It's back

[enjoy the ride]

I have seen two national store chains offering lay-a-way. It has been years since I have even heard the word.
I guess with credit not being so readily available, the stores figure this is better than no sale at all.
I have used it a couple of times in my life for things that were on sale but for which I was not ready to buy.

 

[MorelCabin]

They are going to do anything to try and ring in sales right now...people just aren't consuming like they usually do.

 

[poppycat]

You're right! Now that you mention it. I've never used it, not even sure how it works.

 

[enjoy the ride]

It's a really simple idea- you put something down on an item then pay off the rest by a certain time. Like 20% or $10 down, rest by end of month or something- each store had it's own policy.
Don't pay it off, it goes back into stock and you've lost you down payment.

But no bill hanging around your neck forever.

 

[k0xxx]

The local Walmart stopped their lay away program last year. I have heard from some of the management that they are regretting it now. I haven't heard any mention of it restarting, though.

 

[2dream]

I saw on our local news last night that more stores are bringing lay-a-way back. Most of your major big box stores around here have always offered Christmas lay-a-way. It use to be all stores all year long.
I remember my mother using lay-a-way when I was small. She used it for just about every purchase. If I needed school clothes we went shopping, they were put on lay-a-way. She paid weekly payments until it was paid for.
Thats a funny childhood memory. It was like two shopping trips with two excitement times. One with the shopping and picking out, the other when you finally got to have what you had shopped for.

 

[enjoy the ride]

Actually it was a "service" that used to be available almost everywhere. An enticement to spend money. For years it's been impossible to stop people spending so lay-a-way was not needed.
Although I only used it a couple of times in my life, it was satisfying to pick something you really wanted and pay it off or to hold something you wanted if you didn't bring the cash you needed to pay for it right then and there.
And that tells you what a different world it was- imagine having to pay for everything you bought right then and there- no credit cards. Almost no one had them- at least no one who wasn't rich.

 

[patandchickens]

Layaway is a whole big lot less profitable for the store than selling you stuff on credit (especially if they can get you to put it on their creditcard account! but even if you're putting it on Visa or something, because you are still buying more than you would otherwise).

When buying on plastic became commonplace, layaway became counterproductive for stores to offer. It was preserved in a few places (only a few) as a loss leader just for the sake of good customer relations.

Now however people are a lot more wary of buying on credit, or in many cases just flat out unable to... so I guess layaway is starting to look a little bit more profitable again to the stores. After all, selling someone a <whatever> without all the hand-over-fist extra profit of credit is still better than having them walk away shaking their head sadly, not having bought it at all

Cool that it's making a comeback!

Pat

 

[Cassandra]

I remember the last time walmart offered it. And for several years before that. They would have to bring in these big storage containers (or maybe the trailers of big trucks) to store all the layaway stuff.

And there's always incompetent employees who won't write something down, so they weren't keeping good records about which one of the dozens of trailers out back such and such layaway item was stored in. The pick-up lines on the last day of layaway would stretch through the whole store and it could take a couple of hours for someone to go into the trailers out back and find your item.

It was really ridiculous and I don't blame them for putting a stop to it. It might have worked out better if they would have just trained people how to do it (and fire people who refused to be trained.)

You couldn't pay me to have that done to me! LOL We'll just pay cash for stuff like we always have.

Cassandra

 

[FarmerChick]

What I love

IS

FREE GIFT WRAPPING!


I wrap horrible and love the stores that offer it and always get everything wrapped! Professional style! COOL



Never used lay-a-way but I think my Mom did, not sure really..LOL...cause Mom and Dad always said, if you don't have the cash then and there, you don't buy it.