Remember those days when you could pick out all the items you want, and then pay for them each week at your local store?  Okay, maybe not everyone did that, but I remember doing this sort of thing when wanting to buy some “big” ticket items.  Those days seem to be back.  Sears announced it is rolling out layaway!  You shop for what you want and then make a small down payment, then you are done.  Layaway is not a common thing these days, however with the economy retailers are doing whatever it is they can do to get consumers in their stores for the holidays

What happened to layaway and why did it pretty much disappear?  According to creditcards.com, the rise in credit cards being issued erased the high demand for layaway.  Now with consumers having maxed out credit cards, delinquent mortgages, and jobs disappearing, retailers are trying to come up with ideas on how to get that limited amount of consumers in THEIR stores.  Other stores that I found offer layaway are:  Burlington Coat Factory, TJ Maxx, and also take a look at elayaway.com, because this website offers a layaway service.
So, why would Leadpile Lead Exchange be writing about “layaway”? As I have stated in previous posts, we see consumers that are in all sorts of financial situations. Seeing stories such as retailers rolling out an old idea in this tough economy, gives me optimism that there is possibly some light at the end of the tunnel. Every little piece will help those consumers and the economy get headed in the right direction!

When I think of Sears, I think about hardware stores my grandpa and dad used to go to to get that new tool. However, over the years Sears has evolved into a store for more than just tools. No, REALLY! Trendy clothing lines, jewelry, and other non household items has turned Sears into a place all of us can shop at.

According to DMNews, Sears is now going to do some marketing in some social networking sites. They are looking to places like YouTube, Facebook and Myspace as a means to generate interest with the tween (for those of you out of the “loop”, Tween age is between childhood and teenage years) population.

This online marketing campaign is Sears trying to bring in some interest in their back-to-school website arrivelounge.com. There goes the days of Sears in 1886 when they sold watches as a mail order company. Times sure have changed, but I give credit to Sears for realizing that they need to continue to adapt to what is going on in the “world”, in order to stay a store people of all ages shop at.

This just goes to show you, if you want to survive and stay in business- you MUST be open to revising your current business plans, and be open to new ways of running your business. I can guarantee Richard Sears could have never imagined his company marketing to tweeners on social networking sites….social networking WHAT????????