Wal-Mart Stores is scrapping layaway service this year, a tradition started when Sam Walton founded the chain in 1962. Online shopping, shopping cards and no-cost credit alternatives have eroded
demand for the service, the company says. "This is another recognition that Wal-Mart is no longer a little Ozarks company but instead is the nation's largest private employer and the world's largest
retailer," said Patricia Edwards, retail analyst at Wentworth, Hauser & Violich.