Walmart today announced they are phasing out their layaway programs. November 19th is the last day to place items for Christmas and they must be picked up by December 8th.
Layaway plans were popularized by advertisers in the early 20th century with slogans such as “You furnish the girl, we’ll furnish the home.”
Likewise, Walmart will discontinue use of their slogan, “You furnish your cousin, we’ll furnish the trailer.”
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Some of us do need layaway! We dont have credit cards and dont want them. Christmas is a great time to put things on layaway for those of us who cant afford to get everything at once or pay cash for. There are some of us who are single parents and are on a budget! With no or little help from the other parent. School clothes are also a good time to put things on layaway. It gets expensive to clothes 2 teenage girls! I think Walmart is making a BIG mistake. I shop Walmart ALL the time, they have low prices and good quality things. I can go grocery shopping there and spend less there than at Cub. They should change their mind on getting rid of layaway! Alot of people will be affected!
I have two sons, and we are by no means poor but we arent rich either. So YES we do use the layway offered by wal mart, for christmas gifts and birthdays. I donot have a credit card nor do I want one, so for those of us who are in this postion, layway is a god sent. I think that it is rude and unwal-mart like to say the hell with the common people………What about the angel tree they do every year? Those parents use layway, so in other words, lets get ride of layway, so we can continue to by for these kids, but not our own…..
I beleive that Walmart should keep their layaway. For one, even though there may have been a decline in the use of the layaway, there are a lot of people that depend on layaway. They use it to buy birthday gifts, Christmas gifts,etc. People with BIG FAMILIES depend on layaway to buy clothes for their children because they can’t afford to pay for them all at one time. And the same goes for buying birthday and Christmas gifts. Secondly, Not everybody has credit cards or gift cards to pay for their merchadise. This is why people like myself USE LAYAWAY. Lastly, Walmart will loose alot of money because of distinguishing layaway. For one, people will go to other department stores like K-Mart who is keeping their layaway and Target who is picking it up. They will be the ones making the profit off of layaway. Secondly, Walmart might could go out of business because of doing away with their layaway because they are not making the money to stay in business. And, if they raise prices because of not having no layaway and suppossedly having difficulty paying their employees, then they will loose their employees as well as customers. It’s their stupidity for distinguishing layaway because all of the above reasons and because of this I will have to give other department stores my layaway business because they do not want to make this extra profit I guess you’d call it. If they do not want my money, so be it. I’ll take my business else where and it will be Walamart’s lost because of the lack of common sense on this issue and the other department store(s) will have the profit and not them.
I think Walmart should keep layaway. With three teenagers, I’ve used it every single Christmas. I don’t use credit cards and would prefer to continue using layaway. I like the fact that you can pick your items, pay on them each payday and not have to find a place to stash them in hiding from the kiddos. I use it throughout other times of the year too. PLEASE KEEP LAYAWAY WALMART!!
My mother (a Walmart employee) recently informed me of this news. My heart sank. Not for me, but for the people who use the layaway progam at Walmart. I am a former Walmart employee and know that there are many families that used the progam during Christmas.
For those use have used the layaway, I do have a suggestion that might just assist in your no more layaway problems. Put away $20 per paycheck that you would have normally used on the layaway and when you have the funds, make the desired purchase. It does help if you don’t go into it before hand.
Walmart is smart they are getting rid of Layaway and getting the new Walmart Credit card.
Now credit cards are the way to go I mean why not now they can eploit the poor bastards who really think that by collecting in excess of 28% interest. Its pretty obvious what they are doing they just announced the price wars. Well Hell yeah they are making money off your interest.Oh well I’ll benefit from your loss by paying with cash.But let me ask you this “Whats in your wallet”
everyone is saying,so what people use credit cards now!not everyone can get credit cards,not everyone is rich like the big shots at the head of wal-mart!my father is a coal miner raising a family of 7,he is helping raise other peoples kids that are unwanted.we need wal-marts layaway,we count on it.the big shots at the top need to come to the poor side of town and talk to the people,get their side.wal-mart says its losing money….not! this company wont be hurt by keeping layaway…..we will.after all look how much that company is worth.we have to suffer because some guy wants a third hummer!
I think that k-mart is going to get alot more business than they are expecting this holiday season. I cannot believe that consumer giants like Wal-Mart would be stupid enough to get rid of something that is so lucrative to their business! I work in a Sales and Marketing office and I spend on average $800.00 or more a year on Christmas let alone all the other things that young children need (school clothes, and things like that) Wal-mart is going to be really sorry that they let the opportunity for profit pass on to thier competitor. Like they say stupid people shouldn’t breed!
