SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Toys 'R' Us has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US and Canada as it attempts to restructure its debts.
The firm was once a dominant player in the US toy market, but has struggled against larger rivals such as Amazon.
The move casts a shadow over the future of the company's nearly 1,600 stores and 64,000 employees.
The firm's European operations are not part of the bankruptcy proceedings and Toys R Us says it does not expect any immediate impact on its UK stores.
Toys R Us's operations in Australia, about 255 licensed stores and a joint venture partnership in Asia are also not included in the bankruptcy move.
[...] The bankruptcy filing is more evidence that traditional retailers are struggling in the US, as online retailers continue to capture market share.
Amazon marches on, or we're just at 'Peak Toy'?
(Score: 3, Informative) by Grishnakh on Wednesday September 20 2017, @04:47PM (2 children)
The best place to get hand tools now is Harbor Freight. They're pretty inexpensive, the quality is pretty good now (a lot better than Crapsman), they're made in Taiwan (not China like Crapsman, Stanley, etc.), and they have a lifetime warranty. SnapOn has gone the way of Crapsman: the quality has gone down and they're riding on their name, with a ridiculous price tag. If you want tools that really are super-high-quality, forget the USA, you need to buy stuff made in Germany. But unless you're a professional relying on that tool every day, it's almost never worth the price; just get it at Harbor Freight.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Wednesday September 20 2017, @06:21PM (1 child)
Thanks for that info. Yes, I have a few (too few) awesome German and Swiss tools.
I've bought a few things at Harbor Freight. Trouble is, after going into a Harbor Freight or Walmart, I feel like I need a shower.
I forgot to mention Blackhawk tools as being good. I've always liked things that are well-made and last a very long time. I really hate having a tool break, strip, etc., in the middle of a major job- mine or for others. With cheap tools you'd better buy 2 for when you have your car apart and the tool breaks and you can't get to the store to buy another tool.
I'd rather see society putting $ (productivity, etc.) into better things like disease research, rather than wasting it on cheap crap that very soon goes into landfills.
Cheapness is a huge loss overall. In spite of what people think about today's high-tech, we're way way behind where we could have been if we had focused more on quality, building on what we've done and doing better, rather than cheaper. I know it's more of a social-psychological study- why so (too) many people choose short-term cheap rather than long-term quality.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Wednesday September 20 2017, @07:15PM
I really hate having a tool break, strip, etc., in the middle of a major job- mine or for others. With cheap tools you'd better buy 2 for when you have your car apart and the tool breaks and you can't get to the store to buy another tool.
I have a lot of tools, both really cheap stuff and some decent stuff (Craftsman back when they were made in the USA, 90s-era), and I've done a good amount of work on cars in the last couple decades (including one engine rebuild a while back), and honestly, there have been very few times I've had a problem with a tool like this. There was a crappy set of ratcheting straight wrenches from Costco where the open-end side fairly easily bends if the torque is too high, and I think I've broken one Craftsman (USA) socket and one Craftsman (USA) socket wrench. Maybe if you're working on a lot of old, rusted-out stuff you'd have more problems like this. Personally, when I encounter something that problematic, I get out my impact wrench, but I don't work on anything that's more than perhaps 2 decades old, and I don't live in the northeast.
I'd rather see society putting $ (productivity, etc.) into better things like disease research, rather than wasting it on cheap crap that very soon goes into landfills.
The people buying hand tools aren't spending money on disease research directly, though indirectly they may be through their high medical bills. The last thing they need to is be spending all their money on higher-quality stuff, so they can't afford to go to the doctor or get a procedure. If the cheap alternative costs 1/10 as much and won't break for 90% of the buyers, it's a net win for society.
And again, I really wonder what people are doing to break hand tools. I have a lot more trouble losing tools than breaking them; sockets are the biggest problem, despite my best attempts to religiously replace them in their holders when I'm done. And losing a cheap tool is a much better situation than losing one that cost a small fortune.