Toys R Us is today rolling out its huge nationwide videogame trade-in program, a new initiative that will allow customers to sell back all manner of games, including classic titles that retailers such as GameStop have long-since forgotten. If you want an idea of just what sort of games are acceptable, be aware that Toys R Us will accept Atari 2600 games. Yes, you read that correctly.
Trade-ins will be exchanged for gift cards that can be spent at any store or used online. To trade a title in, simply take your moisture-warped and dusty old crap to the "guest services desk" where the items will be scanned. If you accept the price, you get a gift card and that's that. Everyone's a winner.
This is seriously surprising news. Who'd have thought that Toys R Us, of all stores, would go all retro on us? Looks like it might be a nice store to check out if you're in need of some old obscurities.
WAYNE, N.J., Sept. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- To help customers find additional value
in their used video games, today Toys"R"Us introduced a video game trade-in
program at Toys"R"Us stores nationwide. Now, gamers who are ready to move onto
new challenges can exchange their used video game titles from almost any
system, including classics like Intellivision or the newest platforms, for a
Toys"R"Us gift card representing the value offered for the trade-in. Gift
cards can be immediately used on any product available in Toys"R"Us and
Babies"R"Us stores or online at Toysrus.com.
Customers can participate in the video game trade-in program at Toys"R"Us
stores in the United States as follows:
-- Used video games in their original cases, with the original case
artwork
may be brought to a Toys"R"Us Guest Services desk.
-- Games will then be scanned and prices will be offered for individual
titles.
-- Gamers confirm that they want to accept the offer to exchange any, or
all, of the games they brought to the store.
-- Once the transaction is complete, customers receive an activated gift
card equal to the total worth of all games traded.
-- Immediately upon receiving the gift card, customers can purchase any
product from iPods and toys to candy and diapers at any
Toys"R"Us or Babies"R"Us location or online at
Toysrus.com.
"The video game trade-in program is another way we're providing customers with
additional value when they visit our stores," said Bill Lee, Vice President,
Divisional Merchandise Manager, Toys"R"Us, U.S. "This program is designed to
make the exchange process completely hassle-free for customers by accepting
games from even the oldest systems, including the original Atari 2600 and
32-bit Sega Genesis."
Beyond helping customers trade games from current systems such as the Wii,
Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable, Toys"R"Us
stores will accept games from almost every gaming system imaginable. Games
from systems such as the Atari 2600, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Xbox,
Nintendo Game Boy, Nintendo 64, Nintendo NES, Intellivision, Sega Genesis can
be exchanged.
The new video game trade-in program builds on the company's growing strength
in the juvenile electronics marketplace. In recent years, Toys"R"Us has added
electronic devices and services that kids crave to its product offerings,
including Apple's iPod, digital cameras for toddlers and netbooks.
Additionally, Toys"R"Us stores offer a large assortment of licensed
electronics, including TVs, radios and karaoke machines featuring images of
classic and new characters such as Disney/Pixar Cars, Hannah Montana,
Barbie((R)), TRANSFORMERS and more.
Contest:
10:05 AM on 09.10.2009
| 
I want more stores selling old stuff, please.
make the exchange process completely hassle-free for customers by accepting
games from even the oldest systems, including the original Atari 2600 and
32-bit Sega Genesis."
wat.
I'll keep an eye on this. Hopefully they'll stock adult titles too, as odd as that may seem, from a toy shop.
This is awesome news. I wish the best of luck to them though, because I don't really see it being very successful.
If they take the retro games for pennies and then toss 'em...sad.