Sears is starting its Black Friday deals early. They will offer them weekly with layaway options starting Saturday, Oct. 31, and continuing every Saturday until Christmas. A sample of Sears "Black Friday Now" deals for Saturday, October 31st include:
50 percent off (save $200) Craftsman? 302-piece mechanic's tool sets
$174.19 (reg. $259.99) 7 1/2 ft. Wakefield Christmas tree with 700 Never
Out(TM) clear or multi lights
50 percent off all DieHard workboots (reg. $75.00) and $19.99 (reg.
$39.99) on all Covington low-shaft boots
$399.99 closeout (reg. $699.99) ProForma XP elliptical 16-in stride
length
All of Sears "Black Friday Now" events will occur on Saturdays from 7 a.m. until
12 p.m. local time except for this week. Due to Halloween, doorbusters will
start on Friday (Oct. 30) at 5 p.m. as a preview event through Saturday 12
p.m. local time.
On Nov. 7th, as part of "Black Friday Now" deals, Sears will exclusively offer a 42" Zenith Plasma TV for only $499 (reg. $649.99). Customers can pre-order this great deal as of Oct. 29 on Sears.com - see here.
The above information was gleamed from a Sears press release. There are also websites saying Sears ads for Black Friday, November 27th have leaked - see here, here and here. The leaked ads are probably legit since it sounds like Sears had a very comprehensive Black Friday strategy with its "Black Friday Now" deals. However, retailers can always change Black Friday ads and the actual Blacky Friday deals may be different from what you found on the Black Friday websites and forums.
Sears.com Bounds Into Book Price Wars With Store Credit Offer
Amazon.com and Wal-Mart started the book price war by reducing prices on top selling hardcover books to $9. Then Target jumped in and undercut Amazon.com and Wal-Mart by 1 cent. Target cut prices on highly anticipated books to $8.99.
The price wars come two months before the holiday season, which analysts say will be characterized by big promotions. Retailers are hoping consumers associate their brands with value in a year in which unemployment is rising and consumer confidence remains weak.
Last Thursday, Walmart.com, the online division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc (WMT.N), cut prices on 10 yet-to-be-released hardcover books to $10 each, sparking a price war with Amazon.com.
After both online retailers then cut their prices on those books to $9 each, late on Friday Walmart.com shaved a penny off that price and was selling titles such as Sarah Palin's "Going Rogue: An American Life" for $8.99 each -- discounts of nearly 60 percent or more off the cover price
Now Sears.com has jumped in with an amazing offer. They promise to give everyone who bought one of the qualified discounted books at Walmart.com, Amazon.com or Target.com a $9 Sears.com credit. Qualified discounted books purchased at Sears.com will also be given the $9 credit.
"The $9 credit can be used at Sears.com on the purchase of any items so it's like getting the books for free," said Imran Jooma, senior vice president for Online at Sears Holdings. "We believe this program will benefit the thousands of customers who buy books every day by putting more money into their pockets."
Sears.com is simple and easy to use. The Web site offers the option to create a helpful profile that allows customers to keep track of their purchases, lists and addresses. Creating a profile makes returning to shop at Sears.com easy and worry free, particularly with the holidays right around the corner.
You can read the Sears.com offer here. The site also lists the ten books the $9 offer credit is good for. Customers who have already purchased the books from Amazon.com, Target or Wal-Mart need a copy of their receipt to get a Sears.com credit. For example, if you purchased Stephen King's new hardcover Under the Dome at Amazon.com, Wal-Mart or Target then you can email your receipt to Sears.com and they will give a $9 Sears.com credit.
Sears and Kmart are offering online layaway. The program lets people shop online or in Sears or Kmart stores and make payments online. On kmart.com, shoppers can browse items and have the option of placing those items on layaway through its online process. Customers also have the option of picking up the items up at a local Kmart store. Kmart says its layaway program has seen double-digit increases in layaway customers and sales in 2008. Kmart's online layaway website can be found here and the Sears layaway site can be found here.
WWD reports that after eight years, Sears is getting back in the beauty business. Sears will open beauty boutiques in certain flagship stores that will have mass market brands, with a few prestige brands such as Calvin Klein color palettes.
