Page 64 - Book6E

Oh, for the good old days when people would stop Christmas shopping when they
ran out of money.
— Author Unknown
56
charge a service or layaway fee. Also, find out if there is a penalty for late payments, such as a charge, or possibly a loss of the layaway merchandise.
• Refund Policy. If you decide you don’t want the merchandise after making some or all of the payments, you may expect a refund. But, retailers’ policies may differ about this. Some may give you all of your money back, but others may charge you a layaway service fee that is not refundable. Some retailers may only give you a credit to apply to a future purchase made in their store. Ask about the store’s refund policy before you buy, and,
if possible, get it in writing.
• Location, Availability, and Identification of Layaway Merchandise . Stores often carry two types of merchandise— items that are available for immediate sale and items on display that will be ordered upon request. If you are buying an item the store keeps in stock, ask if it will be physically set apart from the
other merchandise when you begin pay- ments. For example, some stores may have a separate area or section of their stockroom where they store merchan- dise being purchased on layaway. If the item you want must be ordered, ask the sales clerk if the item will be ordered
in advance so it will be available to you when you make your final payment.
This is especially important when you are
ordering merchandise needed by a particular date. To ensure that you receive the exact item you are purchasing, ask the clerk to identify the merchandise in writing. For example, the merchan- dise could be described as “One (1) blue 2-piece suit, Size 10, XYZ Manufacturer, Style No. 123.” Many stores have a space
on their sales receipt to identify the layaway merchandise.
Layaway Can Be a Smart Way to Pay