"Cash Mob" Invades Ohio Hardware Store, Owner Thrilled.

Here in Vermont, there has been a debate for decades: Do we let the suburban big box retailers in, or do we keep them out to maintain those little stores in historic village centers in the state?

I doubt it will ever really be resolved. People do need access to inexpensive goods, hence the big boxes. But we also need the village centers and the businesses there, because that's our culture, our way of life, and not to mention a draw for the tourists with their fistfuls of money.

I won't try to resolve the debate here. Like I could! But here's a fun little thing that happened in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Residents launched a "cash mob" on a local hardware store there, according to Amy Sancetta of the Associated Press.

The scene of a recent "cash mob"

We all know about flash mobs, those groups of people who suddenly break out of a crowd without warning and start some sort of dance performance or something.

The Chagrin Falls cash mob was group, organized via social media, who invaded Chagrin Falls Hardware and spent cash. "Organized" is an iffy word here. People just put the word out on Facebook and Twitter, and the people showed up at the store in droves and spent cash.

The word "mob" here was entirely accurate, because the storm was absolutley jammed all day, according to published reports.

No word on how much money the store made, but I'm sure the owners appreciated the business.

Good Christmas News From the K-Mart Layaway Department

In a sign that at least some people get the idea behind Christmas,  anonymous donors are going to Kmart stores in many sections of the country and paying off customers' layaway accounts.

Associated Press reporter Margery Beck writes that most of the donors are figuring out which layaway accounts have childrens' clothing and toys, indicating they are trying to help cash-strapped families.

Beck's article quoted Dona Bremser, an Omaha, Neb. nurse who said a Kmart employee called her to say somebody paid the $70 balance on the $200 in gifts she had in layaway for her four-year old son.

"I was speechless. It made me believe in Christmas again," Bremser said.

Kmart officials said the store didn't instigate these donations, but they sure aren't complaining about it.

That this is mostly happening at Kmart stores might be because the retail giant has had a layaway program for many years, so a lot of people know it exists. Walmart has reported a few similar donations at a few of its layaway counters.