Rent-to-own opening new store
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Doug Doty, store manager for the new Aaron’s, located next to Nell’s on Spring Road in Carlisle. Jason Malmont/The Sentinel
Bad credit? No credit? No problem.
Aaron’s Sales & Lease operates to serve all customers, regardless of credit history.
The country’s second largest rent-to-own chain, stocking more goods than the typical RTO stores, including brand name merchandise in furniture, electronics, major appliances, computers, jewelry and other products, is opening a new store in the Carlisle Shopping Plaza on Spring Road, next to Nell’s.
They provide products from La-Z-Boy, Dell, Sony and Frigidaire. More flexible payment methods for consumers — 6, 12, 18 and 24 month lease options — and fewer payments — monthly and semi-monthly — arguably sets Aaron’s apart from other RTO stores.
It also cuts down on collection and administration costs as well as costs to the consumer.
“Our ultimate goal ... we want people to actually own the merchandise at the end of the term they take it out for,” said Doug Doty, general manager of the new store opening at 10 a.m. Thursday. “We will work with customers to get them to ownership.”
Everyone is pre-approved, Doty explained. No credit is needed and there are no credit checks.
“We make dreams come true,” said Frank Brinser of RFR Leasing, the group that owns the Carlisle store and locations in Lewistown and Lebanon. “If we work with them, most likely they are going to come back.”
A big part of the Aaron’s success — with more than 1,400 locations throughout North America — is the personal service, Brinser said, growing its customer base one shopper at a time with word of mouth referrals.
“There is a negative connotation (about the industry),” he added, preying on the poor and offering confusing, high-interest installment agreements. “We’re really working hard to be like Best Buy and Circuit City with direct retail sales. People should look at us as an option for retail merchandise.”
Aaron’s offers factory-direct furniture from its corporate furnishings division.
Combined with their mega-buying power to purchase merchandise in volume, the factory-direct furniture from Woodhaven allows the RTO to pass savings on to its customers.
The Aaron’s Service Plus agreement also entails lifetime reinstatement to consumers, where they can return a leased product after a minimum period of time and later reactivate that lease at the same or comparable condition. The only thing they pay is the remaining balance of the original lease.
“Truly lease-to-own is our goal,” Doty said. “We can help out so many people (with poor credit).”
The store also delivers, sets up and performs free merchandise demonstrations for customers.
The Carlisle store will hold a grand opening event on Nov. 23 and Nov. 24.
Store hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday.
Aaron’s has been American owned and operated since 1955.
