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Layaway: The Unsexiest Thing In The Entire World
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whynotshesaid
10/07/09

In reply to Layaway: The Unsexiest Thing In The Entire World
Layaway is awesome. I don't care that it is unsexy. If anything, the anticipation of waiting for something you've wanted badly and worked hard for is way sexier than just blowing your wad on whatever cheap piece of trash happens to be affordable at the time. (And yes, I think this metaphor works for Doing It, too.)
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Misiula
10/07/09

In reply to Layaway: The Unsexiest Thing In The Entire World
I'm not American but I want to understand, so please bear with me. What is (or was) layaway?
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Ultraprison!
10/07/09

@Misiula: It's like reverse credit: instead of buying something and paying it back over time, you pick it out and then pay the store in small amounts until you've paid for all of it. Then you get to take it home.
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Misiula
10/07/09

@Ultraprison!: Thanks!
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Snowbunny
10/07/09

In reply to Layaway: The Unsexiest Thing In The Entire World
I've never experienced layaway, but why don't you just save money and then go buy something if you can't afford it? Like just put away money every month somewhere safe instead of going into K-Mart every month and giving them the money you save. That way if you change your mind about the item in the months you're saving up you can use the money you already saved for something else.

I think I'm missing something from the concept.
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alexherrera
10/07/09

@Snowbunny: My mom used layaway when I was a kid. If for some reason you decided you no longer wanted or needed the item the store would always give you your money back. Also, the store would remove the item off the shelf and store it away for you so you'd know you'd always get what you wanted.
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schweppes
10/07/09

@alexherrera: And, also, it's so you can get what you wanted in July without having to risk that it's no longer available when you save up the money on your own
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WashingMyHair
10/07/09

@Snowbunny: Have you ever seen a dress that you knew if you didn't purchase it quickly, it'd soon be out of stock in your size? Or known a child that wanted a popular toy that sells out quickly around the holidays? Or got excited about finding an item you needed badly that you see is finally on sale? These are great examples of how useful layaway can be for somebody that can't afford the whole purchase up front but still wants or needs the item. They don't have to miss out on that special item just because they don't have the money or credit cards to pay for it. all at once.
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Edited by WashingMyHair at 10/07/09 6:50 PM WashingMyHair was starred WashingMyHair was unstarred

Snowbunny
10/07/09

@WashingMyHair: So if you buy it on layaway on like a super weekend sale it keeps the sale price? That makes sense then.
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dirtybee
10/07/09

In reply to Layaway: The Unsexiest Thing In The Entire World
We didn't have a lot of money when I was a kid. My mom used layaway for Christmas and back to school clothes. If you think about it, you can pay for your items in a short amount of time with NO INTEREST.
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KATE!
10/07/09

In reply to Layaway: The Unsexiest Thing In The Entire World
i didnt realize layaway ever went away? my parents used layaway for christmas presents throughout my entire childhood and im only 22.

i dont think its a generational issue, i think its a class issue. kmart demographics tend to slant towards the working-poor who might actually have trouble buying $1,000 consumer electronics cash-in-hand or getting the financing that the fancier big box stores offer (im looking at you best buy). im a pretty bad consumer (i dont really shop and i buy a lot of things second hand), but if more places had layaway i might actually have a dvd player in my room instead of an ancient vhs.

but of course, i dont really NEED a dvd player. i have a computer with a dvd-drive.

saving money should be about identifying actual needs versus self-indulgent wants and then making smart financial decisions. i recently paid off my credit card and it felt great. the anxiety the high interest rates gave me did not outweigh the momentary joy i received when i bought all that frivilous crap i cant even remember. layaway may reduce some of those financing charges and help stop people from buying shit they really cannot afford or dont need, but it doesnt really address the problem of overconsumption.
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Edited by KATE! at 10/07/09 6:05 PM KATE! was starred KATE! was unstarred

BearDownCBears
10/07/09

@KATE!: Yeah, I'm not getting some of the luddite anti-credit card shit around here. If you can't responsibly afford something you want, don't put it on your credit card. If you can, and can either afford interest or can pay off the item in a month, do. If you're putting essentials on plastic and falling behind, that's not the credit card company's fault--you'd have to pay that stuff anyway.

