Shoppers in Fort Wayne, Indiana, were shocked to learn that an anonymous benefactor paid off $1,000 of their layaway orders at Walmart.
“I didn’t believe it. I was like, is this some kind of joke?” said Ryan Dirschell who had already paid much of his balance before the unnamed benefactor took care of the remaining $141 on his bill.
Dirschell told WANE he has used the layaway service for the past six years but does not recall anything like this happening in the area.
However, store manager Lori Oaks said the Walmart, located on Apple Glen Boulevard, usually has a few Good Samaritans donate money for the layaway orders.
“Typically they will have stipulations where they want to focus on the layaways that have toys on them versus the electronics or the furniture, just to take care of the kids a little bit more,” she said.
“We probably get two or three businesses or individuals that would could [sic] come in every year to take care of layaway for us,” Oaks continued.
Walmart offers layaway from August 28 through December 14 for items such as toys, sporting goods, and jewelry.
The donor’s gift took care of four or five shopping accounts, the WANE article reported.
Dirschell said the gifts in his layaway account were for his eight-year-old son and even though he was close to paying it off, the anonymous person’s kind gesture gave him some financial relief.
He added that it has been a difficult year for everyone, which made the gift all the more appreciated.
“I want to say thank you. It was a huge surprise, absolutely. The spirit of giving in a year when everything has been so bad and this was just wonderful. I want to say thank you for all of the other families that were affected by this,” Dirschell concluded.