. (Not my own). My best friend was an overnight stock boy at the now-defunct Shaw's Supermarket in Southington. He'd usally work 11PM-7AM or 12AM-8AM. He'd take his lunch break at 6:30AM or 7:00AM, so I'd regularly go down to the store to see him. Well one day I'm down there waiting for him to go on his lunch break. It's about a quarter to 7 when a customer paying for their groceries tells the cashier that there was a group of people taking pictures in the HBC aisles. So after she rings them out, she goes down there and they're taking pictures of TOOTHBRUSHES. When she tells me this I could not help but laugh. She called the store manager, who came and threw them out of the store. They were last seen walking down Route 10 heading towards The Holiday Inn Express  on Laning Street.  TOOTHBRUSHES? WHAT THE HELL?  :roll:

[XISMZERO]

Here's some new shots of the Waterford, Connecticut store taken January 17, 2007.

[XISMZERO]

Waterford, Connecticut store; taken January 17, 2007.

[XISMZERO]

Waterford, Connecticut store; taken January 17, 2007.

[XISMZERO]

Waterford, Connecticut store taken; January 17, 2007. This store has a brown-orange receiving sign from a former brown/rainbow facade of the late 80s.

[XISMZERO]

Waterford, Connecticut store taken; January 17, 2007. An unusual, stout road pylon.

[XISMZERO]

Here's the Manchester, New Hampshire store as of February 11, 2007.

[XISMZERO]

Manchester, New Hampshire; 2-11-2007. This store probably has one of the most enormous pilons which smacks you right in the face as you come down the highway.

[XISMZERO]

Manchester, New Hampshire; 2-11-2007.

[XISMZERO]

Manchester, New Hampshire; 2-11-2007. D_fife has a picture of the store from when it was brown/rainbow-stripped. Store was renovated in 1992 and hasn't been since (except for signage updates). The 'S' is missing!

[XISMZERO]

Manchester, New Hampshire; 2-11-2007. The former Kids "R" Us is now a Nissan dealership. This area is slowly being taken by car dealerships!

[XISMZERO]

Here's the former, vacant Kids "R" Us. This was taken March 4, 2006.

The building was originally brown, then was repainted. The store was vacant for a couple years before demolition later in 2006.

[XISMZERO]

Manchester, New Hampshire; 2-11-2007. Here's the road sign on South Willow Street from behind.

[Zayre88]

Toys 'r' us in Quebec City, Canada.   Original store, no renovations here...!

[XISMZERO]

Originally posted by Zayre88
Toys 'r' us in Quebec City, Canada.   Original store, no renovations here...!

That's amazing! Did you take that shot recently? That store definitely needs some updating. How are other stores looking and the company in general doing in Canada? Parking lots look nicely packed...

Does anyone know why some stores don't update their facades? Does it have anything to do with the will of the ownership? Does it have something to do with them not wanting to spend the money to upgrade? Store not making adequate sales enough to allocate to renovate? Permits?

I've been trying to discover a trend; it seems stores in either lower income or isolated/lower-traffic areas seem to be neglectant as far as significant updates go - at least in America. Many stores in the Western Upstate New York region seem to have a lot of sloppily updated stores.

Look at Woburn, MA; an old store that never got any significant renovations beyond some paint jobs. Clay, NY; in the nose-bleed northern regions lesser tra velled by those who aren't locals. Same deal with Horseheads, NY...

I'd like to know, thoughts people...

[Zayre88]

Originally posted by XISMZERO

Originally posted by Zayre88
Toys 'r' us in Quebec City, Canada.   Original store, no renovations here...!

That's amazing! Did you take that shot recently? That store definitely needs some updating. How are other stores looking and the company in general doing in Canada? Parking lots look nicely packed...

Does anyone know why some stores don't update their facades? Does it have anything to do with the will of the ownership? Does it have something to do with them not wanting to spend the money to upgrade? Store not making adequate sales enough to allocate to renovate? Permits?

I've been trying to discover a trend; it seems stores in either lower income or isolated/lower-traffic areas seem to be neglectant as far as significant updates go - at least in America. Many stores in the Western Upstate New York region seem to have a lot of sloppily updated stores.

I'd like to know, thoughts people...

It's a picture of february 2007...!  There is another store in this city but it's inside a major mall.  It does not have a facade but that store is modern.  I'm surprised to see that both stores are still open, they must have a good business.  

