Is Layaway Really a Thing … Again?

Is Layaway Really a Thing … Again?

From Is This Really a Thing? by UCF College of Business

September 15, 2025 · 19 min

About this episode

This episode explores the resurgence of layaway and its modern equivalent, buy now pay later, through a discussion with Jim Adamczyk.

Is layaway making a comeback—or has it simply been rebranded as “buy now, pay later”? In this episode of Is This Really a Thing?, Dean Paul Jarley sits down with Jim Adamczyk, Chief Strategy Officer at FAIRWINDS, to unpack the surprising history (and psychology) of delayed payments. From Christmas shopping in the 1970s to today’s Klarna and Affirm apps, they explore why consumers keep returning to installment plans, what it means for financial health, and whether AI could reshape how we manage spending and debt. Featured Guests Jim Adamczyk - Chief Strategy Officer, FAIRWINDS Episode Transcription Paul Jarley: If you're as old as I am, you know, things come back around. Today, we're going to talk about an old classic: layaway. Is it back? Is it hiding under a different name? Should you really put your lunch on layaway? Or buy now, pay later. To help me figure this out, I'm joined in this episode by Jim Adamczyk. Jim is a UCF alum, a member of our College of Business Hall of Fame and is the current Chief Strategy Officer at FAIRWINDS. We recorded this podcast live in front of 100-plus students in The EXCHANGE, and we're bringing it to you now. Listen in. This show is all about…

People in this episode

Host: Paul Jarley

Guest: Jim Adamczyk

Topics covered

  • layaway
  • buy now pay later
  • consumer behavior
  • financial health
  • AI in finance

Keywords

  • delayed payments
  • installment plans
  • Klarna
  • Affirm

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Affirm, Klarna

Books & works: Is This Really a Thing

Places: Altamonte Springs

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