I have always been one of the first ones in the door the day after Thanksgiving to get the good bargains or just to get things for my family and then headed for layaway. I even use layaway throughout the year. Some of us do not have very good credit or don’t want to pay the service charges on credit cards. I have eight neices and nephews and multiple families and friends that I pay for each year. Layaway has always been very helpful. I don’t use shopping cards because that is too impersonal so this year I am not sure what I will do.
Guess maybe K-Mart will get alot more of my business.
My husband and I have 7 children and we have relied on layaway for all of our christmas, back to school, birthdays, etc. Some people cannot get credit cards or do not want to attempt to because of interest rates that they charge now days. Walmart always has refunded our money if we could not pick something up by the deadline and they have always sent us a little reminder card in the mail to let us know we can come pick up our money or pick up the merchandise. Some people out there do need to remember the little people out there that do bust their butts and just are able to keep their heads above water. Just like if you have a credit card does not mean you are rich you just may have made better choices in life and have the advantage of that option. My kids are my life and doing away with the layaway just makes it that much harder to see that they get as close as we can to what they want. And those that say “what is a layaway anyway? Come on don’t be a dumb ass”
Walmart is cutting their own throat when they do away with layaway. They are trying to get the attention upperclass people instead of the working class of families. Not everyone has a credit card some don’t even want one. Layaway is one of those things that give you a little time with money in case you are running low that week pay next week. What about those without credit or credit problems what does that do for them wanting something nice, getting christmas, birthdays etc…
I was “floored” when I found out Wal-Mart would no longer have a lay-a-way. It’s the idea things for some people, including myself. Some of the clerks were saying that it’s because of all of the extra trailers Wal-Mart had to rent, and 90% of the lay-a-ways were cancelled. It doesn’t make sense to me because if 90% were cancelled, there was an awful lot of 10 percenters who were getting out their lay-a-ways for Xmas, because of the long wait we had in line.
I have put my items in L/A for years the day after Thanksgiving to take advantage of the “Blitz Purchases”. I will now take my business to K-Mart because they still offer the L/A. Sorry Wal-Mart, you used to be my store.
PLEASE – don’t take away the layaway! We are Grandparents on a fixed income and layaway is the only possible way we can afford to get our grandchildren gifts. We use layaway all year long, not just at Christmas time. Perhaps this idea should be further analyzed before you decide to eliminate it all together. If you do take the layaway out of Wal-Mart, there will be LOTS AND LOTS of people going to other department stores to shop. Is this cost effective for Wal-Mart?
I am not poor nor rich but I have used layaway at Walmart. It is great to be able to pay monthly for something that you don’t actually want taking up space in your home yet or need to hide from its recipients. And on the rare occasions that I did cancel a layaway I lost nothing; Walmart always gave me a full refund of my deposit.
I think that taking the layaway out is a bad thing because it helps me make sure that I have the thing that my children ask foe and besides that it also keeps them hidden in a safe place from them at christmas. You don’t realize that there are still people that can’t afford to just go out here an buy things everyday and there are some people that do not want credit card debt. WHAT ADOUT US DO WE NOT COUNT?
Anyone else happy that Walmart reported a sales loss for November? AND that their web site crashed for hours on Black Friday? You reap what you sow. Target and K-mart here I come. BTW – I boycotted Walmart on Friday.
Walmart lay away should stay open for every one especialy for those people who don’t have credit cards, low income. Please Some one do some thing! We all want Walmart Lay away….
It was a huge mistake on the part of Walmarts. People in this reigion use layaway because they don’t have credit, they are living hand to mouth. They might have lost their homes (1 in 80 homes here in SE MI is in foreclosure, house sales are dead as a door nail, so you if can’t make a mortgage payment you will lose your home), you can’t get a secured credit card unless you can put up the cash in advance. If you had the cash, you wouldn’t need the secured credit card. You use layaway to stash the toys and clothes when you see them at a good price. Especially Christmas items. Then you try to scrape up enough money to bail it out. If you don’t, you get your money back at Walmarts, but if you can pull it off, your kids get a Christmas.
Walmarts has to pay to store the layaway. At our local store, they rent off site storage for some products to make room for layaway storage. Layaway cancellations come back on the floor off seaon – like snow boots when the snow has melted, so they don’t always sell. Walmart calculated they would save some dollars by dropping layaway.
