Quote:
Originally Posted by xo_kathy
Mismanagement isn't always about spending your cash on booze, cars, and crap you don't really need.
My mother did exactly that when she was first divorced from my father and trying to raise two young kids while working full time. She racked up a credit card debt she couldn't afford so we could have clothes and food - silly her.  ( Disclaimer for my poor dad - he gave us child support. Mom was a little too proud perhaps and had him give less than required b/c she wanted to make it on her own).
So, because she couldn't (and shouldn't) get any more credit cards, she often used layaway at Kmart to get Christmas presents, school clothes, new towels and/or sheets we'd eventually need, etc.
There ARE people who use it for things they know they will need in the future - not just frivolous things. And as someone pointed out, my mom's situation is probably really similar to a lot of people in rural Arkansas who got Wal-Mart off the gorund in the first place. |
Here's the thing, though - layaway is not some sort of service that cannot be replicated. You're simply putting the item in a different location and paying over time - you don't take it with you, right?
So in most cases, people could do the same thing by simply saving their own money, until they reach the entire purchase price - cut the company out of it, and effectively replace layaway. I don't get why we talk about layaway like it's some sort of necessary or singular service.