Did you ever layaway something? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Cynthetiq · 09-23-2008, 10:34 AM

Quote:

View: The Death of the Layaway Program
Source: Examiner
posted with the TFP thread generator

The Death of the Layaway Program
Some of my earliest memories include shopping. My mother would bundle up her three kids; load up the baby carriage with the baby, diaper bag, handbag, snacks and other paraphernalia; and then, with the 2-year-old hanging on to one side of the carriage and the 4-year-old the other, walk to the shopping center about a mile up the road every Friday.

Sometimes we brought things back, but I don’t remember ever seeing her at the regular checkouts — she bought just about everything on the layaway plan.

With three preschoolers to clothe, she always had at least one layaway going. In the months leading up to Christmas, we hiked into several stores every week, where she made carefully planned payments that would release her purchases just in time for the big day.

Layaways served me well throughout my teen years, too. Financially, I took after my father (spend it when you have it) rather than after my mother, the saver and budgeter who could always come up with a few dollars for emergencies.

Once I had something on layaway, though, I would faithfully make payments from my baby-sitting money before it disappeared on records, magazines and other fun stuff.

My clothing choices tended to be made very carefully — it was hard to be up-to-the-minute in the ever-changing fashion world when it could take months to get my purchase home, but I was always pretty well dressed.

But layaways seem to be going the way of the dinosaur at department stores these days. A search of Danville’s bigger stores only found two — Kmart and Goody’s — that still offer them.

Creed Williams, the store manager at Goody’s in Riverside Shopping Center, said the store offers a 30-day layaway with a 10-percent deposit.

“It’s still a very popular service,” Williams said.

At Kmart on Riverside Drive, assistant manager Sherry Byrd said a two-month layaway can be made with a 10-percent deposit. She also said payments on the layaway must be made at least every two weeks.

There is a $5 layaway fee and a $10 cancellation fee if the customer changes their mind about their purchase.

Kmart’s acting store manager, Jackie Younger, said she appreciates her layaway customers.

“They’re good customers, and layaways are how they survive,” Younger said. “It’s how they get what they want.”

Debbie Custer, an assistant store manager, said Christmas is still the busiest time for the store.

“It’s still very popular, and at Christmas it’s off the hook,” she said. “We have to open three new areas to keep (layaways) in.”

Sears only offers layaway for jewelry and promotional items, according to Kim Freeley, a media spokesperson at the store’s corporate offices.

Freeley said jewelry purchases of $50 or more can be put on layaway with a $25 deposit for up to 90 days.

Shane Markham, the manager of Belk at Piedmont Mall, said the store hasn’t offered layaways since the late 1990s.

He said the store decided not to provide the service anymore as a way to cut overhead.

“It was a way to go leaner,” Markham said, adding that there isn’t a separate customer service office anymore either, which is where layaways used to be handled.

Even Wal-Mart has done away with layaways. The final season for layaways there was 2006.

Wal-Mart officials cited declining popularity and increasing costs as the reasons for cutting the service.

“Demand for layaway services has declined steadily as consumers turn to other options, such as online shopping, gift cards and no-cost credit alternatives,” read a Sept. 14, 2006, company news release.

My mother thwarted snoopy children by never having a gift in the house until the last possible moment — for her layaway was not just about financing, but also about birthday and Christmas surprise security.

What I want to know is, without layaways, where do parents hide their Christmas presents now?

I recall layaway before there was all this credit available. Goods were paid for free and clear by the end of the layaway period. There were no APRs to worry about, a simple flat fee to start, and another to cancel.

I've always tried to pay cash for my purchases. There are things that I just cannot do like car or house, but just about anything else there is some thought into how that purchase is getting financed. Am I going out to dinner less? Am I not buying something else so that the money that would have been spent will be spent on this instead. Do I postpone a vacation? Do I get by without a rental car? Do I brown bag lunch for X days?

I never did layaway. I was always able to save money in some fashion to make purchases.

Did you ever use Lay-Away programs? Would you use one now if it was available?

sapiens · 09-23-2008, 11:52 AM

No, I've never used a layaway program. I wouldn't use one now. I suppose that there might be an advantage over just saving enough money before the purchase if it was a rare item (holding it for you). What would be the advantage otherwise?

Anormalguy · 09-23-2008, 12:04 PM

Layaway is what kept our family clothed when we were growing up. I also remember going with my mother to the S&H Green Stamp store to turn in the books of stamps for lamps, knicknacks, etc.

genuinegirly · 09-23-2008, 12:07 PM

I have used a layaway program once.

