Woman visits Toys R Us, pays off everyone's layaway.

[7962]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/woman-visits-toys-us-pays-off-everybodys-layaway/story?id=27545537

A woman is being hailed as a layaway angel after she went into a Toys ‘R’ Us store in Bellingham, Mass., on Wednesday and paid off every open layaway account -- giving about 150 customers with items on layaway an early Christmas present.

The generous donor paid $20,000 to wipe the entire layaway balance at that location, a spokeswoman for Toys ‘R’ Us confirmed to ABC News on Thursday.

This incredible act of kindness is a true illustration of holiday giving at its best,” the company said in a statement.
The donor made the payment anonymously, but the Milford Daily News reported that she was a local resident who said she would sleep better at night knowing the accounts had been paid.


>>>I like to post GOOD stories so we dont always see doom and gloom. This article also mentions some others who opened their wallets to strangers<<

[City Lights]

1. Thanks for posting this.

Gives me hope...

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. How lovely! Kudos to her. n/t

[progressoid]

3. ...

[loyalsister]

4. This is great!

Thanks for posting. It made me smile.

[Agschmid]

5. Love this!

[MissDeeds]

6. Wonderful

Much needed good news.

K&R

[LittleBlue]

7. Layaway still exists?

Regardless, what a great act of charity.

[Fla Dem]

62. Yes, some stores re-introduced it after the recessions because people couldn't get credit cards. nt

[Liberal_in_LA]

80. yes, it eent away and came back

[polichick]

8. Very cool - thanks!

[Heidi]

9. Kick!

[appalachiablue]

10. Wonderful! Somebody really cares. Thank you for the post.

[ErikJ]

11. That's thinking outside the box

or inside the box?

[joeybee12]

12. That is incredibly generous and wonderful.

[oberliner]

13. Why are people putting things on layaway at Toys R Us?

What at that store could be such a worthwhile expenditure of such a significant amount of money?

[valerief]

14. What might not be significant to you is often very significant to too many others in America. nt

[oberliner]

16. At Toys R Us?

I would understand something like a refrigerator or a bed, but Toys R Us?

I am trying to think of what item there could be so valuable that it is worth it to put on layaway. Do you have any examples?

[bigwillq]

19. It's holiday time. They probably have children to buy for.

Some toys/games are expensive.

[oberliner]

31. You don't have to buy children expensive toys/gifts for the holidays

There is not always a direct correlation between the joy a child receives from a gift and the amount of money it cost to purchase it.

[benz380]

52. Who says they're putting expensive toys on layaway?

There is NO minimum purchase amount to put something on layaway at Toys R Us.
You put 10% of the total cost of layaway items, plus $5 for layaway fee. So I can layaway something for $30.00 and pay $8 to put it on layaway.
Layaway contracts last 90 days.

[BuddhaGirl]

69. Why are you assuming these are expensive toys?

Are you not aware that this is how many people HAVE to shop during the holidays?

Judgmental much?

[oberliner]

84. Aren't we all judgmental?

For instance, we criticize right-wing Republicans regularly here, with good reason.

My personal opinion is that it seems like Toys R Us and the marketers behind the toys sold there create a sense that children need to have certain, sometimes expensive, presents in order to be happy.

This is just my opinion - nothing personal. It's a discussion board - just trying to contribute to a discussion.

[Chemisse]

93. These could be piles of the cheapest of toys for all we know.

You can put multiple items together and put them on layaway.

But also, if you have teenagers you know that there is NOTHING on their x-mas lists under $50!

[oberliner]

96. That is a fair point

I am understanding that layaway does not necessarily mean expensive.

[wickerwoman]

20. Bikes, playhouses, tablet computers,

consoles, telescopes, etc.

A PS4 is $450. A lot of families wouldn't be able to manage that in one whack.

I'd never put anything like that on layaway since you're losing the interest you would have gotten by just saving up in your own bank account but then I have the luxury of having a bank account and decent credit.

Could also be some parents trying in a slightly misguided way to teach their kids financial responsibility.

