Online petition sites, like gopetition.com, are filled with signatures of customers who want layaway - and who see Wal-Mart's decision to end it as nothing less than a snub of the chain's blue-collar roots. A common sentiment: "Sam Walton is rolling over in his grave."

Regina Ingram of Boynton Beach summed up her feeling on gopetition.com: "Wal-Mart used to be my favorite store."