The State of Play
Ask young American parents about Toys "R" Us and they are likely to be able to sing a jingle from their childhood: "I don't wanna grow up, 'cause maybe if I did, I couldn't be a Toys "R" Us kid". For children of the 1980s, Toys "R" Us was a mecca at the strip mall, an awe-inspiring array of dolls, trucks, board games, bikes, art supplies and much more. Many of them noticed when on September 18th, the chain filed for bankruptcy.
The company's tale in many ways typifies the ailments of American bricks-and-mortar retailing. Its woes began in the 1990s, as big-box stores grew both in number and in size. Walmart's vast selection meant parents could buy a toy in the same place where they picked up milk.
Then came e-commerce. Toys are particularly suitable for online shopping. Those of prime toy-buying age, parents with young children, are busy. Given the choice of buying a train set online or in a store, particularly when a toy shop can transform even the calmest child into an insatiable lunatic, many parents opt to buy online. Amazon makes that extraordinarily convenient. The result is that many former Toys "R" Us kids have no interest in being Toys "R" Us parents.
Like so many other retailers, Toys "R" Us is striving to build its business online. That has been bumpy work. In 2000, back when Amazon was still trying to move beyond selling books, Toys "R" Us joined with the e-commerce giant to manage online toy sales. Four years later it sued Amazon, arguing that the e-tailer had broken the terms of their agreement. In 2006 a judge agreed, but 11 years on that victory gives scant solace.
生词好句
mecca /ˈmɛkə/: n. 圣地；最向往的地方
strip mall /strɪp/: 美国特有的、平摊开来的大型购物群 (常常拥有大量停车位)
awe-inspiring /ˈɔːɪnspʌɪərɪŋ/: adj. 肃然起敬的
ailment /ˈeɪlm(ə)nt/: n. 小病
bricks-and-mortar: adj. 实体店的
woe /wəʊ/: n. 痛苦
big-box store: 大宗仓储店 (例如沃尔玛)
e-commerce: n. 电子商务
prime /prʌɪm/: adj. 顶峰时期的；时候正当的
insatiable /ɪnˈseɪʃəb(ə)l/: adj. 不满足的；贪得无厌的
bumpy /ˈbʌmpi/: adj. 坎坷的；坑坑洼洼的
e-tailer: n. 线上零售商
scant /skant/: adj. 稀少的
solace /ˈsɒlɪs/: n. 安慰
"There's definitely a role for online
stores, but they can't host events,
bring people together, and form
a personal relationship in the
way a bricks-and-mortar
store and its staff can."
Graeme C. Simsion, an Australian author
