Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/48514
Friday, November 25, 2011 – Daily News 3A Submit calendar items to P.O.Box 220, Red Bluff, 96080 Local Calendar or clerk@redbluffdailynews.com. FRIDAY,NOVEMBER 25 Red Bluff and Hickory Al-Anon, 6-7 p.m., Presbyterian Church, Jefferson Hospice Second Hand Store half price sale, all day, Riverside Shopping Center Knit for Kids, 9:15 a.m. to noon, Presbyterian Church, 838 Jefferson St., 527-0372 SATURDAY,NOVEMBER 26 Red Bluff BMX racing, 5:30 p.m., Red Rock BMX Track, Tehama District Fairground, $10 Cruzin'Car Show, 5-8 p.m., cars and owners show and shine at Hal's Eat 'Em Up, 158 Main St., free, 366- 3668 Red Bluff Christmas Parade,5:30 p.m., downtown Red Bluff Weight Watchers meeting, 8:30 a.m., Weigh-in starts half-hour before meetings, 485 Antelope Blvd., #N, next to Bud's Jolly Kone, 1-800-651-6000 Los Molinos Senior Dance,7 p.m., Los Molinos Sr. Social Club, Senior Center, Josephine St. SUNDAY,NOVEMBER 27 Red Bluff Celebrate Recovery, 6-8 p.m., Vineyard Christian Fellowship, 738 Walnut St., 527-2449 Fifth Sunday Sing, 6 p.m., First Southern Baptist Church, 585 Kimball Road WHEEPicnic and Prayer Circle, 4:20 p.m., 22116 Riverside Avenue Corning Evangelist services, 7 p.m., Family Bible Church, 609 Marin St., 824-9989 MONDAY,NOVEMBER 28 Red Bluff American Cancer Society Look Good, Feel Bet- ter, 10 a.m.-noon, St. Elizabeth Community Hospital, Russell Room,1-800-227-2345 English as a Second Language class, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Red Bluff High School Adult Ed building, 1295 Red Bud, 736-3308, same time Tuesday and Wednes- day and 9 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Thursdays, free child- carefrom 9 a..m. to 12:20 p.m. classes in Richlieu Hall, 900 Johnson St. Head Injury Recreational Entity, 10 a.m., St. Eliz- abeth Community Hospital, Coyne Center, Rusty, 529- 2059 High school diploma prep class for adults, 3:30- 5:30 p.m., Red Bluff High School Adult Ed building, 1295 Red Bud, 736-3308, same time Tuesday and Wednesday and 3:30-6:30 p.m.Thursdays Key to Life, 6 p.m., Family Resource Center, 220 Sycamore St. Suite 101, 528-8066 Masterworks Chorale Rehearsal, 6:45 p.m. to 8 p.m., Red Bluff Presbyterian Church, 838 Jefferson St., 527-4203 Red Bluff Community Band reharsal, 7-9 p.m., Red Bluff Presbyterian Church, 838 Jefferson St., 727- 8744 Salvation Army Writing Class, 9:30-11:30 a.m., 940 Walnut St., 527-8530 Sun Country Quilters Community Service Group, 9 a.m.to 3 p.m., Family Resource Center, 220 Sycamore St. Suite 101, 528-8066 Sun Country Quilters Guild Meeting, 7 p.m., Westside Room, Red Bluff Community and Senior Center, 1500 S. Jackson St. TeenScreen Mental Health Appointments, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., free, by appointment only, Youth Empowerment Services, 1900 Walnut St., 527-8491, Ext. 3012 US citizenship preparation class, 5:30-8:30 p.m., Red Bluff High School Adult Ed building, 1295 Red Bud, 736-3308, same time Tuesday and Wednesday Corning Alcoholics Anonymous, noon Monday through Friday, 5 p.m. Thursday, 7 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday, 783 Solano St., behind the church Bingo, 5:15 p.m. early bird, 6:30 p.m. regular games, Maywood Grange, Highway 99W just past Lib- eral Avenue, 833-5343 Dance with Juana, noon to 1 p.m., Family Resource Center, 1488 South St., 824-7670 Healthcare District, 6 p.m., district office building, 145 Solano St., conference room Life Skill classes, 1:30 p.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824-7670 Narcotics Anonymous, and 7 p.m., 820 Marin St., 824-114 or 586-0245, meetings daily through Satur- day, additional meeting noon Mondays Sewing group, 9 a.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824-7670 Spanish Adult Education, 5 p.m., Family Resource Center, West and South streets, 824-7670 Lotto numbers SACRAMENTO (AP) — The winning num- bers drawn Wednesday night in the California Lottery's ''SuperLotto Plus'' game were: 6 - 13 - 30 - 31 - 45 Mega Number : 2. Demand for layaway on the rise ST. LOUIS (MCT) — Tucked away in the back of the Kmart store on Manchester Avenue here is a little room that is marked "layaway." The term may conjure up images for some of a hardscrabble life from the Great Depression, but the traffic to this part of the store has been picking up in recent years. Dana West, 29, a gro- cery worker, headed there on a recent day to put a down payment on about $40 worth of holi- day gifts _ shirts and sweaters for her godson and niece. "This way I don't have to dip into my budget," said the Maplewood, Mo., resident. "And I don't use credit cards for the holidays. I learned that the hard way." It's no coincidence that layaway is making a comeback this holiday season. Some surveys show that cash-strapped consumers expect to spend about the same or a little less than they did last year, said Megan Donadio, a retail strate- gist for consulting firm Kurt Salmon. Overall, most holiday shopping forecasts pre- dict a 2 to 4 percent bump in sales this year