Toys”R”Us, Inc., has raised the curtain on its plans for the 2012 Christmas season at a special preview event in New York City, laying out some of the key strategic initiatives it will employ to win with consumers during the important shopping months ahead. Asking “Why shop anywhere else for toys? Why?” the company detailed its  customer advantages heading into the holiday season, which include a brand-new Hot Toy Reservation program, along with the previously announced Free Layawayand new additions to its omnichannel capabilities.

At the event, Chairman and CEO Jerry Storch highlighted for retail industry reporters how the company will demonstrate to consumers why Toys”R”Us is, more than ever, the go-to destination for holiday toy-buying this year. He also announced the first-ever Hot Toy Reservation program, a complimentary service that will enable customers to reserve the hottest toys of the holiday season, putting an end to frantic searching in the days leading up to Christmas. The service will be available for the 50 items on the company’s much-anticipated annual Holiday Hot Toy List–the official guide to Christmas toy-buying. Hot Toy Reservation will begin when the list is revealed and will continue through Halloween in all Toys”R”Us stores nationwide.The free service will be available in Toys”R”Us stores nationwide and all 50 hot toys–whether the items are in-stock at a local store or not–will be eligible for reservation.

To take advantage of Hot Toy Reservation, customers can visit the Customer Service desk in all Toys”R”Us stores nationwide to place their orders with a 20-percent down payment, and shoppers can reserve items through October 31. Customers will receive an e-mail notification when their orders are available and have until December 16 to pick up their orders.  More information and restrictions about Hot Toy Reservation will be available soon in-store and online at Toysrus.com/Toyreservation.