The manufacturer and marketer behind Bratz dolls and the toy LOL Surprise has spurred a campaign to save Toys R Us, and so far investors are pledging $200 million.
Billionaire Isaac Larian is also the marketer who has made the above-mentioned toys a success. In an interview with USA Today,Larian said He and the other investors are seeking to raise another $800 million in order to make a $1 billion bid to acquire the bankrupt Toys R Us.
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to crowdfund this investment idea. People who pledge between %50-$99 will get a special edition Num Noms toy.
Bigger pledges get donors bigger special edition toys, USA Today reports.
Some Toys R Us stores have posted paper signs on their doors saying liquidation sales, which were supposed to begin today, have been delayed. Company lawyers told US Bankruptcy court on Tuesday that it planned to start sales this Thursday.
How big are the discounts?
In the first week, they may not be great. John Matarese, of DontWasteYourMoney.com and WCPO television station in Cincinnati, says he found signs saying "up to 40% off," but most items had much less of a discount than 40% off. Ten percent or 20 percent off was more the norm in the first few days, and 10% percent off may not be any great deal.\
More Q&A with Matarese:
2. Will they discount recent sales prices? No, as with any liquidation sale, discounts are off full list price. Because of that, our check found that Lego sets and video games like Call of Duty were no cheaper than the same items at Walmart, despite the 20% markdown.
3. Is everything on markdown? They may be this time. However, among stores that started liquidating in February, diapers, baby wipes, and formula were not on sale. That may change, as stores need to clear out everything this time.
4. How do you know if the item is a deal? You may want to use a price comparison app like RedLaser,where you scan the bar code of the toy you are thinking of buying, to see if it is cheaper elsewhere. Or simply look up the item on Amazonor Walmart.com.
5. Will they honor gift cards? Yes, until April 15th, according to the store. But you may want to use them in the next week, because pickings will get slimmer and slimmer as the days go on.
6. What if something is broken or missing? You will be stuck. All sales are final.
7. What about the Babies R Us gift registry? That will stay open until the stores close, but parents of newborns may want to start a new registry somewhere else.
8. Is Babies R Us really closing? For now, yes. Babies R Us may stay open IF a buyer steps forward. Rumors have Amazon buying some Babies R Us and top performing Toys R Us stores, but nothing is confirmed yet.
9. When will you find the best deals? Typically a week after the sale starts, when most items remaining drop to 50% off. But you won't find the hottest toys (Playstations, Apple products, American Girl dolls, etc) after the first few days.
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