Toys "R" Us Has A Website Again — But You Can't Buy Anything On It

You can’t keep a good giraffe down.

On Tuesday, the Toys R Us website was back online as part of the store’s relaunch. In an attempt to differentiate themselves from other retailers, the site is looking to be “heavily content-oriented,” Richard Barry, the CEO of Toys R Us’s parent company, told CNBC. That means that, on top of reviews, the site will cover trends and even provide activity suggestions for kids. The Toys R Us website sets itself apart in another unusual way: You can’t buy anything. Instead, shoppers will be routed to Target to then add the product to their cart there.

If you are visiting one of the two Toys R Us pop-ups this holiday season, you will also have the option to purchase any out-of-stock items online with the help of a store associate, according to a press release from Target. Like with the online experience, Target will also fulfill the order once it is placed in a Toys R Us store. The announcement comes as Target also looks to continue to increase its growing toy sales around the holiday season.

Target is just one in many partnerships Toys R Us has made during its much-heralded relaunch. The pop-ups are in partnership with b8ta, a retail company that focuses on interactive presentations as well as selling products. Additionally, Toys R Us will have two pop-ups with Candytopia, an interactive, Instagram-friendly experience with several locations in the U.S. In other words, it seems to be the Toys R Us brand, not actual services or products, that offer real power in 2019. In the case of Target, especially, it seems to be a chance to use a former toy giant to try to gain ground on Amazon. Given that Amazon is often cited as the reason for Toys R Us’s downfall, it seems like this could be a case of poetic justice under the Christmas tree if the gambit works out.

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