Strangers spread holiday spirit by paying off layaways

SAUGUS – The phenomenon of anonymous shoppers paying off customers? layaway purchases at Kmart has reached Saugus, after store manager Gladys Collins said more than a dozen layaways have been paid off in recent weeks at the Route 1 location.Collins has been with Kmart in Saugus for 10 years and said she?s never seen anything like it.?It?s great holiday spirit,” said Collins. “They come in and say they want to pay off a layaway. They tell us what they want in it like they want toys or clothes for kids. We go and find a layaway like that and they pay it off.”Collins said layaways from $200 to $600 have been paid off, with one recently unemployed woman having her entire $500 layaway paid in full by an anonymous person.?It was the only thing she had for her kids because she was laid off two weeks ago,” said Collins. “That was her kids? Christmas.”On Thursday night, Collins said one customer paid for another customer?s entire $200 purchase while at the check-out line.Collins said customers have come into the store in tears when they heard their layaway items were paid for.The trend of paying off layways has been sweeping across the country, as news reports have popped up from Maryland to California. In Massachusetts, Kmarts in Brockton, Newburyport and Somerville have reported anonymous layaway payoffs, said Collins.?They?re all different people,” said Collins. “It?s going on all over the place. Almost at every Kmart. They all say they want to stay anonymous and we keep it that way.”Matt Tempesta can be reached at [email protected].