In retrospect I can picture the scene as it happened over and over. A normal family outing to the department store with the abrupt aisle turn, the quick exit, the parental shielding, the silence.

I'm sure my sister and I noticed that special counter in the back of the store. I'm sure we must have asked our folks about its purpose. But we were shielded all our minor years. We were kept in the dark. We were never told...about layaway.

And we weren't the only ones. I'd say there are entire demographic blocks that don't know about this quirky little retail practice. For me, someone unschooled in the art of layaway, the procedure is even kind of hard to explain. A consumer gets to set aside an item to be purchased. The store takes that item, places it into storage at the back of the store and then an arrangement is struck for the customer to pay for said item over time without interest. It's a procedure a tad on the order of retail ransom but with less drama - and it's legal to boot.

From casual observation I'd say a lot of crisp twentydollar bills are passed over the layaway counter.

But with easy to get credit cards and the rent to own deals coupled with a culture of instant gratification, well, it's no wonder that layaway fell onto hard times. Just two years ago retail giant WalMart announced that the system was just too much trouble and there was too little demand for it.

But with hard times knocking on the door, layaway is looking more attractive every day. Kmart is actually promoting it in their holiday ads.

Don't look now, but layaway is back. And I'm thinking - that's a good thing.

Had I instituted a little bit of layaway in my life I know I'd have a healthier bank account, a roomier closet and a more orderly office. I can picture the ad campaign in my mind: Layaway - the path to a better life." Because, if I had to think a couple times about everything I bought, I'd buy a lot less.

In my closet, from left to right, hang blue jeans, casual pants, dress pants and then dress shirts. However, after dress shirts, there is a garment fossil, a designer pair of dress pants unsuited for my body frame. I will refer to these very expensive dust gatherers as the "Hugos" - as in Hugo Boss.

The Hugos are a handsome black and gray tweed. If the Hugos were worn by a guy 6- feet tall with a narrow waist they would look - splendid. That's how the Hugos were displayed at the store. That's why the price tag on them was so high. They were not intended for anyone who favors the word "relaxed" on his waistband.

Back when I purchased the Hugos I fancied myself a regular on the treadmill (make that a week straight) and it seemed inevitable that my body would be transformed and that male modeling would likely be a clear future career path.

The Hugos were purchased as an investment for future use. I paid for the Hugos with plastic - a high interest credit card and they came home with me that very night. I lied to the store clerk and told her they were a gift. Otherwise she would have likely called either security or a psychologist.

Now, if the Hugos had been on layaway- I would be better off. If I had been forced to visit the Hugos at the back of the store with a little cash every other week things would be different. One of two scenarios would have played out. I would have stayed on the treadmill between layaway visits and eventually ransomed the Hugos to wear, only later to appear in Gentlemen's Quarterly. Or, passing the donut shop one day on the way to the ransom payment, I might have faced reality, abandoned the pipe dream of the Hugos right then and there, and consoled myself with a chocolate long John.

Layaway - an idea whose time has returned. And the Hugos? Well, they don't take up much space. If Kmart sells treadmills I could put one on layaway and just see what develops.