'Kmart angels' earning their wings at Janesville store
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A group of items that a Janesville woman put on layaway at the Janesville Kmart that were paid for by an anonymous "Kmart Layaway Angel" Wednesday morning. The store has had seven layaways paid for by anonymous givers so far this season.
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Jerry St. Marie
JANESVILLE — They call them Kmart angels.
Unnoticed, these angels go to their local Kmart stores, make their way to the layaway departments and then pay off other people’s purchases.
“It’s been going on for years, but this is the biggest year we’ve had so far,” said Jerry St. Marie, store manager at the Janesville Kmart.
“As soon as people saw it on the Internet, it really picked up,” said St. Marie.
In Janesville, “angels” either call in or stop in the store and ask for the manager, explained Vicki Collier-Vereb, soft lines assistant manager at the Janesville Kmart.
“They don’t want their name left, and they usually ask for a list with toys or clothes on it,” she said.
Then Collier-Vereb or St. Marie have the happy job of calling up customers and telling them their presents have been paid for.
“Sometimes they think it’s a prank call,” St. Marie said.
And other times?
“We’ve had people in tears,” Collier–Vereb said.
On Monday, somebody went into the Kmart on Sandy Hollow Road in Rockford and paid nearly $5,000 to cover 28 layaways, said Chad Bays, assistant store manager.
“I’ve been with Kmart for 21 years,” Bays said. “We’ve usually had about five, maybe 10 layaways paid by strangers. This year it’s jumped to 40.”
Bays said that “people usually start crying” when they get the news.
“One lady said her son was having surgery, and she wasn’t going to be able to pick up the layaway,” Bays said. “Times are tough.”
On Tuesday, a Kmart spokesperson told ABC news that nationally, more than 1,000 layaway accounts valued at more than $400,000 have been settled by layaway angels.
In the past three days:
-- A California businessman paid off $16,000 in layaways.
-- In Souix Falls, S.D., $3,000 in layaway orders were paid off.
-- In Las Vegas, a stranger paid $14,000 to settle layaway accounts. The manager, who had worked with Kmart for 42 years, told the Las Vegas Sun he had never seen anything like it.
-- In Miami, one person paid off $400.
-- In Galesburg, Ill., $700 came in from two people.
Dec 23, 2011 at 4:22 p.m.
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It isn't about a tax break for yourself. It isn't about if the parents are good parents. It's about making sure that all children have a joyful Christmas and that this time of year isn't a reminder that they don't have it as easy or nice as everyone else. It's about giving selflessly without asking for anything in return. That is why they do it anonymously and pay off layaways that have toys on them. Without these donations, these gifts would go unpaid and would not end up under a Christmas tree.
Dec 23, 2011 at 4:14 p.m.
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Awesome.
Dec 23, 2011 at 3:36 p.m.
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The true spirit of Christmas. May these kind and generous people have a very merry Christmas,and a happy new year.
Dec 23, 2011 at 11:16 a.m.
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I think this is a majorly wonderful gesture on these people's part. Me personally, I'd first like to know how the recipients of these wonderful acts,live their lives. Do they spend foolishly? Do they serve their community? Are they good parents? Are they model people? I'm all for helping people, but there are some that you can actually help too much that it actually hurts them. Nonetheless, the "KMart Angels" are leading with their hearts and that's a rare virtue in today's society. God bless them.
Dec 23, 2011 at 10:39 a.m.
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Beautiful!
Dec 23, 2011 at 9:44 a.m.
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ithappens- you are right and we are not lying. when they audit they will just toss it out. I have a few I am sure that would get tossed out.
Gave a large sum one year for an oreration for a child and wrote it off only to hear a couple years later it may get tossed out. Oh well I will wait for the audit I guess.
nicksmom- true and isn't that sad!!
Do they write off all the free food given out all the time. Nope they get EXTRA money back. oh well.
I only like the layaway idea to hide gifts from kids.
Dec 23, 2011 at 8:30 a.m.
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I don't like layaway..People should save up their money all year round..not like we don't all know Xmas comes once a year. Now I bet WAY more people will be frequenting Kmart in HOPES that someone will pay their way. Boo
Dec 23, 2011 at 6:45 a.m.
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And in totally unrelated news, the percentage of people putting things on layaway is up 2000%........
Dec 22, 2011 at 11:34 p.m.
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It's wonderful that people can do something like that. That's a gift that goes way beyond materialism and each person who paid off someone's layaway will most certainly be rewarded hundreds of times over.
Dec 22, 2011 at 9:34 p.m.
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Nickmom,
assuming the gifts do not exceed the IRS allowable for giving the donee does not have to pay a tax on this gift. While you may consider this taxable income-unless the gift exceeds the individual allowable- the recipient pays nothing. You are free to donate extra money to the treasury if you wish....
It's good karma---pay it forward and expect nothing I return-you'll feel great!
Dec 22, 2011 at 9:09 p.m.
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frogger: I would actually consider this taxable income for the people who got their purchases paid.
Dec 22, 2011 at 7 p.m.
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You can write it off your taxes. Just lie! The government does it all the time, so can't you. Merry Christmas!!!!!!!! Just love the giving!!!!
Dec 22, 2011 at 6:56 p.m.
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That makes for a wonderful Holiday when you hear of random acts of kindness! :-)
Dec 22, 2011 at 6 p.m.
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What a blessing for those families! Wonderful story. The spirit of Christmas is still alive and well.
Dec 22, 2011 at 4:07 p.m.
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Very cool. What a gift to those people.
Stinks you cannot write that off on taxes.
Feds are so strict now on charity. It has to be "on the list". Kmart wouldn't be on the list.
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