OMAHA, Neb. —
The young father, dressed in dirty clothes and old clothes, lined up at the Kmart outlet. out boots.
He was with three children.
He asked to pay some on the bill because he knew it was impossible for him to pay the full amount before Christmas.
Then a mysterious woman walked up the counter.
"She told him, 'No, I have to pay, '" recalls Indianapolis pe, an assistant manager at the Indianapolis Napoli store.
"He just stood there, looked at her, then looked at me and asked if it was a joke.
I told him no, she would pay for him.
He was only tearful.
"At Kmart stores across the country, Santa Claus got some help: Anonymous donors are paying off accounts for layoffs from strangers and buying Christmas gifts that other families can't afford, especially the toys and clothes that poor parents give their children.
Tuesday night, in the middle of her before she left the store
People in their 40 s paid installment orders for up to 50 people.
On her way out, she took out a $50 bill and bought two car toys at the checkout counter for a woman in line.
"She did this in honor of her husband who had just died, and she said she couldn't spend the money, and she wanted to make people happy about it, depy said.
The woman did not show her identity and only asked people to "remember Ben", which clearly meant her husband.
Deppe says she has worked in the retail industry for 40 years and has never seen such a thing before.
"It's like an angel coming down from the sky and appearing in our store," she said . ".
Most donors donate in secret.
Omaha nurse Dona Bremser is working and a Kmart employee called to tell her that someone had paid off her balance of leaving her account at $70 and that she had prepared nearly $200 toys for the 4 year oldyear-old son.
"I'm speechless," Bremser said . ".
"It makes me believe in Christmas again.
"Dozens of other customers have received similar calls in the United States, such as NEAs, Michigan, Iowa, Indiana and Montana.
Donors often ask for help in families who keep items for young children.
They usually pay part of the balance, usually only a few dollars or a few dollars, so the take-out order is kept in the store's system.
Kmart executives said the phenomenon appeared to have started in Michigan before it spread.
"To be honest, this is driven by people who want to do a good thing at this time of the year," said Salima Yala, vice president of layaway division at Kmart.
Nice people seem to mainly visit the shops in Kmart, although Wal-Mart
A Wal-Mart spokesman said he was in several stores in Joplin, Missouri.
There are also some layoffs in Chicago that have been paid off.
The representative of Kmart said that they did not do anything to incite the Secret Santa Claus, nor did they spread the message of generosity.
But this is happening as the company strives to compete with chain stores such as WalmartWalmart and Target.
Yala said that Kmart may be the focus of the generosity of layoffs, as it is one of the few large discount stores that offer layoffs --
About 40 years.
According to the plan, customers can shop, but let the store keep their items when they are slowly cleared in a few weeks.
Karl Graff, assistant manager of the store, said the sad memory of layoffs prompted at least one good Samaritan to pay off the accounts of five people at a supermarket in Omaha.
"She told me that when she was young, her mom used to shop things on Kmart, but they were rarely able to pay off their debts because they just had no money. "Said Graff.
He called a woman who got help, "she was in tears on the phone with me.
She is not sure if she can pay for their layoff and is worried that there won't be anything for their children at Christmas.
"You know, 50 dollars may not sound like a lot, but I'm telling you that at the right time, it could be millions of dollars for some people," Graff said.
Graff's stores alone have about a dozen redundancy accounts that have been paid off in the last 10 days, with donors paying between $50 and $250 per account.
"To be honest, in the retail industry, it's easy for people to be cynical about the holidays, because when everyone else has family time, you're going to mess up the holidays," Graff said . ".
"It's really encouraging to see this side of Christmas again.
"Lori Stiles of Omaha also benefited from the generosity of a stranger who paid 58 out of the $250 Toy take-out fee for the four youngest grandchildren.
Stearnes says she and her husband live on salary, but she plans to use the money she has saved for the toy to help pay someone else's installment.
Misurah in Monte
A man spent more than $1,200 to pay the balance of six customers and their installment order will be returned to the Kmart store's inventory due to late payment.
The store employee contacted a beneficiary through her cell phone at Seattle Children's Hospital, where her son was being treated for an undisclosed illness.
"She yelled at the nurse, 'We are going to have Christmas after all!
"Said Josine Murrin, store manager.
A supermarket in Plainfield, Michigan.
Called Roberta Carter last week to let her know that a man has paid 40 cents out of her $60.
Carter is the mother of eight children from Grand Rapids, Michigan.
She said she cried when she heard the news.
She and her family have been trying to find a completetime job.
"My children will have clothes for Christmas," she said . ".
Accommodation in Angie Torresat-
The family mother of four children under the age of 8 paid for her redundancy bill in Indianapolis Kmart on Tuesday, when she learned that the woman next to her was paying her account.
"I began to cry.
"I can't believe it," Torres said, wondering if she could pay off the balance.
"I can't believe it.
I hugged her and gave her a kiss. "------
AP writer Michael J.
Bread crumbs in Des Moines, Iowa
Matt Woltz of Monte Helena;
Jeff caroub of Detroit contributed to the report.