Toy store
A toy store or toy shop is a type of retail business specializing in selling toys.
History
The first toy store was founded in 1760 by
Notable examples
- Guinness Book of Recordsas the world's oldest toy shop
- Toys "R" Us, international company now Tru Kids
- FAO Schwarz, famous American brand and store
- The LEGO Store, official store for Legos
- Build-A-Bear Workshop has the concept of making your own stuffed toy
- Learning Express Toys, franchise of specialty toys
- Smyths Toys Superstores
- Ri Happy, Brazilian toy store
Economics
Today, toy stores face competition from the online toy market. As a result, many large toy retailers have been rendered bankrupt. These competing websites include Amazon or eBay. Toys "R" Us cut prices in an attempt to compete, but it ultimately ended in failure.[4] As Jeff P. Bezos explained, "For a toy store to survive, they've got to create the kind of fun that Amazon can't." Toy Stores that adopt this model by increasing in-store interactivity have been more successful in maintaining business. Another model many stores have adopted is an online alternative, specifically for the individual retailer.[6]
Controversies
There can be a large gender bias for the marketing of certain products. This includes using color to market products to a certain gender, or only showing one gender to market to that specific demographic. On the U.S. Disney Store website, the toys for boys are predominantly red, black, brown, or grey, while the toys for girls are mostly pink or purple. However, the toys meant for both boys and girls were mostly of the same color palette as the toys for boys.[7]
References
- ^ Peter Matthews, Michelle Dunkley McCarthy (1994). The Guinness Book of Records 1994. Facts on File. p. 134.
- ^ "The history of Hamleys". 2010-02-11. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- ^ a b Howland, Daphne. "FAO Schwarz returns to New York". Retail Dive. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- ^ a b Blakemore, Erin. "Inside the Rise and Fall of Toys 'R' Us". HISTORY. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- ^ "Historia" (in Finnish). Leluliike Casagrande. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
- ^ "Why neighborhood toy stores are thriving while Toys R Us goes bankrupt". Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-03-25.
- S2CID 143551702.
External links
- Inside Toyland: Working, Shopping, and Social Inequality, by Christine L. Williams, University of California Press, 2008.