Mystery Man Pays Off Layaways For Dozens Of Families

Delaware Online reports that an anonymous man walked into a Burlington Coat Factory store asked if there were any layaway accounts because he would like to pay them off. People with layaway accounts traditionally have bad credit as they would just run it on their credit card. When you have a layaway purchase these people traditionally make payments every week or 2 until it's paid off. If it's at a store like Burlington Coat Factory it's probably not very much money for someone of a middleclass income, so they're most likely folks who are struggling with their finances.

The store had 50 layaway accounts totaling roughly $8-thousand at a Delaware. One of the recipients was Shatyra Streeter, a Wilmington single mother and seasonal Burlington employee, whose $110 layaway for clothes and shoes for her three-year-old daughter was unexpectedly cleared. She describes the moment as “a real blessing,” calling it “a Christmas miracle.”

The man, who wants his identity to stay private, says the act is part of a holiday tradition started by his mother 25 years ago. "Mom loved to pay off debts around Christmas as a small way of showing that Jesus has paid all of our massive debts". He has continued the practice each year after her death nine years ago and now includes his teenage son to pass along the same values.

Burlington store manager Devin Riley says he recognized the man from a few years ago when he came in and did the same thing at a Marshalls he was working at. Purchases ranged from $38 to several hundred dollars, and some of the paid accounts belonged to store employees. After the man left with his son, he gave Devin the honor of personally called each customer to share the news that their debt had been paid but requested he say "Jesus loves you".

Devin says all of them were emotional and many moved to tears.