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Layaway angel? Man pays $20K in Walmart layaway balances

THE VILLAGES, Fla. — A man donated $20,000 to help pay balances of almost 80 customers at a Walmart in The Villages, said Walmart.

Walmart officials said Gregory Parady was shopping at Walmart for a charity event when he overheard a woman saying she had to cancel her layaway purchases. He then decided to make the large donation.

Walmart said that those who got their entire accounts paid off included a single mother and an elderly woman who is battling cancer and was about to give up on getting a TV. Walmart officials said the single mother began to cry.

Walmart said Parady paid off the accounts about half-dozen customers at the store on Saturday, and he also paid half the balances for people with accounts of $200 or more.

Walmart confirmed that many customers were notified of the payments via text, but some still do not know they had hundreds of dollars shaved off their purchases.

Walmart officials said that Parady told them about half the payments came from his personal credit card and half from his company.