[MicaelS]

56. Game Consoles

With tax nearly $500 for the PS4 or Xbox Bundle.

$500 is a lot of money, and that is on sale. And that is with just one game.

[Liberal_in_LA]

79. many families spend a few hundred on each kid

[oberliner]

85. That seems excessive to me

Just my opinion (and clearly not a popular one) but I find it frustrating that marketers of toys create this desire to spend hundreds of dollars on these items that, in many cases, do not live up to the advertising and are quickly discarded.

[mercuryblues]

98. if you have more than 1 kid

it can add up. One bicycle and helmet can be close to 100 dollars. Throw in a movie, video game and a few action figures or a Barbie doll it is $200. If you have 2 kids $400. Add a few gifts for the nieces and nephews easily over $500 Many people can not afford that all at once, so they put it on layaway and make payments.

I know when all my kids and 6 nieces and nephews were at that age, I made many, many trips to toys r us during the holiday season.

[Ineeda]

15. 150 customers

with an average of $135.00 -- not a gigantic expenditure for a family's Christmas budget for their children. So now each family has approximately $135 to put towards savings, bills, groceries, or clothes. Or gifts for others. How generous and lovely of that person.

[oberliner]

17. I think she did a very nice thing

I just don't understand how a Toys R Us toy could be worth putting on layaway. Seems like capitalism run amok.

[JI7]

18. people want to give their child,grandchildren etc something to make them happy

on christmas.

[oberliner]

22. And it has to be a Toys R Us toy?

Aren't there other less expensive ways to make them happy on Christmas?

[JI7]

24. usually kids want certain specific toys they see in advertising

[oberliner]

30. I think that's part of the problem

Though my opinion seems not to be a popular one.

[JI7]

32. depends, for some usually christmas or birthdays are the only time they give something

but there is a problem if parents feel they need to get every thing their kid wants so they can compete with other parents and kids and show off.

but if it's just about wanting to give something special for this one time and wanting to see their kid's faces as they open the gifts i have no problem with that.

[a kennedy]

42. Can't you just say something nice and have a positive response about this act of generosity?

Please? Thanks. and happy holidays to you and yours.

[oberliner]

45. I did include such a comment on this thread

I think what the woman did was very kind.

I do feel though that is worth exploring the issue that I raised as well, especially on a board such as this one.

The idea that people feel the need to spend so much money at Toys R Us troubles me (and perhaps only me!).

I wish all the best for the holidays to anyone reading this message!

[bvf]

59. Agreed.

Peer pressure has a lot to do with it as well, I'm sure, especially with high-end items like game consoles.

Liked the sentiment, but she had better avenues open to her to express her magnanimity.

[tblue37]

61. Kids go to school with other kids. If you are the kid who NEVER has

ANY of the popular toys, you feel sad and left out. If the amount owed was that low, it suggests that these kids are not getting a greed fest for CHristmas, but that maybe this one time of the year the parents are trying to give the kid something special, something that he or she has been yearning for and has been hearing about from his or her peers for a long time,

We were poor, but every Christmas Mom tried to get each of us six kids a special gift that we had asked for--roller skates, a Barbie, a one year I even got a Schwinn bike, since my 3 older siblings had bikes, but I didn't yet. I think that was when I was 8, maybe 9.

We usually didn't get anything else that could be called a toy, but we did get things like tights or socks, gloves, or a warm knit scarf. Sometimes we would get an extra minor "toy" like a puzzle for all of us to put together, or a large box of crayons and a couple of coloring books to share. We each also got one of those net stockings with candy, which we would hoards and eat slowly until Eastr. Christmas, Easter, and Halloween were the only times we got candy, so we knew how to make each holiday's treasure of sweets last until the next holiday!

But at Christmas, if the request was not too much for her to swing, we each got one thing we had asked for--and she did it by putting those things on layaway and paying them off as slowly as the contract permitted.

(I am 64, so back when I was a kid there was no Toys R Us.)