My mom is a doll collector and we would visit specialty doll stores fairly frequently. When I was six, there was a figurine I really wanted at one of these stores. It was about $3.00. I couldn't afford it with the money I had on hand that day, so my mom convinced the clerk to let me purchase it via layaway. We went to the store once every week, on Tuesdays, and I gave the lady at the store my 20 cents or whatever I earned by completing chores. I felt an incredible sense of accomplishment when I finally took that figurine home.

It taught me how good it can feel to save money for something that was very special. After that experience, I made it a habit to save up for a larger purchase, rather than blowing my income on candy or cheap toys. The experience showed me that you really can get that super special something that you really want, that the only thing limiting me was my self-control.

ItWasMe · 09-23-2008, 12:17 PM

Yes, I used to do layway years and years ago when I was a young single mother. Mostly around Christmas. Back then, I set aside X amount each payday to spend around Christmas. If it was near payday and a big toy sale hit, I'd do layaway for the items I was already intending to buy. If I didn't, I would miss the sale. If it was close enough to Christmas, I might miss the item entirely if it was a popular toy.

These days, I strongly prefer to use cash. We sometimes use credit for unexpected car problems, and then pay it off as quickly as possible. But we like to use our savings account instead of layaway. If we remove x amount for Christmas toys, we put back x amount plus more.

World's King · 09-23-2008, 12:30 PM

I only remember my mom using layaway once. It was for my first skateboard. But I think she put the 10% down then paid the rest like a week later. It couldn't have been more then $150 total.

canuckguy · 09-23-2008, 01:07 PM

Growing up my mom used layaway programs to keep us in clothes and provide toys...etc. I think these types of programs went away because of the way people are with the "must have it now" self control. You see people ringing up huge debt for things they don't really need, paying a credit card bill for items you don't even use anymore 12 months later.

I think that if people used layaway programs still you'd have substantial less debt and consumer waste as it gives people a chance to think about the purchase fully instead of the impulse.

I have never used one myself now but I don't buy anything really without saving for it. If I can't pay cash then I can't afford it. (not including a house/car)

telekinetic · 09-23-2008, 01:25 PM

So let me get this straight...credit cards = reverse layaway with higher fees? Weird.

Charlatan · 09-23-2008, 02:19 PM

I used layaway once in university to buy my girlfriend a birthday present. It was an expensive china doll.

I don't use it now but now I have a credit card. A credit card on which I don't carry a balance. It is paid off at then end of each month.

annie1 · 09-23-2008, 04:54 PM

Layaway programs were actually mentioned on Oprah today with a financial advisor (Suzy Orman) saying that as credit becomes harder to get, these programs will become more popular again. With the current economy, obtaining credit will become much more difficult and credit card companies will be reducing people's lines of credit. I bet companies like Walmart will reinstate it.

Jozrael · 09-23-2008, 04:57 PM

I'd honestly never heard of this til this thread. Do you...get a discount always when doing this? Is that why people do it? Otherwise why not just save the money/invest or something until you have enough to get what you need? It seems like it'll take the same amount of time while having your money work for you instead of sitting in a department store for something that's not even in your hands yet.

Willravel · 09-23-2008, 05:23 PM

I generally pay for the whole thing all at once. Doing anything other than that would be a bit alien to me.

radioguy · 09-23-2008, 05:26 PM

yep.....that's how i bought my first stereo back in 1992!

Ayashe · 09-23-2008, 06:03 PM

I never used it personally, but knew many people who would use layaway to catch merchandise on sale and save a few pennies while they could if they weren't prepared to spend the money.

Cynthetiq · 09-23-2008, 07:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jozrael

I'd honestly never heard of this til this thread. Do you...get a discount always when doing this? Is that why people do it? Otherwise why not just save the money/invest or something until you have enough to get what you need? It seems like it'll take the same amount of time while having your money work for you instead of sitting in a department store for something that's not even in your hands yet.

Because if there are only 10 of the item, you putting 1 on layaway guarantees that you'll get 1 of them. Saving your money on your own doesn't stop them from selling all 10 to other people, leaving you with saved money but no product.

