Tuesday, December 18, 2012
So far, layaway angels have paid off about 10 orders for Kmart customers.
The "layaway angels" have returned to the Kmart on Tilghman Street and so far, at least 10 people who have been paying off Christmas presents every week have experienced a true random act of kindness. Kmart Manager Sandra Villalobos said it's an emotional experience when people discover their balance has been paid. "There are people who have lost their jobs and come in to cancel their orders and then they find out it's been paid for," Villalobos said. "Some of them cry." There was one time recently when a layaway angel was paying off an order and saw a man and his family trying to put a Christmas tree on layaway. Villalobos said Kmart doesn't lay away seasonal items and the kindhearted shopper heard the conversation and paid for the tree…
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Last year, "layaway angels" brought generosity and surprise to shoppers across the Lehigh Valley
Will a new wave a "layaway angels" hit stores this holiday shopping season? In 2011, a trend of anonymous shoppers paying off lawaways for strangers made headlines across the United States and in the Lehigh Valley. Layaway angels paid off at least $7,000 worth of purchases in Bethlehem last year. Tell us if you hear any reports of layaway angels in the Lehigh Valley. Send e-mail to susan.koomar@patch.com. Store managers chose layaways that were delinquent and that included children's toys, figuring the layaway angels would have the biggest impact by covering those purchases. Managers then called the layaway customers to inform them of their good fortune. The wave of generosity hit the Tilghman Street store in South Whitehall and a store in…
Monday, November 12, 2012
There will be no layaway fee at Sears and Kmart through November 17
- BUSINESS
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Monday, November 12, 2012
Sears and Kmart have announced they will waive layaway fees in stores and online through Nov. 17, according to an Associated Press report. Both stores usually charge $5 for an eight-week layaway and $10 for 12 weeks. Kmart's move came after Wal-Mart said it was lowering its holiday layaway program fee to $5 from $15. The Wal-Mart holiday layaway program started Sept. 16 and runs through Dec. 14 and will include more items than last year. Shoppers will get a service charge refund via Wal-Mart gift card when they pay off their layaway purchase. Walmart's Black Friday deals will start earlier than ever this year - 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving.
Friday, September 21, 2012
A Bethlehem Township man is accused of taking $250 worth of Xbox Controllers from Kmart, which he claims was to pay for heroin addiction, court records say.
A Bethlehem Township man told police he stole $250 in Xbox Controllers from a township Kmart to keep his two-bag-a-day heroin habit going, court records say. Michael Robert Wodyka, 24, of 3272 Regal Road is charged with stealing five of the video game controllers from the Kmart at 3843 Nazareth Pike (Route 191) around noon Aug. 21. Surveillance video shows Wodyka allegedly stealing items from the Kmart on Aug. 21 and on three other days, but he was charged only with the Aug. 21 incident, the records say. A criminal complaint filed by township Patrolman William Stanton said a loss-prevention officer at the Kmart told police on Aug. 21 that a man later identified as Wodyka had stolen the five Xbox Controllers and that the incident was …
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Retailers are launching a layaway war to kick off the 2012 holiday shopping season.
- BUSINESS
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Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Sears and Kmart have announced they will waive layaway fees in stores and online through Nov. 17, according to an Associated Press report. Both stores usually charge $5 for an eight-week layaway and $10 for 12 weeks. Kmart's move comes three days after Wal-Mart said it was lowering its holiday layaway program fee to $5 from $15. The Wal-Mart holiday layaway program starts Sept. 16 and runs through Dec. 14 and will include more items than last year. Shoppers will get a service charge refund via Wal-Mart gift card when they pay off their layaway purchase. Toys R Us Inc. is cutting an upfront service fee for layaway orders in store from Sept. 4 through Oct. 31. After Oct. 31, a $5 service fee will apply.
Monday, December 26, 2011
Several dozen anonymously paid the layaway accounts of total strangers.
Possibly driven by media attention, the Linden Street Kmart saw a bevy of “layaway angels” in the last week before Christmas. “We probably had about 50 to 70 people,” said assistant store manager Judy Douglas.”It was definitely upwards of $7,000.” While Douglas didn't have exact figures, she said the number of people and families that were recipients was probably higher. “Most people wanted to impact more than one family,” she said. The amounts given varied widely, with one donor giving $1,000, while others gave smaller amounts. Some just gave what they could afford, perhaps pulling a layaway account out of delinquency, or reducing the amount owed, she said. The donors chose the recipients themselves, Douglas added, explaining the store …
40.674183
-75.345145
3843 Linden St, Bethlehem, PA
/articles/bethlehem-kmart-layaway-angels-gave-7-000
/locations/6074252
Saturday, December 24, 2011
More anonymous donors have been paying off layaway orders for strangers since Patch first reported on the trend.
- HOLIDAY GUIDE
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Saturday, December 24, 2011
Across the country, anonymous benefactors have been dropping into local Kmarts and paying off layaway balances for families with children. It’s difficult to tell where this trend of generosity started – you can see reports from Patch sites across the country above – but it’s clear that where “layaway angels” tread, tears of joy follow. Since we first reported about layaway angels, 14 more people appeared at the Kmart in Palmer Township and paid off 20 contracts, according to store manager Rich Riddell. One angel, he said, read the article on Patch and went to the store because she thought it was a wonderful idea. "One customer thought it was a hoax ... until she came in," Riddell said. "She broke down into tears when we brought out her …
40.68473
-75.25042
Kmart
320 S 25th St, Easton, PA
/articles/layaway-angels-continue-to-spread-generosity
1562871
/locations/6070293
40.589256
-75.560926
4701 W Tilghman St, Allentown, PA
Kmart
/articles/layaway-angels-continue-to-spread-generosity
/locations/6070294
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Anonymous shoppers are paying off layaways for strangers at Kmart stores
A nationwide trend of anonymous shoppers paying off lawaways for strangers at Kmart stores has hit the Lehigh Valley including the Kmart on Linden Street in Bethlehem. "We just had three over the weekend," assistant manager Diane Charles told Patch on Monday. A couple paid $250 toward three different layaways. Two other donors gave about $100 to pay off purchases for strangers. Charles said she chose layaways that were delinquent and that included children's toys, figuring the layaway angels would have the biggest impact by covering those purchases. She then called the layaway customers to inform them of their good fortune. "They were ecstatic," she said. "One person wanted to know who paid it off and I told them it was just a random …
40.674183
-75.345145
3843 Linden St, Bethlehem, PA
/articles/kmart-layaway-angel-trend-hits-bethlehem
/locations/6044913
sue
1:15 pm on Tuesday, December 18, 2012
thats beautiful! more ›