How much longer can TRU survive?

[Blackjack]

The main reason for getting Legos at TRU may be getting the exclusive sets such as Barrel Escape, and the legendary polybags. ;)

[gregpj]

Bottom line, TRU's future is not in the US market, so they couldn't care less what most of us here think...TRUs future is most likely in emerging markets.

I wouldn't call Canada an emerging market, but they've had a pretty good monopoly on toys up here for a while.

-Walmart sells toys both in store and online but their selection is sketchy and their online presence in Canada is downright putrid.

-Zellers, the other box store competition just recently went out of business and sold out to Target who've said they are keeping prices competitive (i.e. we're still getting shafted).

- Amazon.ca is nowhere near as good as Amazon.com - prices, especially for the few toys that are there, are ridiculous

The one by my house is always busy.

[stephen_rockefeller]

The main reason for getting Legos at TRU may be getting the exclusive sets such as Barrel Escape, and the legendary polybags.

what legendary poly bags are you speaking of??

[emes]

I wouldn't call Canada an emerging market, but they've had a pretty good monopoly on toys up here for a while.

-Walmart sells toys both in store and online but their selection is sketchy and their online presence in Canada is downright putrid.

-Zellers, the other box store competition just recently went out of business and sold out to Target who've said they are keeping prices competitive (i.e. we're still getting shafted).

- Amazon.ca is nowhere near as good as Amazon.com - prices, especially for the few toys that are there, are ridiculous

The one by my house is always busy.

Yeah, I would agree with you that Canada is not an emerging market. Perhaps a better way to say it would be that TRU's future is mostly outside of the North American market. The bulk of Canada's population is also clustered close to the border with the US, which leads me to question how different this market really is compared to the US market.

Not looking to slam Canada, but I'll also point out that Canada's GDP is significantly less than the GDP of California, only slightly more than the GDP of Texas, and only slightly more than the GDP of New York. From this perspective, all of Canada is going to be about equivalent to one of the US states with a larger economy. The 10-K report shows interesting stats on this. In California alone TRU has 111 stores, whereas in all of Canada it has 97. In Japan TRU has 180 stores.

I would expect over time to see the number of stores outside of the North American market to increase, while the number of stores within North America will probably hold steady.

[Blackjack]

Just joking. They had the Mirkwood Elf Guard, free Thor polybag, and some other exclusives.

[dakotahorn]

I've had good experiences at the Southlake TRU as well. That's the closest one to me. The one on 75 can be iffy, and it's too close to a LEGO store to be worthwhile.

I thought the two-story one was on DNT? That one by the Galleria is decent, but still fairly close to two LEGO stores.

You're totally right, thats the one I was refering to. Also are you the one who cleared out B&****** in southlake? My wife literally went there earlier today and asked me if there were any LEGO sets she should keep an eye out for, only to text me when she got there that they had almost nothing.

[exciter1]

They can survive long enough for me to acquire an adequate supply of 6857!

Since they raised the prices a few more dollars over here, I'll be satisfied with the five I currently own.

[emes]

[Also are you the one who cleared out B&****** in southlake? My wife literally went there earlier today and asked me if there were any LEGO sets she should keep an eye out for, only to text me when she got there that they had almost nothing.

No, that one is Southlake has always had a weak selection. But, I'm now certain that you're the one who bought the two Republic Frigates at the B&****** at NE mall...you missed a couple of good deals, like some 4635 Fun With Vehicles that they had. Thanks for leaving some meat on the bone for me.

[dakotahorn]

No, that one is Southlake has always had a weak selection. But, I'm now certain that you're the one who bought the two Republic Frigates at the B&****** at NE mall...you missed a couple of good deals, like some 4635 Fun With Vehicles that they had. Thanks for leaving some meat on the bone for me.You are 100% correct sir. I also grabbed the Hoth set with the Wampa and cleaned em out of mandalorian and clone trooper bps. Sorry.

Finished by grabbing 2 more frigates on bogo at b&****** next to northpark in Dallas. Again, sorry.

[emes]

You are 100% correct sir. I also grabbed the Hoth set with the Wampa and cleaned em out of mandalorian and clone trooper bps. Sorry.

Finished by grabbing 2 more frigates on bogo at b&****** next to northpark in Dallas. Again, sorry.

No worries...got all that I needed at the B&****** at the Parks in Arlington and the one in Lewisville, which had about 6 of them. I already had enough of the Wampa set.

[dakotahorn]

Are there more down there? I assumed Stephen grabbed em up.

[stephen_rockefeller]

I havent bought anything from B&N in a long time....

[dakotahorn]

I havent bought anything from B&****** in a long time....

You got to work your area man lol.

Just for the record emes what parts of dfw do you circle through? I'm in Euless and work in Dallas so I only Stretch to Southlake/NE Mall and hit Dallas areas when I'm at lunch.

[emes]

Are there more down there? I assumed Stephen grabbed em up.

There are several more at the Lewisville store. I had enough.

[comicblast]

Wow...I am sort of glad there aren't that many serious Lego-ers in the Chicago area, now. It's like competing! Even in Chicago, with the multitude of people we have, usually, if something is 30% off, I can wait a little while for it to go on a steeper discount, and get it then.

[emes]

Just for the record emes what parts of dfw do you circle through? I'm in Euless and work in Dallas so I only Stretch to Southlake/NE Mall and hit Dallas areas when I'm at lunch.

My wife hits the whole area from Greenville to Weatherford, and from Waco to Denton on occasion. We don't hit every store every month, but we try to hit everything periodically.

Most of the stuff that I grab is while on the road because I travel all the time. At the moment I'm in San Jose, CA so I'm hitting as much as possible in this area in the evenings. The two LEGO stores out here were a huge disappointment, as well as the 4 TRUs I hit last night.

I did pick up 2 hot Playmobil sets for next to nothing at a B&****** out here last night, but other than makeup that's about all I've found out here on this trip. Those Playmobils will be a quick flip for about $20 profit each.

Back to TRU...I just wish TRU was more predictable. Sometimes I walk into a TRU and find something really good, like the 30+ Monster Fighters polybags I found a couple of months ago at the TRU in Waco, whereas other times I walk in and there's nothing worth a 2nd look....

[emes]

Wow...I am sort of glad there aren't that many serious Lego-ers in the Chicago area, now. It's like competing! Even in Chicago, with the multitude of people we have, usually, if something is 30% off, I can wait a little while for it to go on a steeper discount, and get it then.

I'll be there in about 3 weeks, so look out! It is one of the areas I hit a few times a year because I'm up there about once per quarter.

[TheDarkness]

Since they raised the prices a few more dollars over here, I'll be satisfied with the five I currently own.

It will still be a hell of a lot cheaper than what it costs over here :)