Sears has dipped in and out of cosmetics over the years, with the splashiest attempt being its Circle of Beauty concept that was yanked in 2001. Sears also was one of several midtier department stores slated to receive Avon's retail line, called BeComing, but the direct seller abandoned the effort in 2003.
This time, Sears is stocking a variety of price points in a department staffed with vendor-trained consultants who will earn commissions. Among the brands are drugstore staples, including L'Oreal Paris and Cover Girl; a U.S. exclusive with Yves Rocher and Pure Organics, and a dash of prestige products, such as Calvin Klein color kits. An already well-developed fragrance department will be augmented with more direct-sourced prestige scents.
*****
Wendy Liebmann, founder and chief executive officer of WSL Strategic Retail, said it is savvy for Sears to go the mass route and realize the difficulties in attracting prestige brands. "If you are going to step your well-manicured toe into beauty, mass is a good way to go and it's at a good point, when you can’t find popular-priced cosmetics at a mall anymore."
Malls used to house drugstores, but the need for drive-through pharmacy windows has driven most chains out of malls.
Sears has really been struggling, while arch rival J.C. Penney seems to be getting its act together. Target has really hurt both of those brands, but now that Isaac Mizrahi has left the clothing offerings at Target (other than a few capsule collections) has been sadly lacking. The fabric quality just isn't what it once was and it's harder to find anything in a Target store with all the rearranging the stores do on a regular basis.
Hip, thrifty shoppers do not shop at Sears: they go to Target or a Wal-Mart supercenter in an upscale area (we recently visited an amazing one of these stores: it was packed with gourmet items, an excellent wine center and a chef making fresh sushi. It also sold the latest iphone and had a good garden center). Sears has its work cut out for it.
The Chicago Sun-Timesreports that Sears Holding Corp is launching a Christmas Club card that can be used at Kmart and Sears stores. The cards has no fees and no expiration date. The card will provide a 3% reward (up to a maximum of $100) on purchases customers make before October 31st. Sears is trying to motive and reward shoppers that buy their holiday gifts and decorations early at Sears and Kmart stores. Sears also launched Christmas early at its bricks-and-mortar stores and online.
Sears Holdings Corp. is adding toys in 20 of its stores including stores in Chicago, L.A., San Francisco and New York. The toys will be available in these beginning August 15th.
Sears will also open an online toy store on August 15th at sears.com/toyshops.
Borders also recently announced an expansion of its toys and games offerings. With more retailers selling toys maybe it will be easier for consumers to find the hard-to-find hot toys this holiday season.
Toys R Us Joins Sears in Bringing Early Holiday Cheer
We mentioned in an earlier post that Sears is already setting up Christmas shops in some of its stores and online. Reuters says they aren't the only retailer getting an extremely early jump on the winter holidays, which are still several months away.
Reuters says Toys 'R' Us is bringing holiday cheer in July in the form of early discounts but there will also be candy canes and Christmas cards.
Toys R Us is planning a similar event, but with more emphasis on holiday-themed pricing of roughly 50 percent off bicycles, video games, doll houses and portable DVD players.
While the chain won't be selling holiday merchandise, it will be bringing unseasonal cheer, complete with Christmas cards and candy canes, to its stores on July 25.
"Everyone needs a little Christmas, right this very minute," the company said in a release last week.
Nordstrom will be running sales on winter apparel later this month but they told Reuters they won't be bringing out the holiday decorations just yet.
"Our customers really love the fact that we do not celebrate the holidays until the day after Thanksgiving," she said, "and we have no plans to change that."
Nordstrom's policy probably makes the most sense. If you bring out all the holiday decorations in July everyone will be tired of them well before December. Hopefully, the shopping malls will resist the temptation to bring out the holiday decorations this summer.
Christmas in July: Sears Starts Christmas Very Early
Sears Holdings Corp is starting Christmas very early this year. It's only July and the Chicago Tribunereports that Sears Holdings Corp has set up Christmas decor shops at 372 Sears store. They also have an online boutique up called Christmas Lane at Sears.com and Kmart.com that sells Christmas decor and gifts.
