Kid Rock Pays Off Layaways for More Than 350 Families at Nashville Walmart

Kid Rock Pays Off Layaways for More Than 350 Families at Nashville Walmart
President Donald Trump looks on as musician Kid Rock speaks during a signing ceremony for the "Orrin G. Hatch-Bob Goodlatte Music Modernization Act," in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, on Oct. 11, 2018. (Evan Vucci/AP)
Jack Phillips
12/9/2018
Updated:
12/9/2018

Kid Rock paid off the layaway tabs of 350 customers at a Nashville Walmart this week, according to reports.

In a tweet, Kid Rock wrote: “@tylerperry Great idea! I followed your lead and paid off the layaway at my local Walmart in Nashville. Merry Christmas and God Bless You!”
Tyler Perry, the actor, reportedly paid more than $400,000 for layaway items at Atlanta-area Walmarts last week. NBC4 reported that it amounts to about $81,000 in all.
Walmart confirmed the singer paid for the remaining layaway balances at the Dickerson Pike Walmart. “Kudos to Kid Rock for making such a gesture in our community,” store manager Tom Meyer told The Tennessean. “I think that’s a pretty Nashville proud moment.”

After making the tweet, Kid Rock’s store manager came into the store and made the payment the Tennessean reported. “It was a shocking, cool moment for Meyer, he said. And he said it has been an awesome experience letting customers know their accounts have been paid off. The items on lawaway are likely Christmas gifts, since the store only offers the program during the holiday season, Meyer said,” the paper explained.

Kid Rock, whose real name is Bob James, has property near Nashville.

“Merry Christmas from your neighbor!” Kid Rock’s cards read.

Other than Perry and Kid Rock, there have been reports of other “Secret Santas” paying off layaway items at other Walmarts around the United States in recent days.

An anonymous person spent $57,000 in layaway items at a Uniondale, New York, Walmart, CNN reported. Another person spent $29,000 at a Pennsylvania store, and another spent $44,000 in a Longmont, Colorado, store.

Perry, 49, said he trying to make the gift anonymous, but posted on Twitter: “I was trying to do this anonymously but oh well!!!”

“So I was trying to do this anonymously, but due to some circumstances… y’all know how nothing stays secret these days, so I just wanted to go ahead and tell you,” he said in the video. “If you have a layaway at the Walmart at 844 Cleveland Avenue in East Point, Georgia, in Atlanta, or if you have a layaway at the Walmart at 7001 Concourse Parkway in Douglasville, Georgia, if you have a layaway at either place and it was in there as of 9:30 this morning… I have paid for all of your layaways for Christmas.”

According to TMZ and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, he paid off $434,000 in layaways.

A Walmart manager at the location confirmed Perry’s payment.

“I was shocked,” said the manager, named Shameka. “It shows that we know there’s still good people in the world.”

TMZ said that Perry, who is worth at least $100 million, paid $178,000 at one Atlanta-area store and paid $256,000 at the Douglasville Walmart.

“So Merry Christmas to everybody,” he said. “You’ve got to go into the Walmart, pay a penny, one penny, and you get your layaway.”

Perry explained why he did it.

“I know it’s hard times, a lot of people are struggling, I’m just really, really grateful to be able to be in a position to do this,” he said. “So God bless you. Go get your stuff! Merry Christmas!”

Jack Phillips is a breaking news reporter with 15 years experience who started as a local New York City reporter. Having joined The Epoch Times' news team in 2009, Jack was born and raised near Modesto in California's Central Valley. Follow him on X: https://twitter.com/jackphillips5
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