Toys "R" Us

Episode 1 July 10, 2023 01:01:52
Toys "R" Us
Busted Business Bureau
Toys "R" Us

Jul 10 2023 | 01:01:52

/

Hosted By

Christian Borkey

Show Notes

My friend who loves a shot and a beer, Karsten Runquist, joins me for this exploratory episode about the ins and outs of the United States' beloved decrepit children's toy retail store, Toys R Us! Let's get jiggy with some brankruptcy docey-do's, George HW Bush's infamous trip to Japan, giraffe sized coffins, and the lush world of private equity! This episode took much longer to research than is likely evident from the podcast because what on God's green earth is a motherfvcking "Leveraged Buyout?" Is mayonnaise a debt instrument? Anyways, huge thanks to Investopedia dot com for your articles that require 3 other articles to understand, like a Matryoshka doll of finance jargon. 

Karsten and I hosted a Succession recap podcast called Succ Off: A Succession Podcast which is on, like, all streaming services I assume. You can also follow him on Youtube, Instagram, and Twitter at either @KarstenRunquist or @RunquistKarsten. Yay!

SOURCES:

  1. Charles P. Lazarus, Toys R Us Founder, Dies at 94. Michael Corkery. New York Times. March 2018. 
  2. COMPANY NEWS; Toys 'R' Us Opens Doors in Japan. James Sterngold. New York Times. Dec 1991
  3. Plunder. Brandon Ballou. May 2023
  4. These are the Plunderers. Gretchen Morgensen and Joshua Rosner. April 2023. 
  5. The Real Toy Story: Inside the Ruthless Battle for America's Youngest Consumers. Eric Clark. January 2007
  6. Lessons Learned From the Downfall of Toys 'R' Us, Tara Lachapelle, Bloomberg, March 2018

NOTE: The Plunder-ey books I’ve linked to the website where I get them with tenuous legality. I currently have a free trial on this website and it has been 1000% worth it. Considering getting a subscription and canceling my Scribd subscription, which is becoming less and less useful. 

Other Episodes

Episode 1

July 03, 2023 01:08:35
Episode Cover

Abbott Laboratories

HIEEEEE!!!!! I'm back! My third-string comedian, first-string friend Kate joins me to talk about a company that has gotten away with evils that take...

Listen

Episode 11

April 04, 2022 00:24:43
Episode Cover

BONUS EPISODE: The Men's Rights Lawyer Who Makes a Killing off a Technicality

Chicago improv's biggest hater KP returns to talk about men's rights (and men's wrongs). This men's rights lawyer has unleashed himself upon California to...

Listen

Episode 4

September 15, 2022 01:09:31
Episode Cover

Monsanto 4: The Roundup Episode

This is the birth of Modern Monsanto, and it takes quite a turn from the previous episodes. Instead of talking about the diseases and...

Listen