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Article: Even cheap school supplies put on layaway.(Business)
- Article from:
- The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, VA)
- Article date:
- August 30, 2009
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 The Virginian Pilot-Ledger Star. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of the Dialog Corporation by Gale Group. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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By Anne D'Innocenzio
The Associated Press
NEW YORK
To gauge consumers' strain, look no further than the rows and rows of plastic bags awaiting layaway payments at Kmart. They are filled with back-to-school basics - not just T-shirts and jeans, but notebooks, magic markers and pencils.
It is unheard of for layaway rooms to be so packed at back-to-school time and for the packages to include relatively inexpensive school supplies.
A record number of shoppers, shut off from credit and short on cash, are relying on Kmart's layaway program to pay for all of their children's school needs, said Tom Aiello, a spokesman for Kmart's ...