In Hard Times, A Big Boost For Layaway
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Thursday, October 15, 2009
The parking lot of the Kmart in Greenbelt was packed one morning last week as hundreds came out to see comedian Steve Harvey, who used the store for his national syndicated radio show and pitched an old-fashioned form of shopping: with layaway.
Prince George's officials promote the county as one of the most affluent jurisdictions in the country for African Americans, but the theme of the live show broadcast on WHUR (96.3 FM) was frugality, not affluence. Harvey said that, unfortunately, layaway programs are needed today.
"Layaway presents a viable option for a person who wants to have some things in life without incurring debt," Harvey said in an interview. "What happens with debt is you can get all of this stuff on a credit card, but then guess what? After Christmas, you're going to have to pay because the bill is coming."
Gospel artists BeBe and CeCe Winans were in attendance. The show attracted people from NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center as well as those who heard the program live on WHUR.
"Washington, D.C., has always been a blessing to our whole family," said CeCe Winans as she and her brother autographed copies of their latest CD near the Kmart checkout line.
"It means a lot to me that we can help our customers with this layaway program," said Paul Onsakponome, manager of the Greenbelt store. "With the situation with the economy right now, a lot of people are very frugal with their spending, and having this layaway program makes people really come out and purchase things for themselves and their family."
The Kmart layaway program requires customers to make an initial deposit of 10 percent of the product's price. The contract is for eight weeks, and customers must make regular payments.
"I never thought that layaway would return," said Venice Scott, a resident of Lanham, who said she will consider returning to use a shopping tool that her mother used when she was growing up in Baltimore. "Today, a lot of people are addicted to credit cards, and I am one of them."
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