3-year-old Santa Maria boy distraught over Toys ‘R’ Us closing

After more than 65 years in business, Toys “R” Us is calling it a day and riding into the sunset after it liquidates all of its approximately 800 U.S. stores starting in May, and one 3-year-old Santa Maria boy did not take the news well.

Three-year-old Emiliano Preciado’s mother says the boy saw a news report of Toys “R” Us going out of business and ran to his room to cry.

Monica Preciado, Emiliano’s mother, recorded video of her conversation with the boy. In it, she tries to ease the pain of Emiliano’s beloved store closing by telling him of other locations they can go to buy toys. You can watch that interaction in the video above.

In many ways, Emiliano embodies how many people, children and adults alike, feel about a staple of American retail shutting its doors for good after being in business since the 1950’s.

Toys “R” Us filed for bankruptcy in September 2017 and said it would close nearly 200 locations in January, but the toy retail giant had been struggling to attract the workers it needed, partly because it was paying wages at or near minimum wage in a competitive market. Chains such as Walmart, Costco, and T.J. Maxx increased their wages in order to attract and keep good employees.