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There's a new way to shop Sears, just in time for the holidays. Online customers now have the option of purchasing a product on sears.com, checking if it is in-stock at their local full-line store, then picking it up at Merchandise Pick Up at their Sears store. In many cases, the product may be picked up the same day as ordered.

The option to "buy online/pick up in store" provides three benefits: Sears shoppers save money by eliminating shipping charges, avoid the possible inconvenience of having to be home when a delivery is made, and in many cases, can receive a purchase quicker than shipping allows.

"At the request of customers, we made shopping Sears as convenient as ordering take-out," said Dennis Honan, vice president and general manager of Sears Customer Direct, which includes sears.com and Sears specialty catalogs.

The ability to buy online, pick up in store, is available for the majority of products sold on sears.com. Sears.com carries tools, home electronics, home office equipment and computers, appliances, cookware, fitness equipment and game tables, lawn and garden equipment and some baby products. The option is not available for the online category of jewelry and watches, or for orders from Sears specialty catalogs.

How the process works

Shoppers can determine if a sears.com product is in stock at a specific Sears store at two different points on sears.com: while browsing products, or at the shopping cart when finalizing the purchase.

On sears.com, "store pick-up eligible" items are clearly identified in product lists with a blue star, as well as in product summaries under "availability." The majority of the products on sears.com are store pick-up eligible.

  -- For "Store Pick-Up Eligible" items, shoppers enter their zip code when
     prompted, then select from a list up to three stores where they want to
     check product availability.

  -- Availability may indicate "available now," for items in stock in the
     store, or provide a range of days, such as "usually available within
     3-6 days," for items that can be shipped directly to the store for
     customer pick up.

  -- The shopper then selects a convenient store where the product is
     available, and finishes the online purchase process. When the item has
     been purchased online, the local store is automatically notified of the
     purchase.

  -- Products identified as "available now" that are purchased online by the
     customer are pulled from the store shelves and are deposited in the
     Merchandise Pick Up area.  Then the customer receives a confirmation
     email during store hours that the product is available for pickup --
     during store hours. (For "available now" orders made during store
     hours: customers typically receive confirmation emails within 90
     minutes; for those orders made during the night, customers usually
     receive confirmation emails within 90 minutes after the local store
     opens.)

  -- For products being shipped to the store: the customer receives the
     confirmation email once the product has been received by the store and
     is waiting in the Merchandise Pick Up area.

  -- When picking up the item at the Merchandise Pick Up area, customers
     must show the same charge card used for payment online, as well as the
     pick-up notice email.

Shoppers wishing to pick up in-stock orders the same day must place orders online more than two hours before the store closes. The option to buy on sears.com and pick up at a local store is available in Sears full-line stores in the 48 contiguous states and the District of Columbia.

Sears is a Leading U.S. Bricks and Clicks Retailer

"This is the most recent example of sears.com tightly integrating with Sears stores," said Honan. "Bricks and clicks shopping is very relevant to our customers' lifestyles. When we tested this program earlier this year, we were surprised that customers bought both big-and-bulky items and small products through this process."

Sears.com already influences store sales. For example: during the past two years, sears.com has influenced one out of every 10 in-store purchases of major appliances at Sears stores -- upwards of $500 million of in-store sales of major appliances each year.

Sears, Roebuck and Co. is a leading retailer of apparel, home and automotive products and services, with annual revenue of more than $40 billion. The company serves families in the U.S. through Sears stores nationwide, including approximately 860 full-line stores. Sears also offers a wide variety of merchandise and services through its Web site, .

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SOURCE: Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Contact: Ann Woolman of Sears, +1-847-286-7079, awoolma@sears.com

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