There were only discounts for layaway sales or regular sales, otherwise there was no discount.

snowy · 09-23-2008, 07:49 PM

I could have bought my second bike (my first bike with GEARS!!!) on layaway, but I decided to pay for it free and clear. It was purchased from a BEST catalog showroom; as I recall, BEST was well-known for their layaways. I recall asking my mother once why we never did that; she explained it was because we were really good about saving for what we wanted and needed. When I expressed my desire to buy a bike, my mom took me to the bank and we opened a passbook account; I saved my $5 allowance every week for 20 weeks to buy that bike.

QuasiMondo · 09-23-2008, 07:51 PM

I always remembered the layaway system as something for poor people. Thats how it was always portrayed in television when I was growing up.

jewels · 09-24-2008, 02:28 AM

Never did, but I think it's something that may be making it's way back into the mainstream.

Abuse of credit is related to the current economic situation and I'm planning to get rid of the last of my cards this year. It'll be odd, though, only buying what I can actually afford.

ryfo · 09-24-2008, 01:26 PM

we use it about once a year, mainly I wait until after christmas for the sales and then put a whole heap of underwear and socks on (its called lay-by in Australia) and pay it off slowly. I use it for stuff we need but dont want NOW and only when its on sale. There is a 2 dollar cost and you usually get 2 to 3 months to pay up

new man · 09-24-2008, 07:34 PM

Wow, I don't think we ever used it, but on the other hand I always remember my mom and stepfather having credit cards and finances in the house were never something that was discussed or seemed to be a point of worry. We lived fine but not rich. For example, my stepfather went from a corolla to a mazda 323 gt in 1988. Mazda's version of the little pocket rocket econobox. I think sticker was around 13 or 14k. My sister drove the corolla for years after that. My mom had a chevrolet spectrum (Isuzu I-mark) for years, and that little piece of crap was fine for her 14 mile round trip commute. So we were definitely middle class.

Cynthetiq · 10-19-2008, 09:49 AM

I just saw a Kmart commercial. Well it looks like KMart decided to revive the practice! The announcement and the rules follow.

Consumer Electronics | Clothing from Levi Strauss Signature & Jaclyn Smith | Home Decor Ideas from Martha Stewart Everyday | Kmart.com

Quote:

View: Kmart Touts Layaway for the Holidays
Source: Adweek
posted with the TFP thread generator

Kmart Touts Layaway for the Holidays
Kmart Touts Layaway for the Holidays
Oct 16, 2008

-By Steve Miller, Brandweek

DETROIT Kmart has launched a campaign that positions the company as the only mass discount retailer to offer a layaway service. The hope is to drive sales at Kmart stores this holiday season, as consumers search for penny-pinching options during the recession.

Print ads will break in November and broadcast spots will start airing this week. The ads feature Mr. Blue Light, Kmart's animated lightbulb, who promotes the layaway service as a way to get gifts at affordable prices in time for Christmas. The service allows consumers to place a deposit on a purchase and have the retailer hold it until a full payment is made at a later time.

"People are going to have to be very creative this year to get Santa to show up," said Terry Brophey, vp, integrated marketing communications at Kmart, Chicago. "And the whole campaign is based on promoting value."

The campaign, via Draftfcb Chicago, targets moms with household incomes starting at $50,000. In addition to the layaway option, ads tout Kmart's exclusively branded merchandise such as Jaclyn Smith apparel, Craftsman tools and Martha Stewart Everyday cookware.

A total of seven broadcast spots will air, which includes a major buy in cable (TLC and sports programming). Two print ads will run in decor, lifestyle and women's titles. Web banners will also run on Web sites offering consumers financial tips like Oprah's finance page and money wizard David Bach's site. Radio ads, where Mr. Blue Light explains the deals offered at Kmart, broke this week.

"We just wanted to really turn up the heat on our value message across the board," Brophey said, adding that the retailer will advertise 25,000 gifts under $25 and other deals, as part of the creative.

Kmart spent $160 million on ads last year, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus, and $85 million through July.

Laura Gurski, a partner at consulting firm A.T. Kearney, Chicago, said the layaway is a "brilliant" idea. "It's right for the time and it's right for the traditional Kmart customer," she said.

Rival Wal-Mart at one point also offered layaway to consumers, but phased out the service in 2006 because of declining use and rising costs, per the company.

Now with the current economic downturn, retailers stand to benefit from such services and analysts predict more advertising that promotes bargains.

