What is Layaway?
Layaway is reserving an item and paying for it in parts; the customer takes it home once it is fully paid.
Updated
Meaning
English
Layaway is reserving an item and paying for it in parts; the customer takes it home once it is fully paid.
Roman Urdu
Layaway me gahak cheez rakhwa leta hai aur qiston me paise deta hai; poore paise dene par le jata hai.
Also called qist plan, reservation, lay-by, advance booking.
Example
A bridal dress costing 180,000 rupees is held for a customer who pays 60,000 now and the rest over two months. The dress stays in the shop, marked reserved, until the last payment.
How it works
Layaway is different from qist (installments). With qist the customer takes the item now and pays later, so the shop carries the risk. With layaway the shop keeps the item until it is fully paid, so the risk is only that the customer stops paying. Bridal wear, furniture and jewellery shops in Pakistan use it often, especially before weddings and Eid.
The rules should be written on the slip: the deadline, what happens if payments stop, and whether the advance is refundable. Reserved stock must not be sold to someone else by mistake, so it should show as held, not available.
In Nafaa
The Nafaa garments pack has a layaway page: the item is held, advances post to khata and bills, and the record shows what is paid and what is left.
Related terms
- Qist (Installment Plan)
Qist is selling an item on installments: the customer pays an advance, takes the item, and pays the rest in fixed monthly amounts.
- Hold Bill
Holding a bill means parking an unfinished sale at the counter so the cashier can serve the next customer and resume the first bill later.