Toys R Us to let online customers pay in stores

NEW YORK (AP) — See a hot toy online, but don't like using your credit card on Web purchases? Or prefer cash? Toys R Us is offering customers the option of paying in stores for online orders, its latest effort to beef up services for customers ahead of the busy holiday season.

It's part of a broader ramp-up at Toys R Us for the holidays, a crucial time of year for retailers. Toy sellers can make up to 40 percent of their annual sales during the last three months of the year. Toys R Us, the largest toy-focused retailer in the U.S., has also started offering a price-matching guarantee on toys, a free layaway program and a "hot toy" reservation system.

The "Pay in Store" will be one payment option online. A customer can then bring in the confirmation email to a store — within 48 hours — and pay. If the customer doesn't pay in two days, the order is canceled.

The order will be shipped to the customer's home. It won't be available for store pickup.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the country's largest toy seller, rolled out a similar offer in April. It was the first major retailer to offer shoppers a way to purchase online without a bank account or payment card.