With Many Recalled and Outdated Baby Products Still in Circulation, “Great Trade-In” Event Returns to Babies“R”Us® and Toys“R”Us Stores Nationwide from Friday, January 24 through Monday, February 17 to Provide Consumers New Opportunity to Remove These Items from Homes, Garages and Attics
Wayne, NJ, US, 2014-1-22 — /EPR Retail News/ — Toys“R”Us® today announced that its “Great Trade-In” event has resulted in the removal of more than one million pieces of used and potentially unsafe cribs, car seats and more from homes, garages and attics nationwide since the program’s inception in 2009. The company is also issuing a new call to action for customers to rid their homes of potentially unsafe old and second-hand baby products and exchange them for savings on a new item during its ninth “Great Trade-In” event, which begins Friday, January 24 and continues through Monday, February 17 in Babies“R”Us® and Toys“R”Us stores.
This national safety program serves to draw attention to certain used baby products that can carry potential hazards, but are still in circulation, making them poor candidates to be handed down or resold. Some items traded in over the past four years were missing parts or were damaged, while others that were decades old showed obvious signs of wear and tear. Further, many safety standards have changed significantly over the past five years, and many older products be considered non-compliant by today’s more stringent requirements.
“At Toys“R”Us, one of our most important missions as a company is to help parents keep their children safe, and we are so proud that the ‘Great Trade-In’ event has helped parents remove more than one million potentially unsafe products from the marketplace,” said Hank Mullany, President, Toys“R”Us, U.S. “We know that the work is far from done, and we’re pleased to once again host this program in our stores nationwide to encourage parents to bring back their outdated baby gear in exchange for new items that meet today’s more stringent product standards.”
During the Great Trade-In event, stores will accept any used cribs, car seats, bassinets, strollers, travel systems, play yards, high chairs, toddler/twin beds, swings, walkers, bouncers and entertainers in exchange for a 25% savings on the purchase of a new baby item, in any of these product categories. Through this program, Toys“R”Us continues to raise awareness among parents about ways to be proactive where children’s safety is concerned.
Product safety advocate organizations like Kids In Danger recommend not purchasing used items that have a history of safety problems, including cribs, play yards and bassinets. Items in these specific categories may have been recalled or older products may not meet recent updates to mandatory or voluntary standards for products in these categories. And, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says newer is safer when it comes to juvenile products.
Customers may exchange any number of used items, from any manufacturer, in the specified product categories. Day care centers or other organizations who wish to exchange items in bulk are encouraged to contact their local Babies“R”Us or Toys“R”Us store prior to returning their used items to ensure adequate availability of new merchandise.
One of the most anticipated events of the year by Babies“R”Us customers nationwide, participants are invited to join in the conversation on social media using #BRUGreatTradeIn.
Additional Safety Resources for Parents and Caregivers
In addition to the “Great Trade-In” event, Toys“R”Us offers the following resources to help parents and caregivers keep their children safe:
- Toysrus.com/Safety, the company’s dedicated Safety website, features information on the company’s industry-leading safety standards for products sold through its stores and websites, seasonal tips for preventing accidental injury and product recall information.
- Recall notifications sent via e-mail by signing up through Toysrus.com/Safety, which approximately 400,000 customers have done since the feature was made available.
- Current recall information is posted on easily-visible Safety boards at each store location.
- Tools and resources for parents to keep track of the products in use in their homes with a Product Record List and Eight Steps to Keep Kids Safe checklist is available online at Toysrus.com/Safety and in-stores upon request. These tools are designed to make relevant product information readily available in the event of a recall so parents and caregivers can act quickly to remove unsafe products from use.
For more information on the “Great Trade-In” event, customers can visit Babiesrus.com/trade-in.
About Toys“R”Us, Inc.
Toys“R”Us, Inc. is the world’s leading dedicated toy and juvenile products retailer, offering a differentiated shopping experience through its family of brands. Merchandise is sold in 879 Toys“R”Us and Babies“R”Us stores in the United States and Puerto Rico, and in more than 705 international stores and over 180 licensed stores in 35 countries and jurisdictions. In addition, it exclusively operates the legendary FAO Schwarz brand and sells extraordinary toys in the brand’s flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. With its strong portfolio of e-commerce sites including Toysrus.com, Babiesrus.com, eToys.com and FAO.com, it provides shoppers with a broad online selection of distinctive toy and baby products. Headquartered in Wayne, NJ, Toys“R”Us, Inc. employs approximately 70,000 associates annually worldwide. The company is committed to serving its communities as a caring and reputable neighbor through programs dedicated to keeping kids safe and helping them in times of need. Additional information about Toys“R”Us, Inc. can be found on Toysrusinc.com. Follow Toys“R”Us, Babies“R”Us and FAO Schwarz on Facebook at Facebook.com/Toysrus, Facebook.com/Babiesrus and Facebook.com/FAO and on Twitter at Twitter.com/Toysrus and Twitter.com/Babiesrus.
Media Contacts:
Toys“R”Us, Inc.
Katie Regner
973-617-4381
Katie.Regner@toysrus.com
Jennifer Albano
973-617-5632
Jennifer.Albano@toysrus.com