I am glad some kids are going to get a nice Christmas gift, and that their parents will have a bit of extra cash to use for necessities--or even for another little gift for their kids.

[roguevalley]

82. this was my life regarding Christmas way back in the day when I was a kid. Way back.

My dad made about 3 grand a year which was good wages for long hours and uncomplaining labor. mom couldn't work because of the little kids.

They did layaway for one good toy for all of us. It was a hardship because dad got laid off every fall through winter. It was a hard life but I regret nothing. Everyone else was in the same boat. Who knew differently?

We could buy five loaves of bread for a dollar and shoes were a few bucks, good shoes.

We got three dresses and one good pair of shoes every fall for school. In the summer we wore thongs or went bare foot. A quarter was a huge amount of money then.

Mind you, we weren't poor. We were working class. Any kid who gets a nice toy, good for you. I remember going on a band trip where I had about five dollars my mom and dad gave to me to eat on. It was for food for two days. I had a quarter left on the way back from California and remember watching other kids eat when I didn't. My parents wanted Toys R Us for their kids. We got what they could afford, barely, by layaway.

We were doing way the hell better than most folks but it was hard. I will never forget it. I will never feel bad for anyone getting something nice if their parents want to do without so they can once a year. I loved my parents. They did that for us so we wouldn't come to hate Christmas like some kids did because it pointed out their poverty and their parent's impotence about it. My folks were good souls. Most parents want that for their kids. This woman did a really nice thing. I am glad without reservations at all.

[tblue37]

91. I think most of us older DUers remember when having ALL of the latest popular

Last edited Mon Dec 15, 2014, 10:58 PM - Edit history (1)

hi-tech toys and gadgets wasn't necessary to fit in and not be sneered at.

But it is in many ways rougher these days for kids who are poor. I deplore the pervasiveness of materialism and greed, but if a parent wants to save up to get a kid one nice toy for Christmas, or put the toy on layaway and pay it off as he or she can, then I can't fault that parent.

I do, however, deplore the notion that just because someone is poor, that person should never think of spending a cent on anything not absolutely necessary for survival. Sure, poor people--and everyone, really--should not be careless, wasteful, or extravagant with money, but I actually don't see that financial carelessness much among those in tight circumstances. What I do see is a lot of clever workarounds, heroic efforts, and responsible attempts to provide both basic necessities and some extra quality of life for their beloved children, often at great sacrifice for the parent.

That layaway payoff story is *still* giving me warm Christmas feelings, even so many days after I first read about it!

[roguevalley]

97. agreed, tblue37. you read my mind. :D

[Chemisse]

94. No parent wants to see a sad, disappointed child on Christmas morning.

We want to get our kids what they want, if at all possible.

When they are little, it is easy to substitute a name-brand toy for a cheaper, generic toy. As they get a little older, watch the commercials on tv, and see what their friends have for toys, they become more insistent on having just exactly what they want. Sure you could still get the alternative version of it, but your child would be sad or at least subdued, and that would wrench your heart.

Perhaps you've never had children?

[oberliner]

95. Perhaps you've never had children?

If you have had children, can you not remember a time when a child begged for a popular toy, played with it once or twice and then discarded it? Or found that it was not quite as exciting as the tv commercials made it seem? Children can derive great joy from, for example, an old book that costs next to nothing. I myself remember fondly being read to by my mother or father from just such a book and have passed along similar memories. Children get sad over a lot of things - not being allowed to have dessert, not being allowed to stay up as late they want to, etc. Part of having children is being able to live with that short term sadness on a pretty regular basis in service of the greater good. I think they will appreciate that more in the long run when they get older.

[moriah]

26. Some want to wait until their kids know who Santa really is to enlighten them....

... about budgeting and thrift.

Geez, been hanging around this fella lately?

[oberliner]

29. Not meaning to be Grinchy

I just think Toys R Us and stores like it make folks think that they need to buy the items that they sell, even if it means having to put them on layaway to do so. I find it frustrating.

