Nintendo Boutique Opens At Toys'R'Us
Tourists stopping into the Times Square Toys'R'Us store will now find a new dedicated Nintendo department where they can sample Wii and DS games... and buy them, obviously. There's also trained "Nintendo experts" who can offer actual assistance, as opposed to employees from the Barbie department who are just filling in for someone in the videogame section. They've even got special Nintendo-branded uniforms so you can easily tell the difference from the useless ones! There's also a Nintendo gallery that showcases images from Nintendo's history of classic and current games.
"What we've been seeing all year long is the expansion of video game fun to people of both genders, and all ages and tastes--there's literally something for everyone," said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "But in recent weeks, Nintendo products appear to be appealing to even more people, as every form of fun is being measured against a price tag. And that's what makes this experience in Toys"R"Us so compelling--all the fun and information is available right at your fingertips."
Being a New York City resident, I'll have to check this out at some point. But not now. If you think I'm going anywhere near a Toys'R'Us a week before Christmas, your'e out of your mind. Especially not one in Times Square full of tourists! It's on the first level, and from the photo, I can tell it's the section of the store next to the exit that I think was primarily used for seasonal items or whatever new promotion they were doing. But this seems to be a permanent fixture. Oddly, it's right above the "R-Zone," which is Toys'R'Us' videogame department. Guess they couldn't make space next to that on the same floor?
I also don't really see the point of opening a special Nintendo boutique at the Times Square Toys'R'Us when the actual Nintendo World Store is just a handful of blocks away in Rockefeller Center. But I guess that's why I'm not in marketing.
Wootini
Posted to Video Games on 18 December 2008
· Comments (2)
Other stuff like this: boutique, nintendo, nyc, times square, toys r us
I was there on Tuesday, the store really wasn't terribly crowded (thanks to the economy, I suspect), and the lines weren't any worse than at the height of tourist season over the summer. If you can tolerate THAT, you can put up with this. That being said, yes, Nintendo World is just down the street, and you can pick up Animal Crossing plushies along with gaming goodness, so the choice is clear, no?
Ah I've become addicted to those stupid animal crossing plushies.
I'm gonna check this out next time in times square (which is, every day after work). Check out the Mii Plaza floor!