"People cut back on general spending and they go from Neiman [Marcus] to Macy's and from Macy's to Target," said Rachael Croson, a professor of behavioral economics at the University of Texas at Dallas. "People are still going to spend this time [shopping]; what changes is where."

http://content.kmart.com/ue/home/Kmart_Layaway.pdf

Quote:

Kmart Layaway Program
Layaway Fast Facts:
• A Layaway contract is eight (8) weeks.
• The Service Fee on all new Layaway contracts is $5.
• The Cancellation Fee on all new Layaway contracts is $10.
• The Service Fee plus Cancellation Fee, or 10% down payment (whichever is
greater) is collected when merchandise is put into Layaway
• The bi-weekly payment schedule for all new Layaway contracts is 25% of the original
balance due.
• As long as the payments are made on time, the merchandise will be held for you.
• Layaway merchandise will be returned to stock seven (7) days after a missed payment.
• If Layaway merchandise is returned to stock, you are eligible for a refund minus Service and Cancellation Fees for a one year period.
Note: Maryland layaway fee law is as follows:
• Layaway is subject to a single non-refundable service fee after seven (7) days.
• $1 service fee will be charged on total merchandise up to and including $500.
• $5 service fee will be charged on total merchandise that exceeds $500.
• Tax will be charged on the fee amoun.
• Layaway merchandise will be returned to stock fifteen (15) days after a missed payment.
Unauthorized Merchandise
The following merchandise cannot be put in Layaway:
• Beer, wine, and cigarettes
• Flammable products and fuel
• Food and other perishable merchandise
• Live plants and horticulture
• Oil and chemical based products
• Photo Finishing and Portrait Studio pictures
• Chemicals
• Gas additives
• Magazines
• Paint thinner
• Prescription drugs
• Pool chemicals
• Cellular phones and beepers
• Personal Computers

Layaway Transaction Rules
• You can use one or any combination of these acceptable payment options: cash, check, credit card (Sears card, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express), debit card, Kmart Gift Card, Kmart Cash Card, coupons or EBT Cash (Note: EBT food stamps are not allowed).
• New Layaway contracts cannot be created if you have other delinquent Layaways contracts.
• No partial takeouts are permitted.
• Person initiating Layaway must be the same person finalizing Layaway.
A picture ID is required for all new Layaways, pickups and refunds.
• If you make a payment that is less than the minimum amount due; your
payment due date is not advanced to the next biweekly cycle. You are still obligated to fulfill the rest of the current payment balance before the system will advance your next payment due date.
• Mail payments can only be made with a check.
• Customers can receive only one price adjustment on advertised items within seven (7) days of the initial Layaway date.
• No price adjustments are allowed on clearance items or Holiday merchandise.
• Partial refunds will be completed when you come in for the final payment .
Note: Rain check (merchandise on sale but out of stock) and special orders can be put on Layaway only after the item arrives in the store.
Holiday Layaway Policy
• All Layaway containing Holiday and Christmas seasonal merchandise (for example, Christmas trees, decorations, ornaments, gift box sets, lights, etc.) must be paid in full and picked up on or before December 5, 2008. After this date they will be returned to stock and subject to all applicable fees.
• Home Electronics merchandise greater than $200 are excluded for Layaway after November 16, 2008.
• No “New” Layaways will be accepted between December 12, 2008 and
January 2, 2009.

newtx · 10-20-2008, 08:08 PM

Very old school. I didn't know layaway was even still an option. Probably over 15 years since I used or even thought about it. I used it rarely when it was common because it seemed foolish to try and buy something I couldn't afford in the first place.

lostgirl · 10-20-2008, 08:22 PM

Just once, a while back, a leather coat at Wilsons. I payed it off in a few weeks.

I prefer to be able to buy everything in cash When I have a credit card pay it off every month and don't keep a balance.

Jinn · 10-21-2008, 06:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuasiMondo

I always remembered the layaway system as something for poor people. Thats how it was always portrayed in television when I was growing up.

Same.

thespian86 · 10-21-2008, 07:27 AM

That's how I got my N64! I loved it. The new Walmart let me layaway it and when I got it, it was that much sweeter.

Bill O'Rights · 10-21-2008, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by QuasiMondo

I always remembered the layaway system as something for poor people. Thats how it was always portrayed in television when I was growing up.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jinn

Same.

Interesting.

See...I don't remember it that way. Layaway was a very useful option, back in the day before everything was purchased on credit. I mean, sure, you could always save up the money and go shopping for school clothes, or whatever, the week before school. Or...you could go "shopping" when things were on sale, before having to battle the crowds, and without having to worry about whether something would be in stock, put your purchases on layaway and pay for them over the next couple of months and be done.

