Products for babies such as cribs and car seats are among the most likely to be handed down after use. Unfortunately, these same items are also high on the list of items that are somehow damaged or otherwise unsafe for use and the Toys 'R' Us chain is looking to take them off the market with a clunker-like program that offers consumers a 20 percent discount on any new product in these categories (from selected manufacturers) when the old item is traded in.
"In today's economy, we are all looking for ways to stretch our dollars, but in doing so, children's safety should not be compromised," said Jerry Storch, chairman and CEO of Toys 'R' Us, in a press release. "We hope this program will help raise awareness of the importance of being vigilant about potentially unsafe children's items that may still be in the marketplace, while encouraging customers to use the ‘Great Trade-In' event as an opportunity to remove used baby products, such as cribs and car seats, from their garages and attics."
The chain is hoping that it will succeed in taking dangerous products out-of-use with this new program. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued 563 product recalls last year and 472 in 2007.
Despite this, only about 30 percent of recalled items are ever turned in, according to the children's safety advocacy group Kids in Danger.
"People just don't learn about recalls through the messages that we've been using to date," Nancy Cowles, the group's executive director, told The Wall Street Journal.
Scott Wolfson, a spokesperson for the CPSC, told the Los Angeles Times, "We have said for decades at this agency that we do a very good job of getting dangerous and recalled products off of store shelves. Our greatest challenge is always getting those products out of people's homes and out of circulation."
The Toys "R" Us "Great Trade-In" event will run from Aug. 28 to Sept. 20.
Discussion Questions: Will the Toys 'R' Us "Great Trade-In" event succeed in getting dangerous products out of homes and drive new product sales for the chain? Do you see similar programs working for other retail product categories?