Toys 'R' Us launches Cash for Clunkers, baby-style

[FarCenter]

Add cash for cribs to the stack of programs modeled after the government's car swap program.

Toys "R" Us is offering customers the chance to trade-in used cribs, car seats and other children's items in exchange for a store discount.

The three-week program begins Friday and ends Sept. 20. Customers will receive a 20% discount on selected items and there is no limit to the number of products to be turned in.

"The Great Trade-In" event was spurred by a lukewarm response to numerous high-profile recalls on baby products, the Los Angeles Times reports. Even though bargains abound for second-hand cribs, strollers and high chairs, the toy giant cautioned that evolving safety standards, missed safety recalls and the inability to know a product's true history can be a serious hazard for children.

<SNIP>http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2009/08/toys-r-us-launches-cash-for-clunkers-babystyle.html?csp=34

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CraigsList, Freecycle and other internet sites have made it much easier to find and acquire or sell/swap/gift used baby/toddler/kid paraphenalia among families. This reduces the costs of parenting, as well as recycles products for a longer life, saves resources, and reduces waste.

Has this trend become so threatening to Toys "R" Us and similar retailers that they have to "buy back" and destroy used products in order to sell new stuff?