I bet Walmart is KICKING ITS ASS that it did away with layaway--but Sears is bringing it back

[Horse with no Name]

Smart move, IMHO and it goes along with their KMART stores.
Now that the credit lines are drying up...people will have to pay things out like they used to.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/dap_10153_12605_DAP_Sears+Layaway?lid=Otherlay_away_body_postcard_h&eml=19483809&sid=ie_21474_A_x900

[Sarah Ibarruri]

1. Layaway is an excellent way for people to start spending again!

That's great!!

[RB TexLa]

7. You are actually encouraging people to spend in this economy? Don't you think saving money is a

better idea?

[Sarah Ibarruri]

9. The reason this economy is the way it is, is because no one is spending money....

so corporations are going bankrupt, laying off, no money is coming in, malls are empty, stores are having to put things at 50 and 75% off. Nobody is spending. If nobody spends, goods don't get sold. If goods don't get sold, money is not entering. If money is not entering, bills don't get paid, and some of those bills are payroll. If there's no money for payroll, there are job losses. If there are job losses there's no money, and so on.

Money must be spent. It has to start somewhere.

[skooooo]

2. That's how mom used to pay for everything..

...putting it on layaway at Sears.

[Horse with no Name]

4. Mine too.

There weren't credit cards to max out at Christmas time. Money was budgeted out of each paycheck for Christmas.
If there was only $100 budgeted...that's all the money there was. Socks and underwear for everyone! Good times...seriously.

[skooooo]

6. Hey ya know..

..we didn't have everything under the sun and didn't worry about it. Actually, if it wasn't for the expense of health care these days, I wouldn't worry *too* much about most people. God help you if you get sick and don't have good insurance.

[demodonkey]

13. God help you if you get sick and DO have good insurance.... my mother is in a life-threatening...

...situation. She needs therapy and rehab after being stuck in a hospital for nearly 2 months. She HAS INSURANCE TO PAY FOR IT, too. But the damn hospital and its doctors won't order any therapy, and they won't let any other doctors in to see her so she can get a second opinion from outside their system.

It seems that the hospital wants to force her to apply for Medicaid (and go on "custodial" care that means no therapy) just so they can get a disputed bill paid to a nursing home that it seems they are in cahoots with.

WE HAVE TO GET SINGLE PAYER HEALTHCARE FOR ALL IN THIS COUNTRY. And it has to include therapy and long term care for the disabled. Otherwise we are going down, we can't compete globally and why should we (as a nation of barbarians that won't take care of its people!!)

[pengillian101]

10. I remember doing that also.

When young and earning just a pittance, it was hard to just go spend many dollars on a new winter coat. So when the coats came in the late summer, it was easy to put 15-20% down and make a weekly (or monthly?) payment until winter coats were needed. All the stores used to do this.

I was only able to buy what was affordable in the short term. No credit cards available at the time. It taught me to budget, just as well as anything or anyone else did.

Good deal for the stores also - if it wasn't paid in full when due - it went back on the floor and you were out your payments. And you can bet THAT never happened because I had already invested my own cash up front.

:-)

[skooooo]

11. lots of people made their own clothes too..

Things will have to get a lot worse before that happens again, lol. Grandma used to sew about half our clothes or so.

[Stargazer09]

14. It used to be cheaper to do that

Nowadays, it costs more to buy the fabric and pattern than it does to buy the finished clothes, even when I can pick up the patterns for $1.99.

[DJ13]

3. These stores need to regain control of their store credit card operations

All of them sold their credit card portfolios back in the late 90's to outside banks, and those banks have pretty much halted new credit issuance in the last few months.

Even Walmart no longer owns their own store credit card.

[Old Codger]

5. I am sure

I saw a sign in our local wal mart that said they were doing lay-a-way again too

[Horse with no Name]

8. I haven't seen the signs around here

But I was at a local Goody's store the other day and they are having layaway.
What a concept. Pay before you receive.
It's likely to throw some people into seizures.

[Old Codger]

19. I will double check

I am going to town tomorrow and will take a look...This is in Oregon so may be local only, possibly stores have the option, who knows. :shrug:

[Old Codger]

20. checked today

The store in Grants Pass Oregon says no lay-away, a friend in Minn. says she heard a big ad on radio that they were doing it around there, I went to their web site and can find no reference whatsoever to lay away... If they were smart they would do it but they probably don't want the paper work involved

[EC]

12. It also assures that X-mas gifts stay hidden while they are in the

store's layaway...bring them home in time to wrap and put under the tree....


I guess Sears is feeling a pinch...when I was interviewing for a job there this summer, I was told that Sears was not a retail enterprise, that they were Sears Holdings and as such were a credit corporation and the first job in sales was credit...get people to sign up for a card and get them to USE it...

[Connonym]

15. Interesting, I was just thinking about that the other day

and wondering if it would come back. I think it's great. I bet my kids wouldn't know what the hell I was talking about if I mentioned "layaway" to them.

[CoffeeCat]

16. self delete

dup

[CoffeeCat]

17. Kmart is also...

...trying other things to get people in the stores.

They're starting to double coupons. I've heard from people who have spoken
with upper management, and they've said that the response has been "phenomenal."

Kmart is also doing short-term financing, allowing people to buy and pay off
purchases until 6/09.

I think Kmart is trying to get creative to get people to start spending and into
their store. I don't think they're doing very well.

Double coupons...I'm so there.

[Joe Fields]

18. Yeah, Wal-Mart is kicking its ass all the way to the bank.

They're the only retailer to beat their numbers for the month of October.