The older stores not renovated:  they probably are stores in lower income or isolated/lower-traffic areas or stores not very profitable.  The company is keeping them open but without any upgrades.  (to keep the store profitable or because they know they will have to close that store in a few years, at lease end for example)

[XISMZERO]

Originally posted by Zayre88
The older stores not renovated:  they probably are stores in lower income or isolated/lower-traffic areas or stores not very profitable.  The company is keeping them open but without any upgrades.  (to keep the store profitable or because they know they will have to close that store in a few years, at lease end for example)

Precisely what I thought, just wanted to hear others' input. How is the climate in Quebec City? Does it seem to fit this criteria? My guess about this location is about lease; the store could be endangered of closing especially judging by how the company is doing in America. To my knowledge, they havent closed any stores in Canada recently... Ultimately, it appears things could be tight for TRU in Canada not quite as much as America though.

Do you live in the area? I've love to see more in-depth photos and maybe some details about the store's interior. Canada's kind of distant from my homeplace...

[Caldor1999]

Originally posted by Zayre88

Originally posted by XISMZERO

Originally posted by Zayre88
Toys 'r' us in Quebec City, Canada.   Original store, no renovations here...!

That's amazing! Did you take that shot recently? That store definitely needs some updating. How are other stores looking and the company in general doing in Canada? Parking lots look nicely packed...

Does anyone know why some stores don't update their facades? Does it have anything to do with the will of the ownership? Does it have something to do with them not wanting to spend the money to upgrade? Store not making adequate sales enough to allocate to renovate? Permits?

I've been trying to discover a trend; it seems stores in either lower income or isolated/lower-traffic areas seem to be neglectant as far as significant updates go - at least in America. Many stores in the Western Upstate New York region seem to have a lot of sloppily updated stores.

I'd like to know, thoughts people...

It's a picture of february 2007...!  There is another store in this city but it's inside a major mall.  It does not have a facade but that store is modern.  I'm surprised to see that both stores are still open, they must have a good business.  

The older stores not renovated:  they probably are stores in lower income or isolated/lower-traffic areas or stores not very profitable.  The company is keeping them open but without any upgrades.  (to keep the store profitable or because they know they will have to close that store in a few years, at lease end for example)

do u know  when this one opend i mean i had to have been in the late 80's kida looks like the danbury one with the bricks on the side

[d_fife]

Originally posted by XISMZERO

Originally posted by Zayre88
The older stores not renovated:  they probably are stores in lower income or isolated/lower-traffic areas or stores not very profitable.  The company is keeping them open but without any upgrades.  (to keep the store profitable or because they know they will have to close that store in a few years, at lease end for example)

Precisely what I thought, just wanted to hear others' input. How is the climate in Quebec City? Does it seem to fit this criteria? My guess about this location is about lease; the store could be endangered of closing especially judging by how the company is doing in America. To my knowledge, they havent closed any stores in Canada recently... Ultimately, it appears things could be tight for TRU in Canada not quite as much as America though.

Do you live in the area? I've love to see more in-depth photos and maybe some details about the store's interior. Canada's kind of distant from my homeplace...

the US devision is the worst performers. The aboard locations are doing well. I dont think Canada is doing bad.

about why a Toys r us is brown.  I  do not know what determines it, but your gueses are the same as mine.

and for Clay NY being brown it seems to do well, but it is near an economically depressed city. The one in York pa that was brown was a trashy looking city.

but the one in woburn is in a higher income area and seems to get a lot of business, but it is off the beaten path.

[XISMZERO]

Originally posted by d_fife
but the one in woburn is in a higher income area and seems to get a lot of business, but it is off the beaten path.

I also found the Woburn, Mass. store is one of the strangest, oddly located stores I've ever come across; it's stuffed in the back of a plaza with no road sign and a whole bunch of stores blocking it from the road. You're right, it's a little off the path, not one less traveled (US-Rt.3 is practically a beeline into Boston) of the usual Toys R Us store. The plaza itself is not very well located either - not near any other retail for a mile or so but more residential.

The plaza, Horn Pond Plaza, is beside a creek and power lines which probably impede possibilities of ever having the store not to be blocked by the Brooks anchored strip blocking it. All of these poorly planned marks are evidence this store is a late 70s store, built right when the chain began sprawl (in 1978) and really hasn't been able to adapt to the changing times. It was most likely the only store kept in the Boston region because of its well-known position by locals for decades. Store was busy both times I visited as well.

I've studied Toys R Us extensively this past year and have noticed many TRU stores in their expansion years of the early 80s were placed strategically near mall grounds. There were some exceptions later on, likely due to a change in direction for company, but there's typically a trend of malls and TRUs nearby.

Lastly, I think it was despicable to repaint it. Having been rainbow-styled for its entire life, one lazy paint job ruined it's incredible charm.

[d_fife]

babies r us in towson MD (near baltimore)

[d_fife]

Originally posted by d_fife
babies r us in towson MD (near baltimore)

babies r us towson md