I paid off my debt a little while ago, but I don't regret any of it. It totally made sense.
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greengrey
10/07/09

@BearDownCBears: Me neither. I'm very fond of my credit card. I don't buy things I can't afford. It gets paid off. My credit is good.
Yay for credit cards being used responsibly!
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scarysheri
10/07/09

In reply to Layaway: The Unsexiest Thing In The Entire World
Ah yes-going to K-Mart and picking out school stuff to put on layaway then that magical day when the box would appear and my bro and I would go through it not remebering what we picked out-it was like Christmas. Anyway, we were poor and sometimes that is the best option. I don't shop alot because I don't have extra money but there have been times where I'd use layaway if offered.
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TheUptightMidwesterner
10/07/09

In reply to Layaway: The Unsexiest Thing In The Entire World
I abhor credit debt and refuse to use cards anymore- AT ALL. I am all for the layway. I think that using layaway results in more thoughtful purchasing practices, too.
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yvanehtnioj
10/07/09

@TheUptightMidwesterner: How do you rent a car? I used to not even carry a card (though I have one for emergencies) but then a car rental place wouldn't take my debit card. Grrr. Luckily a traveling companion was able to use hers.
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TheUptightMidwesterner
10/08/09

@TheUptightMidwesterner: I have a Visa Debit card and have rented a car twice a year with no problems.
I have a credit line through my bank for emergencies- that I have never used.
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sobsister
10/07/09

In reply to Layaway: The Unsexiest Thing In The Entire World
Ah layaway. My mom would buy all of our back to school clothes at Marshall’s in the summer and they’d go on layaway until September. I loved the anticipation! When I was in high school I put a sweater on layaway at the Limited. I think it cost about $50 (in 1990!) and I was working at an ice cream parlor making about $3.75 an hour. I wouldn’t have been able to buy that sweater that I still remember and still love without good old layaway.
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Trulymadlyme
10/07/09

@sobsister: Same here. Layaway school shopping kid.
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WashingMyHair
10/07/09

@Trulymadlyme: Third layaway school shopping kid here.
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la.donna.pietra
10/07/09

In reply to Layaway: The Unsexiest Thing In The Entire World
I would also hazard a guess that layaway complicates stores' bookkeeping in a way that selling stuff on credit (especially credit cards that aren't issued through the store) doesn't. The store probably can't record a layaway sale as a sale until the full amount is received, but they still have to track the item in inventory. It must be a lot easier just to sell people things they can't afford and call it good.
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WashingMyHair
10/07/09

@la.donna.pietra: But on the upside, I'd think that layaway purchases are better for the bottom line. They don't have to pay credit card transaction fees.
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Lizard in the Wires now with even MORE metal in the face!
10/07/09

In reply to Layaway: The Unsexiest Thing In The Entire World
I wish Target did layaway. I don't like shopping at Wal-Mart. And avoid it even though it's so much closer to my house, but I'd love to be able to use layaway.

But if people are saying it's back at Sears I might go there. I'm cool with Sears.
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Mrs. Stephen Fry
10/07/09

@Lizard in the Wires is on Rails: Walmart doesn't have layaway anymore. They did away with it a couple of years ago.
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BeckySharper
10/07/09

In reply to Layaway: The Unsexiest Thing In The Entire World
And you know what's sexy? Being debt-free. I get all hot and moist and tingly just thinking about how much money I DON'T owe.
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Edited by BeckySharper at 10/07/09 5:11 PM BeckySharper was starred BeckySharper was unstarred

Zombie Ms. Skittles
10/07/09

@BeckySharper: Word, yo! I paid my credit card debt off this month! I'm currently $4k in the hole for medical bills and don't ask about my student loans, but I am dreamily celebrating my lack of credit card debt!
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Lymed
10/07/09

@BeckySharper: Well, I just signed a 30 year mortgage.
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BeckySharper
10/07/09

@Lymed: I have one of those too. But it's at a low, fixed interest rate, so I don't worry about it the way I would about credit card debt.
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brokenscope
10/07/09

@Lymed:

The only "good" debt you can have.
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Lymed
10/07/09

@BeckySharper: Mine too, and I doubt we'll actually keep it for 30 years.

@brokenscope: Its only "good" debt if the value of your house is more than your mortgage, which it is in my case. It also feels damn good to come home to my house.
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la.donna.pietra
10/07/09

@Lymed: It's awfully good debt when you can write the interest off of your taxes. Sadly, I won't be able to do that this year. Fie, non-occupant clause!
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Edited by la.donna.pietra at 10/07/09 5:55 PM la.donna.pietra was starred la.donna.pietra was unstarred

schweppes
10/07/09

@brokenscope: I think that's educational debt, no? Mortgage debt is only "universally good" if the value of your home increases at a faster rate than interest which, if you talk to anyone who's bought a home between 2005 and 2008 will tell you that's not always the safest assumption.
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Ultraprison!
10/07/09

@schweppes: Yeah, Suze Orman says student loans are "good debt" because they ultimately allow you to make more money, make your life better, etc etc.
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Lymed
10/07/09

