Business Insider/Jessica Tyler
- Toys R Us' liquidation sales were scheduled to start on Thursday.
- Customers turned up to shop the sales at its stores, only to find that they had been delayed.
- Toys R Us has not yet confirmed when the rescheduled sales will start.
If you're on your way to shop the Toys R Us clearance sale, turn around.
The iconic toy store and its sister company, Babies R Us, were supposed to begin their big going-out-of-business sales on Thursday. Eager shoppers showed up at many of its stores early in the morning, only to find out the sales had been delayed.
Signs were posted in store windows to alert customers. One read: "Attention customers, liquidation sale has been delayed. We are waiting for the final approval."
Toys R Us is planning to close or sell all 735 of its US stores as part of its liquidation process.
Customers are now posting on social media that they're furious they were given no prior warning.
Toys R Us told Business Insider that the sales had been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances and that they could begin Friday instead. It has not been confirmed whether they will indeed begin on Friday.
A shop assistant in one Greenville, South Carolina store that was scheduled to begin sales on Thursday told Business Insider that he was not sure whether the sale would start Friday and are still waiting to hear more from management.
The delays could likely be due to a backlash from vendors who have objected to Toys R Us' plan to liquidate its US business. Many of them are in limbo, not knowing whether Toys R Us will pay them for merchandise that's stuck on ships and trucks.
More than 50 suppliers, including Barbie maker Mattel and Lego, have objected to Toys R Us' plan in some form. Several are demanding that the company return unpaid inventory rather than selling it at discounted prices.
In January, the company announced plans to close 170 Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores. Those stores, including one we visited in Yonkers, New York, have already started going-out-of-business clearance sales.
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See Also:
- Toys R Us stores are slashing prices on Apple products as the toy giant prepares to shutter or sell all 735 locations across the US
- Toys R Us fans are mourning the death of the store — take a look back at what it was like in its heyday
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