Toys"R"Us Safety Standards and Practices
Mission Statement
As the world's leading dedicated toy and baby products retailer, we understand the trust parents place in us to ensure the safety of the products we sell and to provide only the safest shopping environment for them and their families. We take that responsibility very seriously. One of the important parts of our mission as a company is to help parents keep their kids safe.
We fulfill this mission by working vigilantly on behalf of our customers to look for ways to raise the bar on product safety in our stores. We have put in place industry-leading product safety standards that meet and exceed federally mandated requirements. In addition, we provide the resources parents, grandparents and childcare providers need to ensure they have the most up-to-date information on product safety and recalls.
Beyond product safety, we strive to make available the necessary information and products to help parents and caregivers prevent accidental injuries – one of the leading causes of death in children under the age of 14. We do this by partnering with organizations like the Home Safety Council and Safe Kids Worldwide to develop tips and guides, and ensuring that our merchandise assortment includes products and equipment like bike helmets and elbow and knee pads.
At Toys"R"Us, Inc., we love kids and babies, and our commitment to their safety is non-negotiable. You can be sure that at every turn, we will continue to look for ways to fulfill our commitment to the safety of the families we serve.
Information About Toys"R"Us, Inc. Product Safety Standards
The safety of our customers is, and always has been, our highest priority. Last year, as lawmakers worked to finalize the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), we moved quickly and decisively to enhance our own industry-leading rigorous quality assurance standards to ensure that our standards would go above and beyond what is required by the CPSIA. We simply will not tolerate unsafe products on our store shelves. Failure by manufacturers to meet our safety requirements has consequences – up to and including termination of our business relationship.
Increased Quality Assurance Standards and Oversight
We have a very strict safety assurance program for all the products we carry. We require that any product we purchase complies with all applicable government and industry laws, codes and requirements. We have mandated that our manufacturers provide documentation of third-party testing of products shipped to Toys"R"Us, Inc. stores before they leave the country of origin for a variety of potential safety concerns including lead, small parts, sharp edges, flammability and other hazards.
Products sold only in Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores must meet the following safety standards:
- High level of third-party testing;
- All product samples submitted for testing must be selected by our third-party, certified laboratory;
- Date-coding must be provided on all products;
- Surface coatings shall not exceed 90 ppm for lead;
- Substrate materials shall not exceed 300 ppm for lead; and
- In order to provide additional oversight, the company will use lead-screening equipment as appropriate to conduct company auditing of all products at their point of origin and at various points in the supply chain.
Enhanced Crib Testing Standards
Because we want to ensure that our customers are able to provide their babies with a safe sleeping environment, we have strengthened our crib safety standards to include additional rigorous tests that go beyond federal regulations and voluntary safety standards for cribs.
In addition to meeting mandatory and voluntary safety standards, we notified our crib manufacturers that cribs received by the company’s third party testing facilities on or after October 1, 2008 must comply with the following strict new testing standards:
- Minimum specific gravity (a measure of wood density) of 0.40;
- All spindles must be inserted into the crib rails at a minimum depth of .50"
- Minimum slat cross-sectional area of 375 square mm for rectangular slats and a minimum diameter of 19 mm for round spindles;
- Minimum "slat integrity index" (cross-sectional area multiplied by specific gravity) of 150;
- Pass the Canadian top rail integrity test;
- Sustain no damage when tested to a modified version of the BS/EN716 slat integrity test, currently used in the UK;
- Slats must be constructed of wood types approved by Toys"R"Us, Inc.; and
- Slats must meet specific design and construction requirements and must be secured to the crib’s rail by a pin or nail.
Elimination of Drop-Side Cribs
In March 2009, crib manufacturers, consumer safety advocates, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Health Canada, and ASTM International, a product standards organization, met to discuss the possibility of changing voluntary production standards for cribs as part of ongoing efforts to improve the safety of cribs and other children’s products. These updated voluntary standards were officially published in December 2009 and, in essence, render that cribs commonly known as drop-side cribs no longer be manufactured.
As a company dedicated to the safety of children, Toys"R"Us, Inc. made the decision to stop placing orders for drop-side cribs in Spring 2009. As of January 1, 2010, we no longer carry drop-side cribs as part of our assortment.
Use of Phthalates and Reduction of Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Use
Toys"R"Us, Inc. mandated that by the end of 2008, juvenile products shipped to the company must be produced without the addition of phthalates which have raised concerns about infant safety.
And, as we move closer to our goal of offering PVC-free products, we have already begun replacing PVC in juvenile products manufactured exclusively for Toys"R"Us, Inc.
Elimination of Nickel-Cadmium Batteries from All Products Manufactured Exclusively for Toys"R"Us, Inc.
As of the end of 2008, all Toys"R"Us, Inc. private label items are produced without the use of nickel-cadmium batteries.
Elimination of Baby Feeding Products Containing Bisphenol-A
All of the bottles, feeding and nursing accessories available in our stores meet the standards set forth by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). As of January 1, 2009, all baby bottles and baby feeding products sold in "R"Us stores and through our websites are BPA-free.
While the FDA has not changed its position on the safety of products made with bisphenol-A (BPA), in light of growing consumer concerns on this topic, we worked with manufacturers to phase out all baby bottles and other baby feeding products containing BPA in our Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us stores nationwide.