In reply to Layaway: The Unsexiest Thing In The Entire World
Layaway should help people who don't have the credit needed to get a credit card or open a bank account. But this is my question. What happens if your circumstances change and you can't afford something you've put on layaway? Do your lose the money you've already paid? Do you lose a portion of it?
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BadKitty Herself
10/07/09

@Lymed: generally you lose it, all the money and you don't get the merch.
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WashingMyHair
10/07/09

@Lymed: I'm not up on current layaway policy trends, but when I was a kid, every store was different. However, if I remember correctly, some stores charged a set "restocking fee if you decided that you didn't want to go through with the full purchase after all.
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Lymed
10/07/09

@BadKitty Herself, MissFiFi: Then I'm not such a fan of layaway. It makes me think it is just a way to get money from people who don't have the credit for credit cards. Instead of giving away money to credit card companies, you can give it away to KMart.
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thesciencegirl
10/07/09

@Lymed: If I remember correctly from back when my mom used to buy my clothes on layaway, you lose a percentage if you can't pay the balance.
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Benevolent_Dictatrix (patently absurd)
10/07/09

@Lymed: Reminds me of rent-to-own schemes that target low-income people. You pay every week, but if you miss a payment they come and repo the stuff. You never get any equity in the merchandise.
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WashingMyHair
10/07/09

@Lymed: The big difference is that there is no interest charge for layaway programs. That can be big savings.
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Lymed
10/07/09

@Benevolent_Dictatrix (patently absurd): And I can't help but wonder if the real reason it is coming back is the large foreclosure rate is resulting in more people who can't get credit cards.
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ghanedi
10/07/09

@Lymed: Speaking as an employee of a certain store that offers layaway.... When you cancel a layaway, all you lose is a small fee (usually like $15) out of what you've paid in. The rest can be refunded no matter if you have cancelled or if it has been returned to stock. Of course, other stores could be different.
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BearDownCBears
10/07/09

@WashingMyHair: The other big difference is you don't get the item right away. That interest is delayed payment for instant gratification.

I could see layaway being useful for cash-strapped folks who can't ultimately afford price+interest on big essential purchases.
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Lymed
10/07/09

@ghanedi: That's a layaway policy I'm ok with
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WashingMyHair
10/07/09

In reply to Layaway: The Unsexiest Thing In The Entire World
Layaway is a useful tool. If you don't want to/or can't use a credit card, yet spot an item that you may really want or need, putting it on layaway ensures that it'll still be available when you have enough money to pay for the item in full. Otherwise, you'll either have to spend what you don't necessarily have at that moment so that you don't miss out.
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yvanehtnioj
10/07/09

In reply to Layaway: The Unsexiest Thing In The Entire World
I think that the reasons listed for the demise of layaway overlook one of the most important: access to credit. As a greater percentage of the population got credit cards, layaway was no longer really *necessary* (though still financially more responsible), and when stores started issuing their own cards they opened up a whole 'nother revenue stream with interest / overlimit / late fee payments. Why endanger that for something that fewer people were using anymore anyway? And thus died layaway. Now the credit crunch is bringing it back. And I welcome it.
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Edited by yvanehtnioj at 10/07/09 5:09 PM yvanehtnioj was starred yvanehtnioj was unstarred

jenniedee
10/07/09

@yvanehtnioj: Hear, hear. I live without a credit card, mostly because of having terrible credit and wanting to repair it a bit more, partly because I don't really need one. I love layaway; bourgeois it may be, but it makes me feel like a frugal 40s housewife, and for whatever reason, that gives me a thrill.

Then again, there's not much I want at Kmart. I'd love to see more sellers on Etsy, et al. doing layaway plans, though I know it's harder to support as an independent business.
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hej hej
10/07/09

@jenniedee: I also live credit card-free and would benefit from having the option of paying via layaway.

I'm hopeful that big stores like KMart, Sears, Wal-Mart, etc. bringing back layaway will popularize the practice. I think eventually the layaway option will trickle down to smaller, independent stores and online outlets like Etsy and become just another routine form of payment.
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ronniedobbs
10/07/09

@yvanehtnioj: I welcome it, too. I don't welcome the notion that it's something to be ashamed of, because as you say, it serves a population that needs it given their lack of access to more traditional purchasing power.
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whynotshesaid
10/07/09

@jenniedee: I have really shitty credit too, so I had my bank issue me one of those secured ones with a limit of $500. I make a point to use it for small purchases than pay it down as quickly as I can. My credit still blows; it just blows less than it did when I was, say, 18.
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morninggloria
10/07/09

In reply to Layaway: The Unsexiest Thing In The Entire World
Rather than use layaway, I just take the thing that I want and hide it in another department.
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BearDownCBears
10/07/09

@morninggloria: I wasn't aware adult bookstores had more than one "department".
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