'Layaway Angels' Pay Off Stranger's Holiday Bills at Local Kmart

The 'layaway angels' have come to Riverhead.

The nationwide phenomenon of anonymous donors paying off strangers’ layaway balances has affected to Riverhead's Kmart store, according to store managers. 

"On Sunday we had three customers come in and they paid off four layaways," 
said K-Mart assistant manager Justin Trussel. "One of the customers paid off a $300 layaway. They also paid off three layaways to bring them under $20. On Monday we had another gentleman come in and pay off three more layaways."

The "pay it forward" charitable movement has already settled than 1,000 layaway accounts totaling more than $400,000, according to news reports.

The donors in Riverhead only asked for two things: that the layaway donations only be used for toys, clothing or children's gifts, and that they remain anonymous.

Trussel, who's worked for Kmart for the past 11 years, said he's never seen spontaneous acts of generosity like this happen before.

"I've had one or two people come in and pay off a layaway for a family member, but this is the first year that I've heard about 'layaway angels,'" he said. "I think it's like the trend now to do." He added that some customers are struggling to make payments in this poor economy, though he added that the layaway angels have almost cleared the store of the remaining layaway accounts.

Trussel said some customers didn't believe him when he told them their layaways had been paid off by a stranger.

"Some customers think it's a prank, like 'are you kidding me?' But then we explain it to them," Trussel said. "They're just overjoyed that there are good people still in this world."

No layaway angels have yet paid a visit to the local Target, Walmart or Toys R' Us, according to managers at those stores.