Layaway Angels Pay it Forward

Buying something on layaway, as opposed to using a credit card, is one way to “pay it forward,” but a new trend this holiday season has come to embody the original meaning of the catch phrase. In the true spirit of giving, people have been going into stores and anonymously paying off layaway accounts for total strangers.

The first report of a “layaway angel” came from but the idea soon caught on and has spread from coast to coast. In Waterford, Walmart employees say at least two kind-hearted souls have come in to settle the tab for people they don’t know. The first person paid the bills for two strangers. The second person came in on December 17 and spent $200 paying down the layaway accounts for four people she didn’t know.

If you think the beneficiaries of these generous strangers might not really need the help, think again. Just a few hours after the second layaway angel flew out of Waterford’s Walmart, another customer came in to cancel the layaway order she’d placed because she couldn’t afford to pay for it.

For some customers, these layaway angels might just make the difference between having something to give their children this holiday and having nothing at all. Of course, if that’s not the case, they can always pay it forward!