Until recently, Kmart Corp. was pretty much the only major retailer that bothered to keep layaway plans prominent among their customer services. The service �?in which a customer pays off the purchase price of a product in installments plus a small fee before taking it home �?appeared headed for obsolescence two years ago when Wal-Mart Stores Inc. shut down its program.

But this Christmas season, other national retailers have joined Kmart in advertising their layaway options, among them TJ Maxx Corp., Goody’s Family Clothing Inc., Marshalls Inc. and Burlington Coat Factory Direct Corp., along with numerous regional chains and local stores.

The revival of layaway is too recent to allow for any broad statistical assessment of its popularity, but Burlington Coat Factory said its layaway sales made up 5.3 percent of its business in August, a 15 percent increase over the same month last year, and were continuing to rise. And other retailers offer plenty of anecdotal evidence.

“It’s been really busy back there�?in the layaway department, said Jennifer Hammonds, assistant manager of a Kmart in Jacksonville, Fla. “Sales have increased dramatically over the last couple weeks, and we expect more.�?/P>

Harvey Reckard, manager of a Kmart in Eau Claire, Wis., said: “I can tell you that our numbers have increased substantially. People are worried about the economy, and they’re just being very careful about what they spend.�?/P>