LIHU‘E — Candice Tada, layaway specialist at Kmart, said an angel just flew by Wednesday. The store was bustling with customers seeking out Christmas and holiday buys, the parking lot was jammed with cars and the wind blew the aroma
LIHU‘E — Candice Tada, layaway specialist at Kmart, said an angel just flew by Wednesday.
The store was bustling with customers seeking out Christmas and holiday buys, the parking lot was jammed with cars and the wind blew the aroma of freshly cooked malasada everywhere.
“You just missed one,” Tada said. “Just before you came, there was an angel who came and took care of someone’s layaway account. That makes the 12th one since the angels started appearing last Thursday.”
Tada said the latest “layaway angel” was born on the Mainland, and people have been hearing about them through the news, their wings bringing them to Kaua‘i.
“The first one was a couple from Sonoma, California who have been vacationing here for 20 years and wanted to give back to the place they enjoy,” Tada said. “We had two on the first day. The other was from Koloa Elementary School.”
Tada said as of Wednesday morning, there have been visits by a dozen angels who have paid off more than $2,000 from customers’ layaway accounts.
Tada said most of the donors want to remain anonymous and request to take care of accounts involving children’s toys or clothing.
“One lady was crying on the phone when I called to let her know her account was paid for,” Tada said. “She had been struggling with her account for children’s clothes and was so emotional when she found out (that) someone had cared enough to help her.”
Tada said she was impressed with a family of five who appeared and put down $300 to take care of layaway accounts of people they didn’t know.
“They have a family of their own and still find something to give,” Tada said. “This is the spirit of the season.”
Wal-Mart also reported an angel appearing at its layaway department.
“One lady came in and paid for three accounts Tuesday,” said Diane Keeler, a Wal-Mart shift manager. “But our cutoff for layaways was Sunday, so we just found some of the accounts which still had balances and had children’s toys and clothing.”
Jarrett Chytka, the Kmart store manager, said the way things are going, more angels will probably appear before Christmas is over.
“There are runaway angels in the store,” Chytka said during the Shop with a Cop program, Tuesday. “We’ve had at least one or two a day since the first one last week.”
Santa appears to be getting some help as anonymous donors are playing off strangers’ layaway accounts at Kmart stores across the country, states an Associated Press story from Omaha, Neb.
The anonymous donors are also buying the Christmas gifts other families could not afford, especially toys and children’s clothes they requested.
