Wal-Mart Restarting Lay-Away's Again

I heard the same thing, only it is limited to customers with EBT cards.  I don't know what's up with that!

The EBT part is fake.  Here's a story on it. http://www.reuters.com/article...dUSTRE7875Q920110908

 

- At least $50 in purchases and each item over $15

- Toys and Electronics only

- $5 fee, 10% down $10 fee if canceled, pick up by Dec 16th.

When I was a kid, Walmart layaway was fee free, 10% down and had to pay it within a certain amount of time.  Was a good learning experience, taught me how to buy something I wanted with my own money.  

 

Now it just teaches you how walmart can find new and exciting ways to screw you out of your money. 5% fee?  I guess they figure if people will pay it, why not?

Looks like Kmart charges too. I didn't realize that. I remember when it was free as well.

http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/dap...l=Kmart+Layaway#tab4

Did'nt they discontinue this service because they claimed that no one was using it?

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K-mart has had a lay-away fee for several years.

They wanted you to use their credit card instead.

 

Their same store sales (stores open for longer than a year) have fallen for the 9th quarter straight and they really can't just open new stores for more profits anymore like they used to.  The problems have been there for years they just can't hide them anymore.

Although I am no fan of Walmart, I can understand the fee. When something is put on layaway, an employee has to box it up to be stored until pickup. Other employees have to clear out an area in their back room to store these layaways. During holiday time, they will probably need employees who ONLY work with layaways.

 

Then there are the people who cancel. The cancellation fee doesn't make up for the fact that had that item been on the shelf all along, it would have sold. But perhaps by the time people cancel and the item goes back on the shelf, it might NOT sell.

 

And worst of all is the PARTIAL cancellation of a layaway. Now someone has to dig the box out of the storeroom, open the box, dig through it and remove the item(s) being cancelled, put them back on the shelf, then retape and return the box to the storage area.

 

And of course, once an item is laid away, the person can come into the store whenever that item goes on sale, and insist that THEY be given the sale price too. Now there is paperwork that is usually done at the register, holding up the lines.

 

All in all, layaways are a pain in the neck, and stores who have reinstituted them are doing so because, in this economy, if you want people to buy, you have to give them every available option.

To avoid that cancellation fee, all a person has to do is pay for their lay-a-way, carry it to the service desk & get a refund. Much like people returning things after Christmas.