On Sunday, while most of America was recovering from Fourth of July fireworks and cookouts, the Hoffman Estates-based retailer launched an online boutique called Christmas Lane at Sears.com and Kmart.com. It also set up Christmas decor shops at 372 Sears stores, including one at Woodfield mall in Schaumburg.
Sears typically waits until Nov. 1 to unveil its holiday merchandise, said Sears spokeswoman Natalie Norris-Howser. But with the recession putting a crimp in spending, the retailer is hoping to attract holiday shoppers early.
"This is the first year we've done the Christmas Lane event," said Norris-Howser. "We're allowing customers to put these items on layaway and pay over time."
The Sears.com Christmas Lane site can be found here if you want to get a really early jump on things. They are promising free standard shipping on all Christmas Lane mailable orders of $75 or more until 7-11-09.
The Ledge on the Sears Tower consists of four glass boxes located 1,353 feet up the skyscraper. The Ledge's glass boxes extend out 4.3 feet from the skyscraper's Skydeck on the 103rd floor. This provides some amazing views and also likely gives some people quite a fright. The same concept was used in the Grand Canyon Skywalk.
Here's a Chicago Tribune video that shows what is like to be out on the Ledge. The Tribune also has an article here.
Sears Holdings Corp. is launching a program called Sears Buyer Protection. Consumers have to spend at least $399 between July 6th and August 1st on a Citibank-issued Sears card to be able to participate in the program. They also have to have be employed at a full-time job for at least 60 days after the appliance purchase. If a qualified participating consumer loses their job then Sears promises to credit them for 1/12th of the purchase each month. Here's how Sears describes the new plan.
If a customer purchases a major home appliance over $399 with a Citibank-issued Sears card and loses his/her full-time job after 60 days and up to 1 year from the date of the purchase, 1/12th of the purchase price will be credited to the account each month that the customer is unemployed. This credit covers the appliance and related accessories, extended warranties, maintenance agreements, protection and service agreements, delivery haul-away, installation and sales tax. If the customer is still unemployed one year after the purchase, they will receive a credit to their account for the remaining purchase amount. The customer keeps the appliance and will owe nothing on that purchase. The customer can make their purchase at a Sears store+ or at sears.com
Sears told Bloomberg the plan is a way to get reluctant folks to make an appliance purchase.
"We thought this would be a way to get folks to jump in where they'd been a little reluctant," Doug Moore, president of Sears's home-appliance unit, said in a telephone interview.
The retailer, based in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, is running the trial program to spur spending on refrigerators and washing machines as consumers hold off on bigger purchases amid declining home values and mounting job losses
This should help boost appliance sales for Sears. Consumers may be less reluctant to buy a new appliance if they think Sears will help them should they become unemployed. In a press release, Sears said they set up a website with information at SearsBuyerProtection.com. The website was not loading at the time of this writing but the plan does not begin until July 6th.
Internet Retailerreports that Sears and Kmart have launched two communities as standalone websites. They can be found at MySears.com and MyKmart.com.
Though they are linked to the main Sears and Kmart sites, MySears.com and MyKmart.com are separate from the merchants' retail sites. "Our main reason for doing that is that we know from time to time people don’t necessarily want to buy something—they just want to participate in the community," says Rob Harles, Sears' vice president of community.
The communities allow members to write product reviews, post comments on the reviews of others, participate in discussion boards and post ideas for the community to vote on. They can upload photos, and write blog posts as well as exchange private messages with other community members. Users also can create their own profiles on the sites, and Sears hopes to soon add functionality to allow members to import their existing profiles from other social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace.
The sites certainly won't be able to challenge the leading social networks and Sears probably doesn't expect them to. However, the communities could offer niche discussion on topics relevant to homeowners. The sites also contain lots of reviews organized under niche subjects like dishwashers and power tools. The customer reviews probably these community websites more of a challenge to sites like Amazon.com than to the large social networks like Facebook.
Country Living Partners With Sears, Kmart for Country Living Collection
Country Living magazine is partnering with Kmart and Sears for a line of home furnishings and home decor called the Country Living Collection. The announcement was made in a press release.
The Country Living Collection, a new line of home fashions that includes bedding and bath, tabletop, furniture and home decor, will debut this summer in both Kmart and Sears retail stores across the country. The announcement was made jointly today by Doug Wurl, VP/GMM of Home Fashions at Sears Holdings, and Glen Ellen Brown, vice president, Hearst Brand Development, a unit of Hearst Magazines, which publishes Country Living.