[JI7]

34. layaway helps them because they don't have to worry about the item selling out

and it's better than credit cards because they don't have to worry about interests and other fees.

i think it use to be more common in the old days before credit cards started to be used more.

[bigwillq]

36. Good post.

I wish more stores offered layaway/payment plans where you can use cash.

[BuddhaGirl]

72. this ^^^

[Dreamer Tatum]

39. Why not ask those dang kids you're about to shoo of your lawn? nt

[oberliner]

40. I dont shoo kids off my lawn

I just lament the pressure that is sometimes put on people to buy name brand toys that they cannot afford because commercials make their children think they want them when more homespun and inexpensive gifts could provide even more joy than the Toys R Us stuff.

[Dreamer Tatum]

43. Kids have wanted what they've wanted for generations

and will be the same for generations long after we are dust.

In any case, you clearly haven't bought toys of any kind for a while, because they cost more
than a couple of bucks. $150 is actually surprisingly low.

[oberliner]

46. You can't (and shouldn't) always get what you want

I cannot tell you how many times I was convinced by TV commercials that I really wanted a certain toy when I was a kid - only to find that it was a piece of junk that did not live up the expectations of the commercial and was quickly forgotten.

[Mariana]

48. You can't and shouldn't always get what you want.

You seem to think that means kids should NEVER EVER get what they want. Just because YOU were disappointed with YOUR choices of toys when you were a kid doesn't mean everyone else was, or will be.

That fact is, you have no idea what items they put on layaway, and you don't know why they did it. The average account was $135, but you don't know how many kids each person was buying for. You really have no basis whatsoever to criticize.

[oberliner]

49. Kids should definitely sometimes get what they want

I was just sharing a personal anecdote regarding how toys sometimes don't live up to their advertisements.

I don't know what items were put on layaway, but I do know what the store Toys R Us is and what they sell.

The basis for my criticism is more about how the toy industry makes children think they need to have certain expensive items through deceptive advertising.

Do you not agree that this takes place?

[Mariana]

66. Why don't you make a separate thread about that, then?

Toys R Us does sell plenty of expensive junk, but there are some worthwhile items there as well. It's wrong to assume all the goods on layaway were of the expensive junk variety, and that the people who bought them were being foolish.

[oberliner]

73. Fair point

Did not mean to turn this into a thread hijack. I was just making an observation and comment and then people kept responding so I responded back with my thoughts.

[tabbycat31]

78. Name brand gifts have been around forever

I was 4 when the Cabbage Patch Kids craze was around, and that was the ONLY thing I wanted for Christmas that year. My grandfather pitched a tent at Toys R Us to make sure that I had one. I have younger cousins (13 and 14) who ask for things by name and have been forever. My nieces (infant and 2) aren't at that stage in life yet. BUt if a kid wants something with Elmo or Frozen on it because they LOVE Elmo or Frozen, then that's what the kid wants. At one point, my cousins watched Nickelodeon or Disney Channel every day (I got so sick of it when babysitting for them) and while Disney did not have 'outside' ads (only for Disney products), Nick's commercials were either toys or junk food.

As for homespun gifts. As someone who knows how to knit, I can say that the yarn for a good scarf (that's not itchy) is more expensive than buying a cheap one.

Layaway is not only about not being able to afford. Many people don't have space to hide their kids presents before Christmas (as a kid, I discovered all of them) and use layaway as temporary storage that peering eyes can't get into.

[oberliner]

87. Fair enough

These are all good points - I appreciate you taking the time to share them. I've learned a lot about the concept of layaway that I did not previously understand.

[dixiegrrrrl]

47. You are bringing to mind a tale which is usually told this time of year:

"At this festive season of the year, Mr Scrooge, ... it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the Poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. Many thousands are in want of common necessaries; hundreds of thousands are in want of common comforts, sir."
"Are there no prisons?"
"Plenty of prisons..."
"And the Union workhouses." demanded Scrooge. "Are they still in operation?"
"Both very busy, sir..."
"Those who are badly off must go there."
"Many can't go there; and many would rather die."
"If they would rather die," said Scrooge, "they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."

