The filings in bankruptcy cases, especially large and complex ones, tend to be long and not terribly exciting reading. You can find important bits of information like store closing lists and gift card policies, but what one doesn’t expect to find among thousands of pages of legal forms is a handwritten letter from a child defending a chain retailer with 866 stores.
Then again, most bankruptcies don’t involve toy stores. That’s why a letter to the bankruptcy judge from a concerned consumer known only as “Andrew” got its own entry on the Toys ‘R’ Us docket.
Here’s a transcript of the letter, with light corrections of spelling and capitalization.
Dear Judge Phillips,
My name is Andrew [Redacted]. I’m 9 years old. Toys R Us closing will be bad for kids. These are the reasons why:
1. Kids like that there is a store just for them.
2. Kids would rather be promised a trip to Toys R Us than any other store.
3. Kids can run through the aisles at Toys R Us and find stuff they like but in any other store there won’t just be toys. Kids might not have a device to see online stores or it’s easier to browse in a real store than online.
Please don’t let Toys R Us close it will make kids very unhappy.
From,
Andrew [Redacted]
This isn’t the end
This is an inspiring letter for anyone who questions the future of brick and mortar retail, though it would be interesting to catch up with Andrew in 2029 or so and find out what he thinks about buying things online rather than in a store.
Andrew had the same initial reaction that many adults did when hearing about the bankruptcy filing of Toys ‘R’ Us, and assumed that “bankruptcy” means “closing its doors forever.” That isn’t necessarily the case, but the letter serves as a nice break in a pile of bankruptcy documents that has already included an old advertising jingle.
The retailer may close some stores, or combine Toys ‘R’ Us and Babies ‘R’ Us stores, but as far as we know, plans to stay in business. Also, don’t run in the aisles of a store, Andrew.
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