Some positive news for a change

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Some positive news for a change

Postby Arlos » Sat Dec 17, 2011 2:00 pm

Heard about this on the news last night, here's the story in the paper:

Bay Area residents join holiday effort to pay down Kmart layaway accounts

It began last week in Grand Rapids, Mich., with a single act of generosity: A woman reportedly paid off the Kmart layaway accounts of several strangers.

As word spread, the phenomenon gathered strength, flowing outward from the Midwest, fueled by news accounts and social media. And this week, the great layaway wave rolled into the Bay Area, inspiring benevolence from people trying to make the holiday season a little less burdensome for fellow citizens whose wallets are light.

Kmarts in Hayward, Redwood City and San Mateo confirmed they had been the recipients of largesse. The store on Mission Boulevard in Hayward had received only one donation as of late Friday afternoon, but it was a whopper. One man contributed $9,800, paying down 63 accounts, according to store manager John Pawlik. Store employees waded through a list of accounts Friday, calling incredulous customers. Some reacted to the news with shock, others with tears, Pawlik said.

"We tell them it was Santa Claus coming in to pay off their layaway," Pawlik said.

The donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, said in an email Friday that he learned about the Kmart layaway campaign Thursday night. "I couldn't sleep last night thinking about it and wanted to help," said the man, who identified himself only as someone who lives and works in Silicon Valley. "I do not want publicity, only to encourage others to pay it forward."

Kmart hasn't tallied how many accounts have been paid down across the country, but the number appears to be safely in the dozens -- and perhaps much higher. A spokesman said the company can barely keep track as fresh stories of altruism pop up in states from Florida and Pennsylvania to Oregon and Arizona.

The benefactors generally ask to help families who are squirreling away items for young children. They often pay a portion of the balance, usually all but a few dollars or cents so the layaway order stays in the store's system.

The good Samaritans seem to be visiting mainly Kmart stores, though a Wal-Mart spokesman said a few of its stores in Missouri and Illinois have seen some layaway accounts paid off. Kmart is one of the few large discount stores that offer layaway year-round. Under the program, customers can make purchases but let the store hold onto their merchandise as they pay it off slowly over several weeks.

Kmart representatives say they did nothing to instigate the secret Santas or spread word of the generosity. "It's definitely in the season of giving," said spokesman Tom Aiello. "It's not something we're actively promoting, but we love that our customers are helping other customers."

Three people had stopped by the layaway desk at the Kmart on Delaware Street in San Mateo by 3:30 p.m. Friday to make payments for people they'd never met. One of them was a young woman named Mary, who waited in line for 20 minutes to pay an account down from roughly $270 to $20. Mary, who didn't give her last name, had already visited the store on Veterans Boulevard in Redwood City and plunked down $150, erasing two layaway accounts almost entirely.

"I'm pretty lucky, so I just want to pay it forward," said Mary, who works for a San Mateo software company.

Sam Chatfield, a supervisor at the San Mateo store, got choked up while recalling her conversation with a customer whose account had been sliced from several hundred dollars to a single penny.

"I told her that the Christmas angel had paid her layaway," Chatfield said. "She started crying. It made me start crying."


The article doesn't mention it, but on the news, they said the guy that gave the 10 grand away in Hayward specified finding troubled accounts with items that were intended for children. So it directly benefited some of the poorest families in helping with their kids. Talk about an extra merry Christmas for those families, huh? Awesome story, and figured people would like to hear about people doing something GOOD, instead of all the doom & gloom.

-Arlos
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Re: Some positive news for a change

Postby Lyion » Sat Dec 17, 2011 3:10 pm

The donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, said in an email Friday that he learned about the Kmart layaway campaign Thursday night. "I couldn't sleep last night thinking about it and wanted to help," said the man, who identified himself only as someone who lives and works in Silicon Valley. "I do not want publicity, only to encourage others to pay it forward."


Good for him, we need more of this.
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Re: Some positive news for a change

Postby Maeya » Sun Dec 18, 2011 4:48 am

What a fantastic article. I admit to getting a little snuffly reading it.
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Re: Some positive news for a change

Postby Kaemon » Sun Dec 18, 2011 9:37 am

I need a mortgage payment paid this month, it's sorta like a layaway for a house. Anyone feeling generous?
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Re: Some positive news for a change

Postby leah » Mon Dec 19, 2011 8:17 am

a friend of mine was in target this weekend with two of her young daughters and a woman she didn't know came up and handed each girl a $20 target gift card and told them to go pick out whatever toy they wanted. really meant a lot to my friend because a) completely random act of kindness and 2) they're kind of cash-strapped this year.

another acquaintance was in the starbucks drive-thru and the car in front of her paid for her drink; the cashier said that that had happened for like eight cars in a row. she paid it forward (or backward i guess) to the car behind her. yay!
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Re: Some positive news for a change

Postby Arlos » Mon Dec 19, 2011 11:55 am

The K-mart thing, as the first article says, has been happening all over the country.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/anonymous ... 35611.html

Best news item I have heard in a long time. Restores just a little touch of faith in humanity, you know what I mean?

-Arlos
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Re: Some positive news for a change

Postby Tossica » Mon Dec 19, 2011 12:31 pm

It's a bullshit marketing ploy for K-Mart.
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Re: Some positive news for a change

Postby Zanchief » Mon Dec 19, 2011 1:17 pm

I bet you people are running up Lay Away tabs hoping this happens to them.
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Re: Some positive news for a change

Postby Ganzo » Tue Dec 20, 2011 6:29 pm

I didn't know we had any K-Marts left in Grand Rapids
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Re: Some positive news for a change

Postby Lyion » Wed Dec 21, 2011 7:12 am

Tossica wrote:It's a bullshit marketing ploy for K-Mart.


Perhaps, but if the results are good and no harm is done in the process I applaud it. Plus, it's nice to see something in the news that is more tis the season, and not Hannibal Lecterish.
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