It was about 1 p.m. Friday when a man approached the layaway desk at the Springfield Kmart.  "At first I didn't understand what he was asking," said assistant store manager Lilly Johnson.

Johnson said the "nice gentleman" wanted to pay the balance of someone's layaway.  "He said he preferred a layaway with toys," said Johnson.  A store associate randomly pulled a layaway from the shelf and scanned a toy.  The account that appeared was the one paid.

The Associated Press reports Secret Santas are busy at Kmart stores across the country. Anonymous donors are calling stores or showing up in person to pay off strangers' layaway accounts.

Business Insider has asked for help solving the mystery.  "The thing is, no one has a clue who's behind it."