There was nothing skeevy, torid, or low-end about it. It was how many people shopped. In fact, I bought my first real stereo on layaway. A Zenith. I still have it. But, then again, I also remember S&H Green Stamps, and I still have to manually wind my watch every morning.

Bear Cub · 10-21-2008, 09:01 AM

I used to do it at department stores with sale items that required you to have a store credit card. I never wanted to bother, so I would put it on layaway, give my mother cash, and have her picket up for me on sale. Never really used it for payment plans or anything of that nature.

Jinn · 10-21-2008, 09:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill O'Rights

Interesting.

There was nothing skeevy, torid, or low-end about it. It was how many people shopped. In fact, I bought my first real stereo on layaway. A Zenith. I still have it. But, then again, I also remember S&H Green Stamps, and I still have to manually wind my watch every morning.

Not skeevy, torid or low-end, but what poor people do. Rich people have the money right up front, and have no need to save up to buy something they want. Coupons are the same way. Our culture demonizes coupons as something the cheap (poor) people do, and they likewise treated layaway, because I don't where else I would've gotten my impression of it as a child.

Bill O'Rights · 10-21-2008, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jinn

Rich people have the money right up front, and have no need to save up to buy something they want.

Well, that makes sense. If you have the money, you just buy it. No credit...no layaway.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jinn

Our culture demonizes coupons as something the cheap (poor) people do, and they likewise treated layaway, because I don't where else I would've gotten my impression of it as a child.

Ahhh...and that, right there, is the reason, in my unprofessional opinion, the reason that the country is in the economic mess that it's in right now. "Our culture demonizes...". Well, yes it does. We have to put up that appearance at all costs. And I do mean at all costs. We bought everything on credit, just to look good for our friends, our neighbors, our co-workers and our families. We put up the image that we were doing better than we were, by buying on credit. Don't wanna get caught using coupons, or buying on layaway. The Jonses will think that we're...*gasp*...poor. Gotta have the nicest and latest clothes when jumping into the new car that's sitting in the driveway of the Mcmansion...that we can't afford. "But...everyone else has, or does...".

Look Jinn, I'm not railing on you. Really, I'm not. You just happened to hit a sore spot with me. That's all.

When we still had the journals on TFP, I wrote something about a year ago describing what I thought about all of this. Everything that I warned about has come to pass. All because of people who refuse to live within their means and stop living in a "house of credit cards" (that was the term that I used). And I'm just a dumbassed purchasing agent, with an Assiciates Degree. No PhD in economics here. To me, it was just plain obvious.

.

Jinn · 10-21-2008, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bill O'Rights

Ahhh...and that, right there, is the reason, in my unprofessional opinion, the reason that the country is in the economic mess that it's in right now. "Our culture demonizes...".

Look Jinn, I'm not railing on you. Really, I'm not. You just happened to hit a sore spot with me. That's all.

Oh I absolutely agree with you. I meant my tone to be one of condemnation. I think it's terrible that people try so hard to appear wealthy when they really can't afford it. I wish it wasn't demonized, but it is. Luckily for me, I was born into the 'privilege' of upper middle class, got an upper middle class education and now have an upper middle class job.

Lindy · 10-21-2008, 04:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jinn

....Coupons are the same way. Our culture demonizes coupons as something the cheap (poor) people do, and they likewise treated layaway, because I don't where else I would've gotten my impression of it as a child.

I'm cheap (read frugal) in a lot of ways but am not anywhere close to poor. It's actually probably one of the reasons that I'm not poor.

I rarely buy anything that I can't pay cash for, although, like some others, I sometimes use plastic that I pay off every month.
In my family's hardware store back in Kansas layaway is still quite popular. Often used by working people, not necessarily poor, but who get paid by the week instead of monthly. Also popular with the (ahem) "undocumented," who don't want to have a bank account.
I've used it as kind of an "option to buy" thing at antique stores, which often have an "all sales final" policy, but do offer layaway. I use the layaway to hold some one of a kind thing that I may not be absolutely sure that I want. Then if I decide that I don't want it, I just pay the cancellation fee.

