Lay it away before you Lay it down

[Woody]

According to NBC news ... more and more people are deciding to lay away their purchases before they lay down the cash. KMart is reporting a 10% increase in lay aways.

Is this good?

[Gerr]

Anything that keeps people out of debt IS good.

Gerry

[Amelia]

Many stores have always had lay away. It's just now with the economy that more are making use of it.

[Liz]

And wouldn't you know, our local Walmart just did away with their layaway dept.

[Amelia]

Wow, thats weird. I wonder why they did that? So many Wal-Mart patrons could only buy large ticket items via lay away? I wonder if they are trying to change their look?

[Liz]

I don't know, but it isn't the first time that our Walmart has done something goofy like this. They also recently closed down their banking branch; and it was Walmart not the bank 'cause we asked the bank and they said that Walmart refused to renew their lease. That one hurt, 'cause we liked to do our banking and shopping in just one trip. Now that we have to go clear across town to bank we usually shop at the grocery store closest to the bank. Now we hardly go to Walmart.

[Neil D]

Now we hardly go to Walmart.

I have found that Walmart is NOT the price leader as they claim....at least, in MY Walmart and when it comes to food.....um, maybe I should say "Walmart IS the price leader" having more expensive prices in the food section...

[carolaa]

Really? I have found that overall WalMart is less expensive.

[GreatLakesGramma]

Where I live, Wal Mart has lower food prices, but the quality is not as good. The other stores in my area, their store brands are just as good as name brands. But Wal Mart's store brand is of poor quality.

[Dottie]

I heard an interesting discussion the last time I was at W-M. A customer was complaining to the person at the register that the price for an item was higher than at another W/M. The clerk told her that the regular prices may vary from store to store, depending upon the demographics of the area. In other words, in a higher income class neighborhood, prices would be higher than in a lower neighborhood.

Never knew that, haven't had time to check it out, as we are the same distance from two WalMarts.

[nuff sed]

According the the Consumer Advocate, Clark Howard, the supermarket to keep your eye on is Aldi. Low prices, good quality though the selection may not be as plentiful as you are used to. The brands are also some that you have never heard of. Time will tell. One opened near my house this week. I talked to a lady there from Ohio who said that she had been buying from the Aldi chain in for several years and she just loved it.

[carolaa]

Where I live, Wal Mart has lower food prices, but the quality is not as good. The other stores in my area, their store brands are just as good as name brands. But Wal Mart's store brand is of poor quality.

I buy several items of their store brand with no complaints. But I have noticed their produce is not as good as at other stores.

[carolaa]

According the the Consumer Advocate, Clark Howard, the supermarket to keep your eye on is Aldi. Low prices, good quality though the selection may not be as plentiful as you are used to. The brands are also some that you have never heard of. Time will tell. One opened near my house this week. I talked to a lady there from Ohio who said that she had been buying from the Aldi chain in for several years and she just loved it.

There was an Aldi's where I used to live in the Midwest, and all the frugal people I knew shopped there. For me, it was farther than I wanted to go. They didn't provide bags at the checkout - you had to bring your own or use boxes etc. I wonder if they still do that. There was another store - Food 4 Less - that did that too.

[carolaa]

I heard an interesting discussion the last time I was at W-M. A customer was complaining to the person at the register that the price for an item was higher than at another W/M. The clerk told her that the regular prices may vary from store to store, depending upon the demographics of the area. In other words, in a higher income class neighborhood, prices would be higher than in a lower neighborhood.

Never knew that, haven't had time to check it out, as we are the same distance from two WalMarts.

Interesting. In my last neighborhood, we were about the same distance from 2 WalMarts, too. Only they were in different counties so the tax was different and I'd go to the cheaper one. But I never knew that the actual prices might be different.