I knew it was only a matter of time before other big box retailers hopped on Wal-Mart’s back in an attempt to lure in early Christmas shoppers and fight off economic doldrums.  Well, I saw the first evidence of this new trend last night on a television commercial.

Retail giant, Kmart, has a new 30-second spot featuring a married couple who, thanks to the wife’s spunk and resourcefulness, decide to buy Christmas gifts early from Kmart.  But… how can they afford gifts in these tough economic times when credit cards are starting to tighten the availability of easy credit?  Lay-away, of course!

Yes, Kmart has revived the concept, pulled it out of a deep storage closet and blown off the dust.  Lay-away!  Facetiousness aside, it’s a pretty genius idea, actually, since the store holds onto the product until the consumer has made all the payments.  It will be interesting to see if this campaign works to increase the holiday sales.