Lindy

09-23-2008, 12:04 PM	#3 (permalink)
Anormalguy After School Special Moralist Location: Large City, Texas.	Layaway is what kept our family clothed when we were growing up. I also remember going with my mother to the S&H Green Stamp store to turn in the books of stamps for lamps, knicknacks, etc. __________________ In a society where the individual is not free to pursue the truth...there is neither progress, stability nor security.--Edward R. Murrow

09-23-2008, 12:07 PM	#4 (permalink)
genuinegirly Eat your vegetables Super Moderator Location: Arabidopsis-ville	I have used a layaway program once. My mom is a doll collector and we would visit specialty doll stores fairly frequently. When I was six, there was a figurine I really wanted at one of these stores. It was about $3.00. I couldn't afford it with the money I had on hand that day, so my mom convinced the clerk to let me purchase it via layaway. We went to the store once every week, on Tuesdays, and I gave the lady at the store my 20 cents or whatever I earned by completing chores. I felt an incredible sense of accomplishment when I finally took that figurine home. It taught me how good it can feel to save money for something that was very special. After that experience, I made it a habit to save up for a larger purchase, rather than blowing my income on candy or cheap toys. The experience showed me that you really can get that super special something that you really want, that the only thing limiting me was my self-control. __________________ "Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq "violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy

09-23-2008, 12:17 PM	#5 (permalink)
ItWasMe But You'll Never Prove It. Location: under your bed	Yes, I used to do layway years and years ago when I was a young single mother. Mostly around Christmas. Back then, I set aside X amount each payday to spend around Christmas. If it was near payday and a big toy sale hit, I'd do layaway for the items I was already intending to buy. If I didn't, I would miss the sale. If it was close enough to Christmas, I might miss the item entirely if it was a popular toy. These days, I strongly prefer to use cash. We sometimes use credit for unexpected car problems, and then pay it off as quickly as possible. But we like to use our savings account instead of layaway. If we remove x amount for Christmas toys, we put back x amount plus more. __________________ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . "Ok, no more truth-or-dare until somebody returns my underwear" ~ George Lopez I bake cookies just so I can lick the bowl. ~ ItWasMe

09-23-2008, 12:30 PM	#6 (permalink)
World's King Here Location: Denver City Denver	I only remember my mom using layaway once. It was for my first skateboard. But I think she put the 10% down then paid the rest like a week later. It couldn't have been more then $150 total. __________________ heavy is the head that wears the crown

09-23-2008, 02:19 PM	#9 (permalink)
Charlatan Getting it. Super Moderator Location: Lion City	I used layaway once in university to buy my girlfriend a birthday present. It was an expensive china doll. I don't use it now but now I have a credit card. A credit card on which I don't carry a balance. It is paid off at then end of each month. __________________ "My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars." - Old Man Luedecke

09-23-2008, 11:52 AM	#2 (permalink)
sapiens Junkie Location: Some place windy	No, I've never used a layaway program. I wouldn't use one now. I suppose that there might be an advantage over just saving enough money before the purchase if it was a rare item (holding it for you). What would be the advantage otherwise?

09-23-2008, 01:07 PM	#7 (permalink)
canuckguy I read your emails. Location: earth	Growing up my mom used layaway programs to keep us in clothes and provide toys...etc. I think these types of programs went away because of the way people are with the "must have it now" self control. You see people ringing up huge debt for things they don't really need, paying a credit card bill for items you don't even use anymore 12 months later. I think that if people used layaway programs still you'd have substantial less debt and consumer waste as it gives people a chance to think about the purchase fully instead of the impulse. I have never used one myself now but I don't buy anything really without saving for it. If I can't pay cash then I can't afford it. (not including a house/car)

09-23-2008, 01:25 PM	#8 (permalink)
telekinetic zomgomgomgomgomgomg Location: Fauxenix, Azerona	So let me get this straight...credit cards = reverse layaway with higher fees? Weird.

09-23-2008, 04:54 PM	#10 (permalink)
annie1 Insane	Layaway programs were actually mentioned on Oprah today with a financial advisor (Suzy Orman) saying that as credit becomes harder to get, these programs will become more popular again. With the current economy, obtaining credit will become much more difficult and credit card companies will be reducing people's lines of credit. I bet companies like Walmart will reinstate it.

09-23-2008, 04:57 PM	#11 (permalink)
Jozrael Junkie	I'd honestly never heard of this til this thread. Do you...get a discount always when doing this? Is that why people do it? Otherwise why not just save the money/invest or something until you have enough to get what you need? It seems like it'll take the same amount of time while having your money work for you instead of sitting in a department store for something that's not even in your hands yet.

