The colossal failure in children’s retailing known as WONDER! just made headlines again. The should’ve-been-awesome but totally mismanaged and underfunded superstore in Deerfield, Illinois was the subject of a lengthy feature here on The Rock Father, but abruptly closed without warning just eight days later. Now, after sitting dormant for the past three months, the store is holding a ‘Final Liquidation’ starting tomorrow, May 29th and ending June 2nd. Sadly, even the liquidation sounds shifty.
In a note aquired by Little Lake County (hat tip to the ladies over there) and Globest (nod to them as well), the sale is staffed by a third party (common for such sales), but is “CASH AND CARRY,” meaning no credit cards, debit cards, etc. will be accepted. Cash or check only means that you’ll have to be carrying some fat stacks to get your hands on some of the high-ticket goods, which even at 50% off will still be pricey. Their loss can be your gain, but don’t worry – the suits that caused the damage are probably doing just fine while their former employees struggle to pay their bills, contractors sue for payment, and vendors hit comment sections of websites alleging non-payment from the get-go. And those people that bought expensive play area memberships and booked parties? Unless I hear otherwise, I can only assume that they’ll be awaiting refunds forever – a point noted in the final line of the press release below:
250 S. Waukegan Road, Deerfield
* Please note, the sale is being staffed by associates hired by a third party. They will be unable to refund or credit any membership fees or payments previously made to WONDER! “
