There are fairies in Massachusetts, did you know? Angels, even. Now, before you go assuming I've smoked too much glitter, hear me out. A slew of mystery shoppers have been popping into their local Toys R Us and paying off bulk layaway accounts in the lead up to the holidays.
An anonymous "bubbly older woman" dropped more than $20K—boom! Meanwhile, in another town, yet another "layaway angel' settled some 125 accounts to the tune of $19,600.
Officer Gives Mom Something More Surprising Than A Fine
"If you have it, give it," said the woman furthermore known as Bubbly, telling staff she would "sleep better at night" knowing all the accounts had been settled. While the rest of us sleep better at night knowing people like her still exist in the world...
Typically, stores with layaway policies allow shoppers to pay a deposit toward items, which are held for around 90 days, giving customers time to settle the bill. For families who can't afford to buy an item outright immediately, layaways can be a saving grace.
But around the holidays, that grace period inevitably gets cut short, as many stores require customers to settle up before Christmas. That's a lot of unnecessary stress and pressure on parents, who may or may not be able to get gifts under the tree in time for their kids.
It makes me think of all the sacrifices my mother made, raising me alone. One Christmas there was a doll I wanted so badly, but was resigned to the fact it wouldn't happen. I wouldn't get that doll, because we couldn't afford it. Then a tingly feeling, like freshly falling snow, settled around the tree when my mom came out with "one last gift..."
Your Greenest Christmas: Why Not Host A Present Exchange Like This?
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