I sometimes think the old 'Layby' had a lot to recommend it.

The shop held the goods but allowed a person to pay them off over a period of several months.

That way, the person didn't lose motivation because if they stopped, they wouldn't get the goods.

With easy credit, the problem is people either get behind on payments or else fall into the trap of just paying the minimum & that way, they end up paying crippling interest.

I wonder if any of the big stores could offer a sort of internet layby scheme, where people could pay off the items over a period of time and only receive them after full payment was made? Problems of course could be storage & companies going into receivership, but they are the same problems that have always existed anyway.