If you see a huge giraffe wandering the streets glassy-eyed and trying to sell you a copy of The Big Issue, it’s because 44 Toys R Us stores (read: all of them) across Australia will be closing down over the next few weeks.

700 people will be put out of work; administrators McGrathNicol said that “all potential buyers had pulled out and the business will be wound down.”

The online ordering system will be shut down this Friday, and lay-bys and existing gift cards will be honoured until July 5.

It’s the end of an era, with the launch of Amazon Prime this week furthering the sense that the world has moved on somewhat from these huge retail chains.

Geoffrey isn’t taking it well

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