Layaway

[lisajl]

Just curious if any of you use layaway for Christmas?

The last time I did they messed up my stuff. Tried to give me someone elses order, said I had cancelled mine. No, I didn't, showed them my receipt and the size 2XX clothes they were trying to give me would fit no one in my house.

Needless to say I was not happy, they did not find all my stuff and I swore it off.

Now, I am thinking of trying again. My kids are extremely nosey and find everything I hide for them!

What are your opinions of layaway?

Lisa

 

[Jsme]

If I layaway for Christmas I normally do so in October. I have yet to have a bad ezperience but I have been in line and saw several times where they had lost layaways.

 

[ceecee]

Never used it myself. I usually just hide the stuff around the house (attic) or at my mom's. My neighbor wraps everything while her boys are at school and puts it in the trunk of her car. I have a van so that wouldn't work for me plus I could never fit everything into one trunk! DH takes DD out for ice cream after church services on Christmas Eve, then Santa moves everything downstairs to the basement bathroom.

 

[Tjaleks]

I love layaway. I have never had a problem with any place I have done this at. I usually only layaway for my own kids, but since WDW is our XMas this year I have not done so.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I have done it for the past 6 years or so and it's worked out well for me. I usually do it at Walmart (mostly toys) because there just isn't a good place in my house for all of it, but this year I don't think I'm going to simply because my shopping is almost done (thanks to the encouragement of these boards I've been clearance and sale shopping for presents throughout the year). I have had them lose part of my order one year, something big that wouldn't fit in a box, but since they check my receipt against the items so carefully if they hadn't found it I wouldn't have lost any money and they were going to let me go get another one off the shelf if they didn't find it. One thing I recommend is if you're doing it at Walmart, go very early on the morning you're going to pick it up, like 15 minutes before the layaway dept. opens (just be prepared to wait). It goes faster and they haven't had a chance to start digging for people's layaways yet so IMO it's easier, faster, and less stressful.

 

[lisajl]

I think we will probably put some things in layaway. But, we have found things on clearance already for the boys.
Our DD on the other hand is a tough one to buy for!

 

[BrerMama]

We don't have credit cards and use layaway every year at Christmas. Sometimes have multiple layaways at multiple stores. Never had a problem. We usually put on layway in late Sept/early Oct and try to pick it up before Thanksgiving (avoids the Christmas insanity).

 

[BARBARAAPPLE]

I do layaway cause we have no place to hide it at home, the kids are 12 and 11 so the 12 year old knows to start snooping around the 11 year old just waits on Santa to bring it ..
I do WalMart and so far no problems just long pickup lines

 

[Danemom]

Besides Walmart, who else does layaway? We did it once when the kids were really small and the line to pickup took forever! Is that what you guys have experienced also?

 

[BARBARAAPPLE]

Goodys
Kmart
Those Are 2 Others That I Have Used

 

[chewysmom]

I use layaway every year for Christmas, and I've never had a problem.

 

[MelodyMack]

What a coincidence...we just put a huge amount of stuff on layaway for all the kids in the family. We have found this is the best way to pay off Christmas before December, and keep the toys hidden from munchkins. We bought $300 worth of stuff and I'll make $75 payments every two weeks so by time Christmas rolls around the bulk of our shopping is done AND paid for.

My DH and I have found this to be the easiest way to do it for us.

HTH!
Mel

 

[WDWorBUST]

I just did a tiny Christmas Lay-away at Wal-Mart yesterday. We have mostly been doing it so we don't have "stuff" in our already stuffed house. I'm hoping it goes well. We'll probably pick it up before Thanksgiving because I "plan" on having all my Christmas done and the tree up by the time we leave for WDW 11/25.

 

[Delilah Bleu]

I love layaway. Space is an issue at my house. My DD belives in santa so that's not the problem. I can't stand when the stuff is just piled around. I normally shop in late Sept. early October, pick up by the end of November or beginning of December and I'm done. This year we are spending Christmas at WDW so I am almost done now!

 

[staci]

Just a reminder!! DONT FORGET YOUR LAYAWAY!!!

I use to work at a store (now closed) that had layaway. We had a HUGE stack of unclaimed layaways. We would put the merchadise back, but save the layaway slip so that the person could come back for a refund. But hardly ANYONE ever did! Most of the deposits were small (5-10 bucks) but that really adds up!

 

[tinan]

I have always used layaway for Christmas. I think the biggest tips I can give you for your layaways is 1) shop early and 2) try to pick up before the final pickup date. Shop early is a two-fold tip because by shopping early the layaway dept. isn't as busy and don't normally have as many mistakes. The other reason is that it allows you more time to pay the layaway off. WalMart is already accepting Christmas layaways now and a perfect time to go shopping! The second tip is just about everyone is trying to pick their layaway up on the final pick up days. I usually time myself about a week or so beforehand and what a difference that little bit of time makes!

 

[etwinchester]

I haven't used layaway for Christmas items in years. I normally buy a little at a time when things are on sale. I'm already done for DD this Christmas and her birthday which is in January.

The only other people we buy for are our parents and DH and I exchange as well. We cut our xmas list down dramatically. I'm an only child so no siblings to get for either.