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Do you lay away?

If the question was asked 40 or even 20 years ago, the answer likely would be yes and that you were doing it at all the major stores - picking out gifts or big-ticket home purchases, plunking down a small percentage of the total cost and then making regular payments on the merchandise until it was paid off.

The benefits for retailers and consumers were obvious: You get the stuff you want in a more affordable way and the store gets to sell it.

Fast-forward to today, however, and the list of stores offering this seemingly fool-proof program is short. Very short.

Fault probably lay with a booming economy, including overwhelming consumer reliance on credit cards, despite the inevitable huge bill to come. But ask anyone who has been to the grocery store or gas station within the past year, and you'll find the American mindset on the economy has changed - and with it their attitude toward holiday shopping.

"Credit card interest rates are so high, it's not worth using them," said shopper Susan Paulin. "I'm actually doing more shopping this year, though, because I was able to do layaway."

Yes, layaway does still exist and a few local retailers including, Kmart, TJMaxx and Benny's are hoping customers recall it, too.

And with the economy in tatters, layaway may be poised to make a comeback.

Paulin, a North Attleboro resident, was one of a dozen or so eager customers waiting in line to make payments or add to their layaway piles at Kmart in Bristol Place on a weekday afternoon.

Paulin said she's been a layaway fan for years, and was actually waiting for her future daughter-in-law, Victoria Versiackas, who was putting things on layaway for the second consecutive year.

Kmart, unlike a lot of big name retailers, never got rid of its layaway plan and has enjoyed a steady succession of customers who regularly take advantage of the service.

But, as hoped, the retail chain has seen an increase this year, undoubtedly in part to its marketing push, which actually is the first time ever the store has advertised its layaway service.

"When all other retailers walked away from it in 2006, that left Kmart as the only national discount department store that offers layaway," said Tom Aiello, division vice president of public relations. "The credit for why Kmart is putting so much emphasis on it (this year) comes from the consumer. The feedback is that they need to be able to shop earlier in the season, and that they need better deals earlier in the season and to stay within the budget."

While the corporate office didn't have exact numbers available, they've seen a very strong response to the marketing campaign. Bill Carothers, manager of the Kmart at Bristol Square, said activity at the layaway counter is "tremendous" compared with even the past couple of years.

"People can hold onto their purchases and pay for them in full instead of using credit cards," Carothers said. "Usually the line is all the way around the corner."

Kmart's layaway plan is an eight-week program, requiring a deposit of $15 or 10 percent of the total purchase.

TJMaxx and Marshalls offer a 30-day program that requires a 10 percent down payment along with a $5 non-refundable service fee. Not all stores offer layaway, said Annmarie Farretta, a company spokesperson.

While the chain has a strict policy of not allowing cameras or media inside its stores for interviews, Farretta did say the program is centered on customer service.

Bringing in customers for the holiday season - always a highly competitive shopping time - is part of the layaway plan.

"Stores are concerned that people won't buy and are making this more readily available," said retail analyst Mark Neckes, an associate professor of marketing at the Miami campus of Johnson and Wales University.

"Layaway does make some understanding in today's economic situation on a number of different levels. The consumer is afraid of spending money. Their individual budgets are being taxed by oil and food. Plus, the average income of the American worker has decreased over the last year."

On top of that, he said, credit is tight and it's a national trend that people have become afraid to use their credit cards.

"I don't even have credit cards anymore," said Laurie Bernard, of Attleboro, who has relied on layaway for years to make holiday shopping possible. "I'm one of those people who lost her home to foreclosure, so the economy really did a number on me."

But she's not about to let it do a number on Christmas, for the kids, and that's why she's found herself at Kmart again.

Besides helping with the budget, layaway provides customers an opportunity to shop early, when popular products are still available and crowds are thin.

"Being able to get it all done when it's the weekend or after work is great," Bernard said. "You need to be able to get what you want, and you can only afford so much."

Carothers said most layaway items are toys and electronics, but that customers can put anything, except perishables, on their list.

To help with the marketing push, Aiello said, Kmart has put post-Thanksgiving deals in the stores since early October.

They've also been able to bring in lines of products, including Disney gifts, they previously didn't have.

And that's spelling success.

Versiackas had a carriage full of toys for her layaway. She said she had a godson, four nephews, three nieces and a fiance who "acts just like a little kid" to shop for.

But she said she's not cutting back on her holiday budget, so layaway made perfect sense.

"You don't have the credit card bill at the end," she said. "I'm determined."