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Macy’s is on track to launch more than 400 Toys ‘R’ Us locations in its US department stores.
The partnership is the revival the toy retailer has desperately needed since going bankrupt in 2017.
The store was the perfect mix of nostalgic and up-to-date, and it made me want to be a kid again.
This holiday season, Macy’s launched over 400 in-store Toys ‘R’ Us shops in select locations across the country in an effort to expand the toy portion of its business.
AP Photo/David Zalubowski
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For Toys ‘R’ Us, the newly formed partnership is a second chance at a comeback. After failing to refinance its mounting debt in 2017, the company was forced to shutter its over 700 locations for good.
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I decided to check out the revival store to see if the collaboration has what it takes for Toys ‘R’ Us to be able to reclaim its toy-store throne.
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To get the full experience, I went to the Herald Square Macy’s flagship store in New York City, which is the site of the largest Toys ‘R’ Us shop, spanning 14,000 square feet.
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Source: Forbes
Once I entered the building, it wasn’t hard to find signs pointing me in the right direction.
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I took the elevators embossed with the Toys ‘R’ Us logo up to the seventh floor.
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The entrance, which was in the women’s-clothing section, was hard to miss.
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The store layout is cleverly designed so that shoppers have to walk through Macy’s children’s clothing section before reaching the toy store.
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Children’s outfits ranging from sports jerseys to winter coats were on display.
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I also passed an in-store Carvel ice cream shop…
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…and an Auntie Anne’s pretzel shop.
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After walking through the clothing section, I finally came across more signs reassuring me that I was headed in the right direction.
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A brightly lit Toys ‘R’ Us sign glowed overhead.
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I recognized a statue of the Toys ‘R’ Us mascot, Geoffrey the Giraffe. I hadn’t seen an image of Geoffrey since my childhood.
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From my first steps into the toy section, I could already tell it was designed to be a kid’s paradise.
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There were shelves stacked high with Spiderman and Thor figurines from the Marvel franchise.
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Also available for purchase were wands and stuffed-animal owls from the ‘Harry Potter’ series.
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The ‘Star Wars’ area featured Boba Fett helmets and lightsabers.
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I thought the Baby Yoda dolls were particularly cute to look at.
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The store had a large collection of Legos, including a human-sized Statue of Liberty…
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…and a replica of the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade…
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…complete with the turkey float.
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While the displays were off limits, there were Lego play stations close by for kids to enjoy.
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There was also no shortage of stuffed animals on the premises.
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I came across a giant tiger, a llama, and a brown bear enjoying each other’s company.
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Some large statues of popular children’s TV show characters, like this one of Thomas the Tank Engine, offered parents the perfect place for a quick photoshoot with their kids.
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There was also a ‘Paw Patrol’ display that was a perfect prop for a photo opp.
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Like the original Toys ‘R’ Us stores I grew up going to, this one had toys for a wide range of age groups…
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… although many of the toys for sale didn’t exist when I was a kid, such as these LOL Surprise! Dolls.
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There’s also a large play structure for kids inside the Toys ‘R’ Us store.
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The area is called ‘Geoffrey’s Playground’ and was complete with a bright yellow taxicab with Geoffrey himself sitting in the passenger’s seat.
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A traffic light and a sign warned shoppers that there were ‘kids at play’ in the area.
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There were also large craft tables for children and parents to play with toys like Play-Doh or Mr. Potato Head.
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A kinetic sand station was set up close by, too.
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Older children can stop by the Nerf tent and participate in an aiming game.
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The outdoor-play area had all the usual recreational toys, like skateboards and Razor scooters.
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I was taken off-guard by the hoverboard section close by, which made me realize how much children’s toys have changed since I was a kid.
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Even the Barbie Dreamhouse I remember longing for as a child has been upgraded.
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The house now features a water slide and an outdoor pool.
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As children ran around the store enthusiastically, some parents took a moment to relax.
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The checkout line was relatively fast, even though just one employee was ringing customers up while I was there.
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On my way out of the store, I saw a sign that perfectly summed up my experience at the revival store. It was the iconic jingle: ‘I don’t want to grow up. I’m a Toys ‘R’ Us kid!’
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The Macy’s collaboration nailed its mission to appeal to a new young customer base by offering a vast selection of toys and large play areas to keep them entertained. It also satisfied the nostalgic feeling for adults of walking into a Toys ‘R’ Us that I hadn’t even realized I’d been missing.
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As I left the store, my only complaint was that I wasn’t able to travel back in time so that my kid self could have enjoyed it too.
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