Featuring fresh home decor that redefines "country" and focuses on design, quality and comfort, the Country Living Collection will offer four distinct looks: Modern Countryside, Blue & White, Red & White and Faded Antique. Each will span traditional, classic and modern country sensibilities. Rolling out this August in more than 1,200 Kmart stores and 500 Sears stores nationwide, the product line will be priced accessibly.
"Country Living's readers are passionate about their surroundings and how they entertain," said Editor-in-Chief Sarah Gray Miller. "They value attainable luxury, quality, authenticity and comfort - all of which is reflected in our new home collection."
Hearst's Glen Ellen Brown added: "Our partnership with Kmart and Sears will enable millions of consumers to personally experience the Country Living brand and bring its 'come home to comfort' message into their homes with beautiful, yet accessible, decor options.
The products will be available in August. Price will range from $3.99 for candles to $349 for dining furniture.
The Chicago Tribunereports that the Sears Tower in Chicago is going to be renamed the Willis Tower. The deal involves Willis Group Holdings moving its Chicago offices into the skyscraper.
Willis Group Holdings, a London-based insurance broker, announced Thursday that it will consolidate its area offices to Sears Tower and as part of the deal, gets to put its own name on the 36-year-old skyscraper.
Willis will move nearly 500 associates into Willis Tower, at 233 S. Wacker, initially occupying more than 140,000 square feet on multiple floors. The company said the move to the new space, at $14.50 per square foot, will result in significant real estate cost savings, and that there is no additional cost to the company associated with renaming the building.
"It was part of our negotiations," said Willis spokesman Will Thoretz. "We are actually not having to pay anything for renaming the building."
Sears, Roebuck & Co has not had offices in the Sears Tower since 1992. A Sears spokeswoman told the Chicago Tribune, "We're saddened but we don't own the rights to the building."
There have also been talks about giving the Sears Tower, which is now the Willis Tower, a green upgrade.
The Sears Tower in Chicago was the world's tallest skyscraper when it was built in 1973. Today the building is no longer the tallest building and it is no longer than modern marvel it used to be. CNN reports that the Sears Tower a green upgrade is being planned for the building. Some of the changes could include letting in more natural light, solar panels, wind turbines, small gardens on its balconies and possibly a lighter exterior.
Sears Holdings Corp., which owns both Sears and K-Mart, reported that its profits fell 55% in the fourth-quarter. Bloomberg says part of Sears' losses are from the write down of its Orchard Supply Hardware unit.
Net income declined to $190 million, or $1.55 a share, from $426 million, or $3.17, a year earlier, the Hoffman Estates, Illinois-based company said today in a statement.
Revenue dropped 12 percent to $13.3 billion in the three months ended Jan. 31 as U.S. retailers experienced the worst holiday shopping season in four decades. Sales at stores open at least a year have fallen every quarter since Chairman Edward Lampert combined Sears and Kmart almost four years ago.
"Sears remains a market-share loser in a declining consumer spending environment," Gary Balter, an analyst at Credit Suisse in New York, wrote in a report last month. He rates the shares "underperform."
Sears also plans to close 24 stores, which in addition to 8 stores they already closed. Sears also closed 28 stores in 2008 according to the Wall Street Journal. Sears is hardly alone when it comes to retailers reporting big 4th quarter losses. Most retailers had a very hard time in the fourth quarter. You can read the full release from Sears here.
Sears is starting its Black Friday deals early. They will offer them weekly with layaway options starting Saturday, Oct. 31, and continuing every Saturday until Christmas. A sample of Sears "Black Friday Now" deals for Saturday, October 31st include:
Sears Holdings Corp. is launching a program called Sears Buyer Protection. Consumers have to spend at least $399 between July 6th and August 1st on a Citibank-issued Sears card to be able to participate in the program. They also have to have be employed at a full-time job for at least 60 days after the appliance purchase. If a qualified participating consumer loses their job then Sears promises to credit them for 1/12th of the purchase each month. Here's how Sears describes the new plan.
Internet Retailer 
The Chicago Tribune 
