ONLINE RESELLING
The first and most obvious group that can benefit from the Toys-R-Us closure is online resellers. Even though a decline in the number of people having children has been blamed (in part) for the company’s demise, toys and baby items still fair pretty well in the e-commerce realm. Some reports on the subject state that new parents can pay in upwards of $2,000 to create the perfect space for their new arrival. Using this sell-off to put together a “nursery in a box” type bundle could be a good move. Now would also be a good time to snag the hottest toys and games for summer to resell online.
PARTY PLANNING
If you take a look on Pinterest, kid’s parties and baby showers have become major productions. This closure can provide party planners the opportunity to pick up those larger, more expensive themed/character specific decor pieces at a heavily discounted price. For those planners who are just starting out, you won’t have to wait for someone to book your first princess baby shower to have pictures of your work available. You can now mock up examples of what you can provide a potential client for their event space.
BABY SITTING/CHILDCARE
It might be a little outside of the box, but, babysitters and childcare providers could benefit from this closure as well. People used to sleep on the money making potential of being a baby sitter after graduating high school. Now there are whole web sites dedicated to finding the perfect care giver for little Timmy. If you advertise your services on these sites, this is the time rack up on more educational and skill developing type toys so you can boast in your profile that you actually engage with their children instead of just sitting them in front of a television or video game.
FUND RAISERS
One of the most popular methods of fund raising is a good fashioned raffle. With summer vastly approaching, now is the time to go to Toys R Us and put together a “Summer Fun Time” basket to raffle off. You can cop items like water guns, water balloons, side walk chalk, jump ropes, and others for real cheap. The raffle can even consist a “Family Fun” or “Rainy Day” pack that includes card games, dominoes, and board games. *SIDE NOTE* Some stores may let you use the manufacturer’s coupons on some of the board games in conjunction with the sale price.
BLOGGERS
Do you want to boost your email opt-ins with a giveaway, but haven’t landed a sponsored post yet? If your blog topic lends itself to the types of items sold at Toys R Us, you can score some inexpensive things to bundle and offer as a potential prize for a weekly or monthly drawing in exchange for e-mails addresses. People in the above mentioned niches who use blogs to add value for their business can raffle off bundles/baskets the same way.