Kmart Layaway Shoppers Touched by Cash-Carrying Angel
EmailA few lucky Kmart shoppers were touched by an “angel” Tuesday.
An anonymous woman made a special trip to the Indianapolis Super Kmart and paid off the outstanding layaway balances of several customers, according to ABC affiliate station WRTV-TV6.
A call to Kmart’s corporate office was not immediately returned.
The “layaway angel,” a widow, went to the West Washington Super Kmart location intent on giving shoppers a happy holiday.
“She said that she had money, and she wanted to make someone’s Christmas. It was like an angel dropped out of the sky,” store manager Edna Deppe told ABC news affiliate WRTV-TV6.
Or out of the movies: The woman showed miracles could happen beyond 34th Street.
Approaching shoppers, the anonymous woman paid off outstanding layaway balances that were sometimes as high as $800, according to WRTV-TV6.
Angie Torres and her young daughter were surprised at the counter. “I took out my credit card to pay my minimum balance. She said, ‘Don’t pay that. I’m going to pay it for you,’” Torres told WRTV-TV6.
But it wasn’t just layaway customers who received the woman’s random act of kindness. After paying off outstanding balances at the layaway counter, the anonymous donor walked around the store distributing $50 bills, and even paid bill of a customer – for more than $400 worth of toys — according to WRTV-TV6.
All the “angel” asked was that customers give back in the name of her late husband, according to ABC’s affiliate..
What is clear: “An Angel dropped in our store last night,” Deppe told the station.
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The road is long…
with many a winding turn
while we’re on the way
to who
who knows where…
Posted by: Bob Johnson | December 15, 2011, 6:59 pm 6:59 pm
Another article mentioned the woman said “Remember Ben” her late husband.
Posted by: shellb | December 15, 2011, 10:45 pm 10:45 pm
If one wanted to do this at other stores, how would you go about it? Could I just walk up to the layaway area and tell them I wanted to do this for some random person? Do you need to know a person specifically?
Posted by: Colin | December 15, 2011, 11:07 pm 11:07 pm
You can walk into any store with a lay a way and ask to pay someones bill. According to the articles I’ve read people are usually asking for ones that are about to go back on the floor. Walmarts Lay A Way ends tomorrow, KMarts lasts year round.
Posted by: Alison | December 15, 2011, 11:59 pm 11:59 pm
Another fun thing to do is ask for the total of the person behind you in a drive through lane. Pay their bill and ask the store employee to wish the person a Merry Christmas. Someone did this for some folks I work with and my family loved it so much that we started doing this several times a season. Something small that gives another person a nice surprise…and a story to tell.
Posted by: Dot | December 16, 2011, 7:39 am 7:39 am
A friend just did this at our local Walmart as her way of helping out – she told the clerk she wanted to pay off a few layaways of toys and children gift items and had no names at all. She had a little over $1000.00 to do this and she paid off 10 different layaway orders. That was her Christmas charity this year, and I can only imagine the look on the faces of those 10 families. I try to always pay it forward and have been known to pay tolls for the car behind me, or coffee for the driver behind me at the drive through – it’s so much fun to wonder what they are thinking when they find out.
Posted by: independentthinker | December 16, 2011, 8:28 am 8:28 am
I have done something similar for an elderly couple. My son & I were in a local restaurant. After being seated, I noticed this quiet older couple near us. I was mesmerized by the way they interacted with each other. After watching them for a few minutes, I realized I had started to tear up. I was so emotionally touched by them that I paid their entire bill, tip and all. The cashier asked me if I knew them. I told her no. She asked if I wanted her to tell them anything or who I was. I told her to just tell them, “God Bless You Both.” I have paid for others meals in drive thru’s and bought kids candy at stores, but there was just “something” different about this. To this day, my son still remembers that day and the couple. As I hope he will grow up to do this again for someone as well. God Bless you, “Layaway Angel”, and your late husband. I hope the families you’ve touched always remember your kindness, and pass it forward for years to come.
Posted by: TJ | December 16, 2011, 8:38 am 8:38 am
How nice, things like this are what make Christmas, Christmas. I love a good holiday story and its nice to see something so wonderful in the news for once.
Posted by: Courtney | December 16, 2011, 8:48 am 8:48 am
I’ve always been torn between two opinions when I read stories like this. One one hand, they can help inspire others or at least give them an idea of how they can help others. On the other, the woman didn’t apparently didn’t want publicity (presumably per a “treasures in heaven” philosophy) and only wished people to pay it forward as a quiet grassroots sort of philanthropy. Based on other comments here I have to conclude that the former outweighs the latter.
Posted by: MyTake | December 16, 2011, 10:01 am 10:01 am
There’s something you certainly won’t see down on Wall Street.
Posted by: Earl | December 16, 2011, 3:03 pm 3:03 pm
it’s a viral ad campaign!!!
Posted by: petemac | December 17, 2011, 7:59 pm 7:59 pm
I work at the Beechmont Kmart in Cincinnati, Ohio and I had a Kmart Angel come through my line at work tonight. I had no idea about Kmart Angels. She had a couple of items and asked me if we had any gift cards. I told her yes and showed her where they were. She grabbed on and told me to put 150 dollars on it. After paying for everything she then turned around to the 14ish year old girl and her grandmother behind her handed the little girl the card. The little girl said thank you and the women left. The grandmother then asked me what the card was on the card. And I told her. It was defintiely the kindest act I’ve ever seen.
God bless you Kmart Angels.
You really help people out and make a difference in not just the peoples lives you help, but the ones that witness it as well.
Posted by: alysia | December 19, 2011, 11:02 pm 11:02 pm
SORRY, I CAN’T SAY THAT WHERE I LIVE IN MORGAN HILL, CA
Posted by: LINDA ROSS-VALENZUELA | December 20, 2011, 9:32 pm 9:32 pm
I was touch by a angal. Today K-mart Paramus NJ . Call me and ask did I have a layaway. I said yes. I paid it on time and pay more then what you ask for. I told the lady I only have $10.00 left . And I was going to pick it up thursday. It was just toys for my nosy toddler. She told me that I was touch by a angal. And someone paid it off and I can come pick it up. O wow thank you so much. That was nice off them to do that! They are angal for make kids smile and god is going to bless them 10 time more
Posted by: Miss Devin | December 20, 2011, 9:55 pm 9:55 pm
This sort of thing is what Churches only dream of being. People being nice to each other doesn’t require any supernatural beings, and no “I won’t help because you’re the wrong religion”, just people being nice. What a great story, and it could very well go viral – I hope so.
Posted by: KB | December 21, 2011, 10:47 am 10:47 am