Cash for kiddie clunkers? Toys R Us offers trade-ins

Retailers keep going back to basics during the recession, sometimes in surprising ways. First, they brought back layaway, then the Christmas Club. And now a toy store is offering trade-ins.

Toys R Us announced Wednesday that it will take back used baby products between Aug. 28 and Sept. 20 in exchange for 20 percent off new ones. Like the federal government's "cash for clunkers" program, the "Great Trade-In," as the toy chain is calling it, will enable consumers to replace old, potentially dangerous items with safe, new ones at Toys R Us and Babies R Us stores.