Perhaps it's just me thinking too much

I must be old as I remember when ToysRUs first opened. I remember thinking 'what a stupid name'. I hate those big warehouses selling lumps of plastic as kids' toys so personally I shall not miss them at all. However, I do feel sorry for the staff faced with losing their jobs in the new year. It won't make for a very happy Christmas for them.

The redundancies spread out over a number of towns is not as devastating as when a pit or large works close. That can be the demise of small towns and villages as insufficient work comes to replace that lost. Many of the areas never recover and become dormitory areas at best.

Toys r Us have hung on longer than many expected. Their out of town warehouse near us is not cheap, and ironically rather child unfriendly. I think that Argos have won the toys war with their better prices, delivery and better stock availability.

I agree with Monica as well.
Same here Jalima I have never been in Toys R Us when it’s busy, for most if the year it seems empty.
It has a vast range of toys but all at full price, you may as well order online and get them delivered.
On the subject of redundancies though, yes, not a good time of year to hear this of your job, but often staff know things aren’t going well.
I can’t afford Meghan’s handbag either and never could have, that’s life, always somebody with more money than you.

DH said 'It's always just before Christmas as if they time it to cause most misery'.

But I agree with M0nica* too - if wealthier people did not buy luxury goods then many more people would be out of work.

I think we can look to internet shopping for many of the problems; when I have been to Toys R Us recently there were not that many people in a huge store.

There has always been a gap between , always will be , there was a time only the wealthy could holiday abroad, middle income earners booked holidays in B&B's etc and low waged enjoyed a day at the coast.

I was sorry that ToysRUs and Multiyork are in such difficulty, especially Multi York as they manufacture in the UK and sell good quality furniture.
ToysRus has been a great store since my latest grandchildren arrived. Good prices and lots of variety.
Like the OP, I feel for the staff, with redundancy facing them at this expensive time of year.

Apparently ToysRUs have said they are closing some of their stores, not all. I do feel sorry for any staff with this hanging over them before Christmas.

Companies have always open and closed as trade has changed. Seen any candle stick sellers in town recently?

In areas where unemployment is high it can be awful when unemployment strikes, think back to those mining communities and steelworks where thousands were laid off.

But employment in this country is quite high at the moment, with plenty of jobs available and certainly south of Birmingham, it should not be too difficult to find new work.

Both DH and I have faced redundancy and DD is expecting to face it for the second time, but she has already sorted herself out an alternative new career, her third or fourth, and is sorting out training and sounding out potential employers.

Redundancy and unemployment are not pleasant when they happen, but there are very few people these days who do not experience it at some time or other and one always needs to be prepared for it.

Looking at a different angle on this story, I had intended to but 2 gift vouchers for £50 each from Toys r us but now I will not do so as I cannot guarantee they will be honoured if the worst happens and they go under.
I bought vouchers for a firm called Game and in January they were in trouble and we were told they would not be honoured, however somehow the firm survived and eventually we could use them.
The point I am making is news stories like this make things much worse for the staff as takings go down.

It's not just ToysRUs tho is it? Multiyork, who also manufacture in this country, and Feather and Black too, and I wonder how many more high street stores are hanging on until after Christmas?

Look at it practically. All 200 shops are not in the same town. It will be 50-100 jobs at each location, almost all in big towns where, in many cases, there will be other jobs on offer, probably not retail, but certainly work available. I live between Reading and Oxford, both with ToysRUS, both with nearly full employment and jobs available at all levels.

Consider that handbag; somewhere the animal whose skin it is made of, will have been reared by a farmer, for whom the price they get for it will take into account the value of the skin. That skin will be processed and treated and then highly skilled leather workers will make the bag that goes to the shop that sells it to Prince Harry's fiancee.

How many people would be put out of work if all the purchasers of expensive handcrafted items from Bond Street shops were to stay at home. probably nearly as many as those made unemployed by ToysRus

I get you entirely millymouge. There is a bigger gap now between rich and poor than has been for a long time.

Carry on thinking molly ‘cause without thought and compassion where would it leave these poor folk?