Recall Process and Return Policy
When a recall takes place, we act with urgency to guarantee the safety of our customers. We follow strict and non-negotiable procedures that include immediately removing items from our sales floors, stockrooms, websites, and distribution centers. Each of the removed items must be properly accounted for in our systems and a stop-sale is issued on the product. This ensures that the item cannot be sold at the register, and that recalled items do not leave the distribution centers for stores.
We hold our store managers accountable for removing all recalled products from our store shelves immediately. They are also responsible for displaying recall posters on our Safety Boards and checking them daily. And, we post all recall information here on our Safety website in the "Product Recalls" section.
When a product is recalled, we believe the most important thing is to get that product out of children's hands. We have a "no quibble" policy when it comes to recalls. This means Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us will take back recalled products sold at a Toys"R"Us or Babies"R"Us store at any point during the recall period. No receipt or proof of purchase is necessary to return a recalled product to one of our stores. If you do not have a receipt, you will receive a store credit for the lowest sale price of the product within the last 30 days. There are some exceptions to this policy, so be sure to check with your local store for more details.
Other Actions by Toys"R"Us, Inc. on Product Safety
In addition to continuing to enhance our safety standards, we also make resources available for parents and caregivers to ensure they have the most up-to-date information on product recalls. Here on our Safety website – Toysrus.com/Safety – we house important information about product safety, as well as tips to help parents prevent accidental childhood injuries. We encourage you to visit this website often, which we continue to update with the most pertinent safety information. In addition, we have an email notification system for product recalls, offer bilingual recall notices, and we feature a Safety Board in all our stores that displays up-to-date recall information.
Providing a Safe Shopping Environment For Our Customers
To further ensure we fulfill our commitment to providing a safe shopping environment for our customers, we have adopted and implemented the following policies:
Video Games Policy
All video and computer games sold at Toys"R"Us stores carry ratings by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB). Toys"R"Us takes the issue of video game ratings very seriously, and as part of our responsibility to protect children and keep them safe, we instituted a company-wide policy in 1999 to prohibit the sale of "M" rated video games to anyone under the age of 17 unless accompanied by an adult. We also do not carry any "adults-only" merchandise.
We have the following practices in place to enforce this policy:
- "M" rated video games are locked up in our stores and require a store associate to access them for sale;
- Any customer who wishes to purchase a mature item, regardless of their perceived age, must show appropriate age identification prior to purchase;
- Our store cash registers have a prompt system that stops the transaction at the point of sale as soon as an "M" rated video game is scanned, reminding sales associates to check for I.D. before the sale can continue; and
- On www.Toysrus.com, we request age confirmation for "M" rated games before a sale can be completed.
To ensure compliance with the video game policy in our stores, we conduct random audits in our stores. Any store associate who violates this policy is subject to immediate disciplinary action, including termination.
In addition to these practices, we make information available in our stores and on www.Toysrus.com about what each of the video game ratings symbols signify to ensure our customers understand the ESRB ratings system. Our store associates are also well trained on these ratings so they may assist customers in finding games that are suitable for the intended audience.
Toy Guns
Recognizing our responsibility to providing a safe environment and safe products for our customers, we do not sell any toy gun that could be mistaken for a real gun. Toys"R"Us was the first retailer in the U.S. to adopt this policy, which has been in place since 1994.
Code Adam
As part of our commitment to providing a safe environment for our youngest customers, Toys"R"Us was one of the first retailers to adopt the "Code Adam" procedure when it was developed by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. In the event that a child is reported missing in one of our stores, the Code Adam procedure ensures that our store associates instantly mobilize to conduct a search and that the store can be secured to prevent the child from being taken by someone other than his or her parent or guardian.
All of our store associates are trained to perform the specific steps in the Code Adam procedure.
Our Standards to Protect the Safety of Our Employees
In addition to the steps we take to help parents keep their kids safe, we also have in place standards to maintain the safety and well-being of our employees. We take a very proactive approach to employee safety, which involves ongoing safety-related discussions and training with our employees. Additionally, we have created a code of ethics, which outlines standards of legal and ethical behavior to which anyone working on behalf of our company must adhere.
Business Code of Ethics
First and foremost, our business code of ethics requires that anyone working on behalf of our company, including contractors and service providers, comply with all laws and regulations in each country in which Toys"R"Us, Inc. operates, as well as with company procedures and policies. As such, contractors and service providers must adhere to the same policies as Toys"R"Us employees when it comes to the treatment of workers.
Contractors and service providers shall not utilize child or undocumented labor and shall comply with all federal and applicable local laws concerning age requirements, hours worked and wages earned.
In addition, contractors and service providers shall not harass, discriminate against or retaliate against any worker because of his or her race, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, personal characteristics or beliefs, or other category protected by federal, state or local law.
Compliance with all provisions of the code and participation in its monitoring program is mandatory for all contractors and service providers. We reserve the right to audit any contractor and/or service provider to ensure they are in compliance. Toys"R"Us, Inc. reserves the right to terminate its business relationship with any contractor or service provider that violates the law, the Toys"R"Us, Inc. code of business ethics, or any other applicable company policy, or who elects to not participate in our monitoring program.