While Toys R Us remained a staple for Canadian shoppers, the company went under in the United States in 2018. I often get baffled comments from American readers when I post about my own Toys R Us excursions. Well, to all my friends south of the border, this one is for you. Toys R Us is returning to the United States in Macy’s department stores. On top of that, they invited me to New York City for a preview! I checked out the Manhattan flagship store a day before it opened to the public. Consequently, I can now share a sneak peek into the Toys R Us at Macy’s in NYC. Watch the video below or read on for more!
The official Grand Opening of Toys R Us at Macy’s across the United States runs from October 15 – 23. However, stores have been popping up since July. Macy’s will open a Toys R Us in every store by October 15, in time for the 2022 Holiday Season. The size of the store-in-store set-ups varies from 1,000 – 10,000 square feet in most cases. Flagship stores look to be a little larger. The one I visited at Macy’s Herald Square occupies 14,000 square feet on the seventh floor of the department store. Other flagship stores are set to open in Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, San Francisco, and San Jose. For a full list of Toys R Us at Macy’s locations, visit their site.
Toys R Us at Macy’s grand opening events with freebies!
To celebrate the grand opening, various Macy’s locations will celebrate with themed days throughout October. The events feature giveaways, so you might want to swing by. For LEGO® enthusiasts, definitely mark down October 17 and 22! Here’s the full list of happenings:
- October 15: Barbie Day (with free activity sheets)
- October 16: Fisher-Price Day (with free Little People figurine)
- October 17: Geoffrey’s Birthday (with giveaways, including LEGO® goodie bags)
- October 18: National Geographic STEM Day
- October 19: Rainbow Loom Day (create your own bracelet)
- October 20: Play-Doh Day
- October 21: Pokémon Day
- October 22: LEGO® Day (with free LEGO® goodie bag)
- October 23: L.O.L. Surprise Day (with free trading card pack)
This flagship store was smaller than what we see in Canada. But I have no doubt that American consumers are happy with the return of the iconic brand. Of course, there was a full LEGO® section with a substantial footprint in the store. Naturally, I made that my first stop. The Macy’s team was giving out polybags to event attendees. I got the Birthday Clown (30565) in the LEGO® department, and later acquired the Parrot (30472) in my swag bag. I found the LEGO® selection to be what you would expect at any major department store. There was an assortment of fairly common sets. However, Toys R Us offered very little for the adult collector, carrying only a handful of 18+ Star Wars and Marvel sets. While AFOLs might find this disappointing, remember the target audience. Also, the store-in-store concept remains new. Who know what the future holds?
This is really a great experience for kids, but not much LEGO® for AFOLs.
Otherwise, a quick stroll around the store revealed everything you would hope to find in Toys R Us. Nerf, Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fischer Price, super heroes action figures, and games were all well represented and easy to find. Perhaps a marked difference between this store and Canadian counterparts was the experiential aspect. Toys R Us at Macy’s in New York was full of fun photo ops and play tables. I loved the giant LEGO® Lady Liberty and Schleich tiger. Geoffrey the Giraffe appeared in more than one local, as well as amazing displays for Hot Wheels and Spider-Man to name a couple. The store even has a ginormous Lite-Brite!
I also received a pretty neat swag bag from the event. Admittedly, I was secretly dreaming it would contain all of the 2022 Bricktober coin operated ride sets. Including the two available only in the Asian market. Sadly, that was not meant to be. However, as mentioned earlier, I did get another LEGO® polybag. I also acquired a Geoffrey Giraffe plush, some Play-Doh slime, some Fischer Price figurines, a National Geographic STEM kit, and the 2022 Holiday Barbie. A little something for everyone, and a pretty amazing gift bag for toy lovers. So, thanks to Toys R Us and Macy’s. Be sure to check out the YouTube video to see it all.
I got a loot bag!
While attending the grand opening of Toys R Us at Macy’s was the primary purpose of my visit to New York City, there’s more to come. I have plenty of other stops planned on this trip, and lots more content to share. You can already see teasers on Instagram and TikTok, so be sure to head over and check it out! Are you excited for the return of Toys R Us to the United States? Let us know in the comments below or reach out on social media.
Until next time,
-Tom
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