INSIDE EDITION reports on renting toys for the holidays at a fraction of the price of buying them. The catch is, they have to be returned a month later.
It's the reaction every parent hopes to inspire on Christmas morning.
The more brightly-wrapped packages under the tree, the greater the glee. But during these tough economic times, how can parents on a budget manage to stack up the gifts? This year parents can actually rent toys.
The website toygaroo.com offers some of the best toys out there for a fraction of what they would cost in stores.
INSIDE EDITION chose the Fisher Price walker to wagon, the Chicco remote control Ducati, the Plan Toyz Build-n-Spin, and the Haba Fantasy Blocks. Retail price: $180. Rental price: $24.99 a month for all four toys.
The rent-a-toy concept got big laughs on Saturday Night Live when Seth Meyers said, "A Netflix-style system allows parents to rent toys for their children and send them back for new ones. It's all part of an effort make the movie Contagion come true."
If parents are really worried about germs, INSIDE EDITION saw toys being thoroughly disinfected before being shipped out.
But what happens when it's time to return the toys at the end of the month-long rental agreement? The truth is, as all parents know, kids tire of most toys within a few weeks and would be thrilled to get a shipment of new toys to play with. And if they absolutely can't part with a certain toy, parents can buy it from the site for a reduced price.
One Los Angeles mom rents toys for her 2-year-old daughter, Tallulah.
"It's incredible because we're recycling. We're not buying new toys that nobody needs that we're going to get sick of so soon," said Talllulah's mom.
And in this economically tight holiday season, what parent could argue with that?