[oberliner]

50. Certainly not my intention

There would be nothing better in the world than for it to be filled with happy people who are not living in want of common necessaries or common comforts.

I just think it is worth exploring the question of how toy manufacturers create an environment where adults feel pressure to spend money at stores like Toys R Us.

Haven't you seen the old cartoons with the child has more fun playing with the cardboard box than the toy that was inside of it?

[dixiegrrrrl]

55. This was posted in the spirit of Christmas and good news.

You might consider a separate post for exploring questions that you obviously have.

Not my place to pass judgment on how and why parents decide to have Christmas for their families.

EOM.

[oberliner]

57. Fair enough

It just sparked a thought that perhaps was better left unarticulated.

[EX500rider]

68. "create an environment where adults feel pressure to spend money at stores like Toys R Us"

Kids have wanted toys for Xmas WAY before there were any box stores, i think you have the cart before the horse.

[kcr]

63. Everything is expensive, now.

Everything. Where do you suppose people should go to get toys for their kids? Unless you're suggesting that poor kids shouldn't have them?

[oberliner]

70. 70+ {Awesome} Homemade Toys You Can Make for Your Kids

Over 70 awesome toys that you can make for the kids in your life!

With Christmas approaching I’ve been busy, rounding up homemade gift ideas. Recently, I wrote this post, sharing a dozens of really awesome homemade gifts that kids can make for grown-ups, and then there’s this one – homemade gifts grown-ups can make for kids. I got a little carried away because, holy cow, there are a TON of homemade toy ideas floating around on the internet. Toys for babies, toddler toys, toys for preschool boys and girls. Toys made from old furniture or from items in your recycle bin, toys made from stuff you already have around the house, and toys made from inexpensive thrift shop finds.

http://happyhooligans.ca/70-awesome-toys-make-kids/

[kcr]

74. Homemade toys are fine for those with the time and skill to make them

But there are still going to be store bought toys that kids want. The same way that adults want store bought computers.

[Beaverhausen]

92. How about a homemade bicycle?

Layaway might be the only way these families can get gifts for the kids. Sheesh.

[abelenkpe]

76. Not surprised you don't understand.

[oberliner]

88. What does this mean?

Why would you be surprised or not surprised? This is the first time I've ever shared my thoughts on this.

[KittyWampus]

23. toys and playing are a big part of how humans learn.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

25. Layaway made a big comeback after the 2008 meltdown

A lot of people had their credit cards shut down or cut back.

[moriah]

27. Hope your kid doesn't draw my kid's name from the "secret Santa" hat.

I can see it now. A lovely book on basketweaving, or a yurt-building kit.

A lot of people think of the smile on their kid's faces when they open up that Frozen toy, or that My Little Pony plush, and think it was worth pinching the pennies and putting it on layaway when it was on sale even though they didn't have all the money right about then.

[oberliner]

28. A yurt-building kit is expensive

Much more so than Frozen toys and My Little Pony dolls.

What happens if the kid doesn't smile when they get the Toys R Us toy you paid for on layaway? What if they say it sucks and move on to the next toy?

[FLPanhandle]

33. Now I want a yurt building kit.

damn you.

[JI7]

35. ususally layaway toys are toys the kids really want but parents at that time may not be able

to afford. but if they wait until later the item could be gone.

[benz380]

53. He probably only lets them play Dirty Santa.

[SomethingFishy]

37. "Significant amount of money" is a relative term..

Most stores don't charge for layaway, and not everyone can afford $500 for an Xbox out of pocket.

Bicycles are expensive too.. So are electronic toys.

[oberliner]

41. That is a fair point

Though I do believe Toys R Us does charge a "service fee" for layaway.

[SomethingFishy]

44. Haven't been there in years.. my kids are older,

their toys are getting seriously expensive. They all want cars. I told them to get jobs.. LOL That sucks if they charge a fee though, the whole point was supposed to be for folks who needed it.