after a 5.2 percent increase last year. "It's all about know- ing there is a limited pie of dollars out there," she said. "Retailers are going to do whatever they can to make it easi- er for the consumer so they have a better chance of grabbing some of those dollars." At first blush, the resurgence of layaway among retailers might not appear to be a great omen about the health of the consumer in 2011. But experts say it is actually a good sign that consumers are looking for ways to live within their means and not racking up a lot of credit card debt. The return of layaway also shows the power that consumers hold with retailers, said Richard Feinberg, professor of retail management at Purdue University. "They have been ask- ing for and voting with their dollars by going to retailers who offer lay- away programs" or rock- bottom prices, such as dollar stores, he said. "So the larger retailers have been forced to respond. They can't afford to give up on any consumer anymore." Layaway continues to be a popular option at Big Shark, a St. Louis- area bicycle store chain. "It seems based on the economics of the area," owner Mike Weiss said. But he also has been seeing seemingly more well-off customers who are also using layaway to buy more expensive bicycles. Wal-Mart reintro- duced layaway this year after discontinuing it in 2006 at a time when the credit was still readily available and consumers MCT photo Jeff Long, of St. Louis County, browses the merchandise at Big Shark Bicy- cle Company in University City, Missouri. Layaway is back this holiday sea- son.Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, and Sears are among the retailers who offer it. Big Shark has offered it as an option for customers for several years. were less cautious about accumulating debt. Toys R Us also recently expanded its program to include all products this year after bringing lay- away back in 2009 for big-ticket items. And Kmart and Sears have revamped their pro- grams in the last couple of years to include online payments and a 12-week option instead of just an eight-week program. Layaway allows cus- tomers to reserve an item while make payments until it is paid off, at which time they can take it home. No interest is charged on the purchase, but there are often ser- vice and cancellation fees associated with it. Matt Arnold, a retail analyst with Edward Jones, said Wal-Mart's decision to bring back layaway was largely dri- ven by customer feed- back. It's one of a num- ber a ways that Wal-Mart has been reversing some of its decisions in recent years that have alienated its core customers from modest incomes, he said. "I don't expect this to be the event that turns the tide for Wal-Mart," he said. "It's just a reflection of them get- ting back to their roots." Sears and Kmart never did away with their layaway programs. But they launched an awareness campaign to highlight them in 2008, said Salima Yala, vice president of the layaway division for Sears Hold- ings. Since then, the company has seen its Counseling Center Giving Families Hope! Did you think we were just for children? • Individual & Family Counseling • Couple/Relationship Issues • Anger • Depression • Anxiety • Emotional Trauma • Family Relationships • Parenting Call our office for more info. 529-9454 Red Bluff 590 Antelope Blvd. Suite B-30 Corning Counseling Center 275 Solano Street #2 At the Shasta Outlets 1901 Highway 273, 378-1110 Maryspizzashack.com layaway volume double. "Customers are com- ing to understand it's not a tool of the past," she said. "It's a legitimate financing tool." Another perk of lay- away programs is that they allow customers to reserve some of the sea- son's hottest toys and electronics that might not be available closer to the holidays. Power Wheels toy cars, video game con- soles and swing sets are some of the most popu- lar items put on layaway at Toys R Us, spokes- woman Katie Reczek said in an email. But consumers should be careful when signing up for a layaway plan. Back in the 1970s when it was fairly popular, lay- away was one of the top five complaints to state attorneys general, Fein- berg said. But in general, consumers can avoid most problems by read- ing the fine print of the layaway contracts and making sure they make their payments within the allotted time, he said. COMPARING LAYAWAYPLANS: A look at some major retailers' layaway programs: Toys R Us: Service fee: $5 Down payment: 20 percent Cancellation fee: $10 Other details: Christmas orders must be paid in full by Dec. 16. Wal-Mart: Service fee: $5 Down payment: 10 percent Cancellation fee: $10 Other details: Each item must have a price of $15 or more, and customers must have a total minimum purchase of $50. Program runs through Dec. 16. Kmart: Service fee: $5 for eight-week contract, $10 for 12-week contract Down payment: $15 or 10 percent for eight- week program, $30 or 10 percent for 12- week contract Cancellation fee: $10 for eight-week contract, $20 for 12-week contract Other details: 12-week option is available only for purchases of more than $300.