Toys R Us is going out of business, announcing that it will close all of its 800 stores around the country.
That will mean the loss of more than 30,000 jobs.
"All I know is that the stores have been empty. There's been nothing in there that you needed and the prices are ridiculous," a shopper at the Times Square store told WOR's Alice Stockton-Rossini.
Toys R Us has been facing increasing financial pressure in recent years, largely because of the growth of online shopping.
"It's sad. It's too bad. The end of an era. I certainly shopped for my kids there and it does bring back great memories," a shopper said.
Senator Chuck Schumer is urging the Federal Trade Commission to step in and allow customers to get cash back for unused gift cards.
“With the entire Toys R Us operation at risk of shutting its doors for good, I am urging the company to redeem outstanding gift cards for cash so they are not as worthless and unwanted as a lump of coal in a stocking,” Schumer said
The company will be in bankruptcy court on Thursday. It could be months before all the stores are closed.
Photo Credit: Alice Stockton-Rossini