[benz380]

65. $5.00. nt

[FSogol]

60. Bikes. Video game systems. Swing sets. A whole combination of toys such as dolls, games, Legos,

etc. Layaway is a better idea than credit cards. If is a form of saving for want you want.

My parents never used charge cards and always set up a Christmas club account at their bank and put a few bucks in it from every paycheck. On December 1, my Mom would withdraw it for Christmas presents.

[fishwax]

71. bikes, cribs, car seats, games, lego sets, sporting equipment, any number of things, really.

I take your larger point, but toys r us (and/or babies r us) sells a lot of stuff that kids want as well as some stuff that parents pretty much need. I don't think putting a bike on layaway for a Christmas gift is a bad thing. Or, say, putting a car seat on layaway knowing that your child might outgrow the current one in the next few months, as a way to not get hit with the expense all at once. At most they charge a five dollar fee, but there are also free layaway promotions where it costs nothing. It certainly seems to me to be preferable to going into debt and paying interest.

[oberliner]

86. I am getting the message

I just was taken aback by the idea of people buying what seemed to be expensive items from Toys R Us that they may have been manipulated into purchasing by advertising and whatnot.

Like how so many people buy McDonald's hamburgers for some reason other than the quality and cost of the food.

[riderinthestorm]

99. I was just going to add this. Toys R Us carries so much more than toys

Including formula, cribs, car seats and more.

I'm guessing Oberliner hasn't been in one of those stores before and doesn't know that they carry so much more than toys.

I wouldn't dare presume to judge what people may have put on layaway there. Especially with the very low average each person owed.

[calimary]

21. Thank you, 7962.

Needed this.

[Marrah_G]

38. Wow- I remember when that store was built.

What a terrific thing to do!

[merrily]

51. Awww, nice!

[shenmue]

54. Wow!

Can I have a pony?

[spanone]

58. sweeeeeeeet!!!!!!

[proverbialwisdom]

64. Similar heartwarming story here.

http://www.burbankleader.com/news/tn-blr-shopping-spree-hits-its-target-20141209,0,904879.story

Shopping spree hits its target

By Kelly Corrigan, [e-mail]
December 10, 2014 | 10:00 a.m.

In less than a few hours, about 20 people purchased $15,000 worth of clothes and toys at Target in the Empire Center on Monday morning for local families in need.

It’s part of an annual event that began four years ago when friends Lauren Hissrich and Michelle Lankwarden, along with Lauren Hissrich’s husband, Michael, volunteered to shop for $100 worth of toys to donate to Providence St. Joseph’s Medical Center.

Early in 2011, the Hissrichs’ son, Harry, was born at St. Joseph’s and rushed to the neonatal intensive-care unit when he stopped breathing. After his life was saved, he went home healthy about a week later.

Before Lankwarden and Lauren Hissrich set out to shop that first year, they spread the word on Facebook and through email. In two days, much to their surprise, they collected $2,000 to purchase toys.

“(We) brought three carloads’ worth of toys to the hospital,” Lankwarden said.

In 2012, the hospital’s foundation partnered with the trio and they raised $6,000 to spend on families in need.

The next year, when they exceeded the previous year’s donations by more than double — at $14,000 — the three decided they needed help from friends to fill shopping baskets at Target.

<>

[7962]

67. Wonderful!! We should start a "Good news" room.

But sadly a lot of folks here wouldnt want to read any of it!! Wouldnt go along with their "All is lost" attitude.

[appalachiablue]

75. A Good News Room is a great idea. Let's start it.

[steve2470]

77. here you go

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=forum&id=1267

[appalachiablue]

83. Terrific! Thank you.

[7962]

89. I just added my first one:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2871737/What-difference-week-makes-Cop-let-starving-mother-caught-stealing-eggs-just-hug-delivers-two-truckloads-food-feed-family-Christmas.html

[appalachiablue]

90. Beautiful. Hope it shows up around here lots.

[steve2470]

81. wonderful story nt