Being a young adult, I have clearly had my fair share of Toys R us visits. I remember vividly how excited I would get when my parents would surprise me with a visit there. I was so mesmerized by the colors and selections that I would just run down the isles like a crazy child. Strangely enough I had a different vibe with the one in times square. I walked in and was obviously captivated with the huge Ferris wheel but after a few laps around the store I noticed how people weren't really buying anything. I noticed how the majority of people in the store were either employees or adults. As I was walking around I noticed the product placement and how strategic they were. The Girl stuff was mainly in one section and the guy stuff was in another. They had bright pink walls next to Blue or black walls to guide people in the directions in which they were interested in. They even had huge life like figures such as T-Rex or a life-size barbie house to bring people in.
One thing I noticed was how many games and products were based off of T.V shows, or movies. You had transformers, Disney characters, Star wars and many more. I found this interesting because growing up I clearly had my favorite t.v shows and if there was ever a doll or game based off of it I had to have it. Its funny how much kids or adults fall in love with a show or character and go out and buy a game based off of it. This also takes place in the video game section where games are now based off of shows where you can play you're favorite character. Having all of these products that are from T.V shows and movies is some what of a domino effect for the entertainment industry. Someone makes the movie another makes the toys and its a win win for both because people will go out and buy the product.
another thing I found interesting was all the stations placed around the store with "How to" and an employee showing you how to use a certain product. I find this to be smart because some times you are skeptical about buying something not knowing if you will like it or not, so having people demonstrate it before hand is helpful and probably helps sales.
It is very true that there was a higher percentage of adult than children and it appeared as if the adults, the men in particular, became children again. While the women appeared to be shopping for toys, usually because they are taking it back to their country for their families, the men looked entertained by the toys.
ReplyDeleteI was also surprised by the man showing "how to" operate certain toys. After reading the article by Seiter, I thought that employees demonstrating how to operate certain toys would have been too "high end" for Toys R Us. The toy called "Lights Anywhere" was a perfect toy for demonstrations because by throwing lit up toys up in the air, I found it was attracting not only kids, but the adults as well. From standing up at the "R' cade" even I was intrigued.
ReplyDelete