Christmas Layaway

There are many advantages to buying holiday gifts early and putting them on layaway. Shopping can be done at any time, from about mid-October through December. There is no need to hide the gifts from the children or other family and friends because the gifts are safely tucked away at the store. The gifts won’t get damaged or misplaced.

The best part of buying gifts on the layaway plan is that you will have a lot of time to pay them off. If the price of a gift is overwhelming, the store will allow you to place the item on layaway with a small percentage down upfront, but then a small payment every week or two will get the item paid off completely before the holiday arrives.

By putting Christmas presents on layaway, you may be able to save your credit score by making small payments and not running up huge credit card debt. Many housewives will purchase Christmas gifts on layaway, simply for the ease of keeping the presents hidden from their small children. Christmas presents can be picked up just before the holiday and can be wrapped and put together in one day and hidden again. When kids can’t find the presents, they quit looking after a while.

Please Bookmark This Page

Digg Delicious Twitter Facebook

By that point, the gifts will have arrived from the store and safely tucked away. This 2011 Holiday Season, Walmart Stores will be having layaway. Layaway at Walmart will be from October 17 through December 16. Some restrictions will apply, but basically, it will be on items $15 or more, but the total purchase must be $50 or more. Walmart’s layaway for 2011 will be available for eligible toys, electronics and jewelry. A 10% down payment and nonrefundable $5 service fee apply, but it’s a small price to pay for the peace of mind and ease of being able to make payments on your holiday shopping. Be careful to pick up the layaway items by the cutoff date or a $10 cancellation fee will apply.

This includes items not paid for as well as cancelled items and items not picked up by December 16. Additional fees may vary by state but are not imposed directly by Walmart or Walmart Supercenter Stores. The great thing about using Walmart for your holiday purchases is that they will price match any advertised deal from a competitor. Another great store who will offer a layaway plan is Kmart. One great thing about Kmart Stores is that they don’t limit what items you put on layaway.

This plan is available for shoes, clothing, TV’s as well as toys and jewelry. By planning on giving more useful gifts, then maybe Kmart will be the way to go. Most layaway contracts are for 8 weeks, but Kmart does offer a 12 week plan also. The fees associated with Kmart’s layaway are about the same as Walmart. This includes the 10% down, $5 service fee and $10 cancellation fee. Payments are due every 2 weeks with a 7-day grace period for payments. There is no cut-off date for pickup, so you can save your shopping in store up until the very last minute!

This works well for families with small children. Another popular store for layaway for Christmas is Toys R Us or Babies R Us. Once again, both of these stores will be offering layaway as part of the 2011 holiday shopping season. About the only thing not offered is clothing. Layaway is offered for toys, games, outdoor equipment, bikes, water slides & pools, dollhouses as well as baby gear such as strollers, cribs, car seats and furniture.

As these items are usually quite expensive, a layaway plan is an easy way to make the necessary payments and get the items paid off without much strain on the pocketbook. By making a payment every payday, the holiday shopping can be finished with ease. Toys R Us and Babies R Us state that layaway payments can be made at any time, but 50% of the total price of your order must be paid within 45 days. If this has not been met, then the contract will be automatically cancelled and the items put on layaway will be returned to stock.

The total price of your order must be paid within three months or 90 days or by the holiday cutoff, whichever is sooner. The deposit at Toys”R”Us and Babies”R”Us is larger than at Kmart or Walmart, at the rate of 20% of the total price of the order. Again, you have the $5 service fee, but also shipping charges are due when the merchandise if put into layaway.

The cancellation fee is $10, but must be done in writing at ToysRUs or BabiesRUs stores. Typically, in any of the store which allows Holiday Layaway, special order and clearance items are not eligible. Also, the full balance of any layaway order can be paid at any time, but typically for larger items, it’s easier for the budget to pay the item(s) off a little at a time. Hopefully, shoppers will be able to avoid excessive credit card debt this holiday season by purchasing gifts on the layaway plan at Kmart, Walmart, Babies ‘R Us, Toys ‘R Us, or any participating retailer. Be Safe & Happy Shopping!