Toys-R-Us[tm] Boycott

When this whole thing first started, I obviously had reason to personally boycott the stores of the giraffely one.

When I got fed up with Absurd-Demands-R-Them[tm]'s obnoxious tactics, I took the case to the Internet, and many others decided to boycott.

Now that TRU[tm] has decided to attack the very foundations of the Internet by attempting to clandestinely subvert ISPs through intimidation (albeit carefully, as they somehow realized the ISP they were dealing with was run by extremely well-known people), we are all involved. TRU[tm] is now a ``clear and present danger'' to everyone on the Internet as well as anyone smaller than them who does something not approved on what seems to be their legal staff's little list of bureaucratic notes.

Therefore I recommend a world-wide boycott until Toyz-N-the-Hoodz[tm] ceases its campaign against the Internet and against The Little Guy.

Please let us know (we promise to tell TRU[tm]). Or call/fax/write them and tell them directly. Please send us a copy of all correspondence if you contact them directly.

This is a hard decision for me, as I know that the majority of the people with TRU[tm] are innocent in this matter. Please do not harass the stores or their personnel over this issue; if you do talk to anyone at a non-HQ level, explain what the problem is and ask them to pressure the people at the top.

Not a Complete Boycott?

Maybe No...

If you have coupons for free toys, or accumulated Geoffrey Bucks[tm?], by all means use them. Go to a nearby Toys-R-Us[tm] and get your free toys. The moment you have legal possession (ie, they have the coupon or GB, and you have the toy[s] and receipt), ask to see the manager. Explain that you aren't spending money there, and why. Politely, please - these are just People-Like-Us[tm], trying to make a living. Explain to them that the world-wide boycott will be over the day their HQ calls off its dogs, publicly apologizes for its behavior (including admitting its errors), and promises not to engage in such behavior again.

Thanks to Steven Weintraub (and, indirectly, Arlo Guthrie) for this idea!

And Maybe Yes...

Rick Burt disagrees with that last idea. His comments?

``Going in, demanding to see the manager, greeting manager, crumpling paper into manager's hand and saying that you don't even want his freebies will give a much more dramatic flair to the proceedings. Psychologically, what do retailers fear the most? That people will stop buying their products. And when you tell them, in person, that their store can't even give their stuff away, well, the implications resound.''

I have to admit, he makes a compelling case!

Never Again!

Jack-booted thugs grow up to be jack-booted storm troopers. A company can never be the latter, but can help create the environment for the latter to flourish. Personally, I don't want to have to deal with either.

Stop The Silliness Now.

Alternative Shopping

We did all our shopping for Esther's 11th birthday and Josiah's 9th birthday without setting foot in a Toys-R-Us[TM]. We got pretty much everything we wanted, and saved money to boot. I don't recall where we shopped for Esther, but we got all Josiah's stuff at a Wal-Mart SuperCenter. Yahoo has a list of online toy stores.

All trademarks not owned by Toys-R-Us[tm] or other trademark holders are trademarks of Miles O'Neal, and anyone, anywhere, has permission to use them anytime, for any purpose, at no cost.

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Last updated: 25 October 2001

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Copyright 1995-2001 Roadkills-R-Us, Austin, TX. All rights preserved, jellied, or jammed. All giraffe images based on an image courtesy of Philip Greenspun. Gratefully used with permission. Roadkills-R-Us and RRU are trademarks of Miles O'Neal <meo@rru.com>. Web space provided by Net Ads.