Layaway

[Selena_Kitt]

When I was little, my mom always put stuff on layaway at K-Mart. I remember standing in line around Thanksgiving, waiting while she paid on it. (Didn't realize at the time that she was paying for our Christmas presents.)

I hadn't thought about layaway or even the concept, for years. But I just saw a commercial for K-Mart's layaway. Wow.

Has the economy really come around in so short a time to the point where we don't think first of credit cards, but consider the possibility of delaying gratification?!

Amazing.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

A lot of places stopped layaways.

 

[sweetness6280]

KMart is one of the few stores that still offers layaway.

When my "1st wave" of kids was younger, I put things on layaway for Christmas every year. We have a very low credit card debt, because once I got out of that tangle, I had no desire to get back in. We have lived quite nicely for 7 years on an almost completely cash basis.

 

[tickledkitty]

My mom did that a lot too. I think they still have it at Wal-Mart.

 

[sweetness6280]

My mom did that a lot too. I think they still have it at Wal-Mart.

The Wal-Mart's here phased it out a couple years ago. I don't know if it was a chain-wide decision or not.

I think that's why KMart has such a big ad campaign. The economy coupled with the fact that other stores don't offer it.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

WAL-MART ended layaways because too many people used layaway as a savings account.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

WAL-MART ended layaways because too many people used layaway as a savings account.

 

[JagFarlane]

The Wal-Mart's here phased it out a couple years ago. I don't know if it was a chain-wide decision or not.

I think that's why KMart has such a big ad campaign. The economy coupled with the fact that other stores don't offer it.

Yeah it was phased out by the whole company. Issues with getting people to pay on time and such from what I understood.

Radio Shack had it back at the beginning of the century when I worked there, dunno if they still do

 

[CrimsonMaiden]

Yeah, I was really ticked off when Wal-Mart stopped their layaway program because that's how I always got the majority of my kids' Christmas presents. (We don't have a K-Mart anymore.)

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

SELENA

People put shit on layaway for a few weeks then asked for a refund to pay bills or whatever. So WAL-MART said fuck this.

 

[starrkers]

It's called lay-by here and is still quite widespread (thank goodness). To deal with the problem JBJ mentioned, they usually have a policy whereby if it's not paid off in the alloted time (usually 6 weeks), or another arrangement made, the money is forfeit and the items go back on the shelves.

 

[Selena_Kitt]

It's called lay-by here and is still quite widespread (thank goodness). To deal with the problem JBJ mentioned, they usually have a policy whereby if it's not paid off in the alloted time (usually 6 weeks), or another arrangement made, the money is forfeit and the items go back on the shelves.

Yeah, that gives you a really good incentive to keep making those payments!

I may just go to K-Mart to Christmas shop this year!

 

[starrkers]

They're usually pretty good about it. I've taken 3 months to pay off stuff, but as long as I'm making regular payments, it's OK.

This policy also stops them having to hold stuff forever for someone who puts down a 10% deposit and then never comes back.