@Spurt There are virtually no furniture stores remaining in my area. There are very few and while there are some, most of them aren't nearby. The few that remain somewhat central are either extremely pricey or extremely junky, so maybe Homesense did their homework when deciding where to locate... Who knows.
As for layaway, the TJX stores offered it from the early days. I don't think they were doing a copycat version of Walmart. I think, what they've found, is they don't have to offer the perks and so they're gradually pulling them back... I still find better pricing at TJX for most things than I would at most other stores, including the lone Stein Mart in my area, which I think it sort of pricey for what it is... The TJX stores, as noted, also still offer some good finds, just not like they used to... I'm trying to steer clear of handbags, but the selection and pricing at TJX locally still beats Steinmart, and Macy's is just too capricious with their 'sales'...
It could be that TJX began funneling off some of their home-related merchandise to the Homegoods stores, but I think part of it, too, is they aren't getting the first pick for overstocks that they once did... I once found a beautiful set of Neiman Marcus dishes at TJ Maxx but don't often see things like that anymore... I think now that virtually all of the 'better' stores have their own outlets, TJX isn't getting the 'left overs' it once was...
Any way you slice it, retail isn't what it used to be... When I think of all the great stores in my area that no longer exist, leaving us essentially with Macy's and a few others, I have to wonder... For me, Nordstrom is way over-rated and there are far better stores that are now long gone... As for the 'on-line experience', I'm increasingly finding that way over-rated too...
In my pantry with my cupcakes...