09-23-2008, 05:23 PM	#12 (permalink)
Willravel ... a sort of licensed troubleshooter.	I generally pay for the whole thing all at once. Doing anything other than that would be a bit alien to me.

09-23-2008, 05:26 PM	#13 (permalink)
radioguy Registered User Location: Texas	yep.....that's how i bought my first stereo back in 1992!

09-23-2008, 06:03 PM	#14 (permalink)
Ayashe Psycho	I never used it personally, but knew many people who would use layaway to catch merchandise on sale and save a few pennies while they could if they weren't prepared to spend the money.

09-23-2008, 07:49 PM	#16 (permalink)
snowy Kick Ass Kunoichi Location: Oregon	I could have bought my second bike (my first bike with GEARS!!!) on layaway, but I decided to pay for it free and clear. It was purchased from a BEST catalog showroom; as I recall, BEST was well-known for their layaways. I recall asking my mother once why we never did that; she explained it was because we were really good about saving for what we wanted and needed. When I expressed my desire to buy a bike, my mom took me to the bank and we opened a passbook account; I saved my $5 allowance every week for 20 weeks to buy that bike. __________________ If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

09-23-2008, 07:51 PM	#17 (permalink)
QuasiMondo Wise-ass Latino Location: Pretoria (Tshwane), RSA	I always remembered the layaway system as something for poor people. Thats how it was always portrayed in television when I was growing up. __________________ Cameron originally envisioned the Terminator as a small, unremarkable man, giving it the ability to blend in more easily. As a result, his first choice for the part was Lance Henriksen. O. J. Simpson was on the shortlist but Cameron did not think that such a nice guy could be a ruthless killer. -From the Collector's Edition DVD of The Terminator

09-24-2008, 02:28 AM	#18 (permalink)
jewels Eponymous Location: Central Central Florida	Never did, but I think it's something that may be making it's way back into the mainstream. Abuse of credit is related to the current economic situation and I'm planning to get rid of the last of my cards this year. It'll be odd, though, only buying what I can actually afford. __________________ We are always more anxious to be distinguished for a talent which we do not possess, than to be praised for the fifteen which we do possess. Mark Twain

09-24-2008, 01:26 PM	#19 (permalink)
ryfo Psycho Location: melbourne australia	we use it about once a year, mainly I wait until after christmas for the sales and then put a whole heap of underwear and socks on (its called lay-by in Australia) and pay it off slowly. I use it for stuff we need but dont want NOW and only when its on sale. There is a 2 dollar cost and you usually get 2 to 3 months to pay up

09-24-2008, 07:34 PM	#20 (permalink)
new man Banned	Wow, I don't think we ever used it, but on the other hand I always remember my mom and stepfather having credit cards and finances in the house were never something that was discussed or seemed to be a point of worry. We lived fine but not rich. For example, my stepfather went from a corolla to a mazda 323 gt in 1988. Mazda's version of the little pocket rocket econobox. I think sticker was around 13 or 14k. My sister drove the corolla for years after that. My mom had a chevrolet spectrum (Isuzu I-mark) for years, and that little piece of crap was fine for her 14 mile round trip commute. So we were definitely middle class.

10-20-2008, 08:08 PM	#22 (permalink)
newtx Addict	Very old school. I didn't know layaway was even still an option. Probably over 15 years since I used or even thought about it. I used it rarely when it was common because it seemed foolish to try and buy something I couldn't afford in the first place.

10-20-2008, 08:22 PM	#23 (permalink)
lostgirl lightform Location: Edge of the deep green sea	Just once, a while back, a leather coat at Wilsons. I payed it off in a few weeks. I prefer to be able to buy everything in cash When I have a credit card pay it off every month and don't keep a balance.

10-21-2008, 07:27 AM	#25 (permalink)
thespian86 change is hard. Location: the green room.	That's how I got my N64! I loved it. The new Walmart let me layaway it and when I got it, it was that much sweeter. __________________ EX: Whats new? ME: I officially love coffee more then you now. EX: uh... ME: So, not much.

10-21-2008, 09:01 AM	#27 (permalink)
Bear Cub The Reverend Side Boob Location: Nofe Curolina	I used to do it at department stores with sale items that required you to have a store credit card. I never wanted to bother, so I would put it on layaway, give my mother cash, and have her picket up for me on sale. Never really used it for payment plans or anything of that nature. __________________ Living in the United Socialist States of America.