Walmart forgot two things: showing goodwill to the customer, and the fact that bringing a shopper into a store creates side important revenue. A customer comes in to put school clothes on layaway (the second most important reason for layaway after Christmas) and buys groceries etc just because they are in the store. Those impulse buys are now moved to KMart. The low income shopper is Walmart’s base customer – obviously, since Walmarts is the cheapest.
I watched a sad young mother’s face when she found out she couldnt put the clothes and toys into layaway. Her friend said “you are screwed, we’ll have to put everything back’. They did, and they left to find a store that would give them ‘poor-man’s credit’ which is what layaway is for everyone at the bottom of the middle class, the lay-offs, the people with high medical bills, those being hounded for late rent.
Walmarts spends a lot of money on tv ads. They should have kept layaway through Christmas and advertised the fact that they were doing it to help the customers they love. Instead they kicked people who are down just before ChristmaS. They will need some good PR now to get those customers back.
thanks for ruining my kids christmas………oh but wait i went to K MART and they let me have a lay away so my kids’ hearts weren’t broke. thanks for nothing walmart, you just lost a customer!!!!!!
Granted I do think that Wal-Mart HAS made a huge mistake. Some states like Texas NO longer have a K-Mart to put stuff in layaway. But I have heard that Target is talking about getting Layaway and IF that happens.. I see Wal-Mart changing their minds and bringing it back!!
By the way.. normally you only put 10% of how much the bill was (ex. if it was $200 you gave them $20, etc). If you cancelled it they gave you your money back.. ALL OF IT! At least in Texas they do. Now if you waited too long they would take so much out of it, but who can blame them? Not I!
Anywho, like I said, I’m waiting for Target to get one and watch Wal-Mart open theirs back up!
I was almost devastated when I was in walmart not more then 60 min ago and walked to the layaway counter only to find there wasnt one anymore. I am not poor nor am I rich, my husband is a US soldier. Using layaway allowed me to buy the clothes my kids are going to need in the near future without braking the bank all at once. I am truly sad that walmart has done this to a loyal customer
For those that use layaway, if you have a Meijers in your area, they have layaway. Meijers also changes the price of your layaway if the items you put in were discounted or clearenced. So, there for, you will get what ever item you put in for the cleanrenced price, even if it was full price when you put it in layaway. Walmart didn’t even do that for it’s customers. Kmart also offers layaway. And while I am not a big fan of Kmart,(prices are higher, they don’t offer as much etc..) I would rather spend my money there now, than to give it to Walmart. They profit 10 billion a year still can’t give their employees health care, or provide customers with layaway. @#$% Them. I’ll go some where else, where my business is wanted. Bet ya Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart, is turning in his grave. His goal for Walmart was to offer quality and quantity at prices that the average person could afford. His company has turned into some greedy corporate heap that he would probably dispise. Walmart is no longer for the average family. The ceo’s are trying like hell to appeal to the wealthier families, thinking that if they do, it will be that much more of a profit. Even if they do bring layaway back, I will no longer shop there. Walmarts quality has gone to zilch. I bought a TV for my kids from Walmart and it quit working in 2 weeks. I took it back and they tried to refuse to exchange it because I didn’t have the box. In the end I did win the arguement and the TV was exchanged but the point is that if I hadn’t have won the arguement I would have been spent 115 dollars with nothing to show for it, all because I didn’t save a box, that I didn’t have the room for.
It is nice to shop for everything in one store, but I can do that at Meijers also. They even offer some of the same brand of clothes that JC Pennies offers. Plus name brand shoes that can be put into layaway.
If you dont have a Meijers in your area, see what you can do to bring one in. They have everything that Walmart does. The prices may be a tad higher, but their quality is much better, so your actually getting more out of your money.
Many of us still use layaway!!Just one of many reasons why I am disappointed in Walmart! I have used the Walmart layaway for the last 15 years to purchase Christmas gifts for my children-I will go elsewhere to purchase gifts this year, Walmart will lose money on this decision. I don’t have credit cards, nor do I want them.I agree with one of the statements above, their quality has gone downhill and their employees are not treated right either.I live paycheck to paycheck and layaway saved me so many times. I know so many people that used the layaway and all of them are going elsewhere for their Christmas shopping this year. Boo Walmart!
I am a working man,paid by the hour,and have always found lay away to be an affordable way to buy the larger,expensive items.Credit cards,as very few have mentioned,come with a price,a 12 to 25 percent price.Maybe some people don’t mind paying an extra quarter on every dollar but I do.I will definitely go where the lay away plan is and I’m dissapointed in Wal Mart for doing away with it.