'Layaway angel' pays off gifts totaling $1,500 at K-Mart in Raleigh

RALEIGH, North Carolina (WTVD) -- There's an angel going around Raleigh who apparently likes to pay on layaway accounts for total strangers during Christmas.

This particular "layaway angel" dropped $1,500 to cover a handful of accounts at the K-Mart on Six Forks Road in northern Raleigh, according to the manager, Jimmy Sidney.

"No kid should wake up Christmas morning and not have at least one gift under the tree," said Sidney. "So every time around this year, we have angels that come in and pay on peoples layaways."

This is not uncommon, policies in place at K-Marts restrict surprise layaway payments to only kids items - clothes and toys specifically.

"Layaways range anywhere from $200 to $400 dollars," Sidney said. "So for someone to come in and spend $1,500 on someone's layaway is definitely life-changing."

One of the surprised recipients of this person's generosity is Erica Perry, a mother of an eight and five-year-old. Perry said it was K-Mart who informed her of the early Christmas present.

"On Friday they called me and said that a Secret Santa had paid $100 on their layaway for us," said Perry. "K-Mart said the Secret Santa paid $100 on everyone's layaway."

According to Sidney, 2017 has been a busier-than-usual year for these "angels." No exact payment amount was available.

Perry said she is forever grateful to the Secret Santa, or angel, or just "great-hearted person."