Secret Santas Pay Off Kmart Layaway Accounts

Donors pay off Kmart layaway bills

Spirit of Giving Alive and Well in Random Acts of Kindness

The Christmas spirit of giving is kicking into full swing this season, as we hear more stories of generosity every day.

This time around, some lucky Kmart shoppers had the good fortune of having someone pay off their layaway accounts.

An anonymous donor helped out a young father in line at a Kmart layaway counter, who was paying some of his bill, but knew he wouldn't be able to afford it all.

The assistant manager at the Indianapolis Kmart, Edna Deppe, shares that the woman told him, "'No, I'm paying for it.' He just stood there and looked at her and then looked at me and asked if it was a joke. I told him it wasn't, and that she was going to pay for him. And he just busted out in tears."

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And the woman did more than help just this man -- she reportedly paid off 50 layaway bills for people, handed out $50 bills to people and even paid for one woman's two carts full of toys at the check out.

In this case, the assistant manager explains, "She was doing it in the memory of her husband who had just died, and she said she wasn't going to be able to spend it and wanted to make people happy with it."

Deppe added, "It was like an angel fell out of the sky and appeared in our store."

This is only one story of kindness, as other Kmart stores have had similar generous donors helping to pay off layaway accounts.

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Karl Graff, assistant manager at an Omaha Kmart, said that about a dozen layaway accounts have been paid for in the last 10 days.

He noted, "You know, 50 bucks may not sound like a lot, but I tell you what, at the right time, it may as well be a million dollars for some people."

In the spirit of the generosity she received, Lori Stearnes of Omaha, who had a stranger pay all but $58 of her $250 layaway, said she will use the money she was saving to help pay someone else's layaway.

Pay it forward!