If you MUST shop, drop a buck or two at Sears.

I know I needed this reminder since Sears isn't always my first choice. Amazing when you think of how long the war has lasted and they haven't withdrawn from their commitment. Could we each buy at least one thing at Sears this year?

How does Sears treat its employees who are called up for military duty? By law, they are required to hold their jobs open and available, but nothing more. Usually, people take a big pay cut and lose benefits as a result of being called up.

Sears is voluntarily paying the difference in salaries and maintaining all benefits, including medical insurance and bonus programs, for all called up reservist employees for up to two years.

I submit that Sears is an exemplary corporate citizen and should be recognized for its contribution. I suggest we all shop at Sears, and be sure to find a manager to tell them why we are there so the company gets the positive reinforcement it well deserves.

Pass it on.

Decided to check this before I sent it forward. So I sent the following e-mail to the Sears Customer Service Department:

I received this e-mail and I would like to know if it is true. If it is, the Internet may have just become one very good source of advertisement for your company. I know I would go out of my way to buy products from Sears instead of another store for a like item, even if it's cheaper at that store.

This is their answer to my e-mail:

Dear Customer:

Thank you for contacting Sears. The information is factual. We appreciate your positive feedback.

Sears regards service to our country as one of greatest sacrifices our young men and women can make. We are happy to do our part to lessen the burden they bear at this time.

Bill Thorn
Sears Customer Care
webcenter@sears.com
1-800-349-4358

Please pass this on to all your friends. Sears needs to be recognized for this outstanding contribution and we need to show them as Americans, we do appreciate what they are doing for our military!!!

It's Verified ! By Snopes.com at:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/sears.asp (shows the entire article)

in fact, better than many places.

a reminder is always good. :-)

http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/sears.asp

"Although Sears is singled out in this example, many other American businesses, large and small, do the same for their Reserve and National Guard employees. A listing of such businesses can be found on the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (http://esgr.org/) web site."

NOW WHAT?

They have an excellent warranty and customer service. I'll definitely make a few purchases there this season.

hit by a truck. After the employee won a court settlement to help pay her enormous medical expenses, Wal-Mart seeks to get back the portion paid by insurance. Corporate greed at its worst.

I've had some issues over the years with Sears service, but it sounds like it's time to go back and give them some business again.

whom I generally despise as Satan's Palace, but a subrogated carrier attempting to get back their money is not that odd of a practice. I just don't know why they weren't involved in the lawsuit proper as that is the way it usually goes, at least in WI. The insurance company usually wants its money back if an insured gets a judgement for medical expenses. Usually a deal is worked out with the company which is why you don't hear about it. Maybe Wal-Mart is being huge dicks in this case and not wanting to take a deal.

I will pass it on to my friends and family.

Thanks for posting.

;) and Havocdad just LOVES the goodies I find there.

Also, the Kenmore stuff is pretty reliable. I always do tools and appliances at Sears.

well it broke, took it back they said "sorry we don't do that anymore" Will never by craftsman again!!!!

I recently returned a 17mm socket that I shattered with an impact wrench..Twice in two weeks. I was to lazy to get the impact rated tool.

I have returned rusted 3/4" inch ratchet handles.

I know a guy who returned a $250 impact wrench destroyed by dirty air, they gave him a new one.

I have returned a torque wrench that I used a breaker bar on. That was an expensive tool.

I have worked in machine shops and deal with tool and die equipment. The cheap tools sold here are just that, made with inferior metal, on inferior lines.

Craftsman is NOT the best, they are NOT all made in the US but many are. They are a pretty good tool.

If you can't afford Snap-On Craftsman is a great choice.

next closest one is over 50 miles away, they should honor their warranty, that is one reason he bought this particular tool!!!!!It had a LIFETIME warranty what's so hard about that???

Next you'll be telling me there's no Santa Claus, I suppose.

Sears is the BEST!! They have great warranties, fast service.

...I just bought a battery two months ago for the Beemer. It wasn't cheap but their customer service was top notch.

from them. Free shipping to your door if you go to the store to order out of the catalog.

I have done it for years. Support Blue companies.

a number of years selling appliances....and they are good. Kenmores (the ones made by Whirlpool) are wonderful. I had so few problems when I sold those. Stay away from Frigidaire (they make a few of the Kenmores).

In fact, Sears was implicated in the DeLay money laundering scandal. I don't think Sears did anything wrong...except to give money to DeLay's PAC.

And remember that Land's end was the outfit that forced their employees to attend a political speech by Ghoiliani. I used to buy a lot of stuff from land's End, but haven't spent a penny with them since they pulled that crap.

Likewise for Sears, but maybe I will give Sear another look now. It is nice to see people actually support the troops in fact rather than just in rhetoric.

are (generally) not chinese made crap. When you us a silver socket on an impact wrench and break it, they dont give you any shit.

Snap-on being my first choice.

even the Craftsman brand tools that are manufactured in China.

I mentioned something to the store clerk and he said it was better quality than if they had gone to Taiwan. What a selling point :eyes:

Well, plus I think very highly of Craftsman.

Mainly because Sears will service what they sell, but this is good information to have. Nice to see them do the right thing by their employees.

actually twice in my lifetime and overall they treated us pretty good. Its retail so you have the usual bs to deal with but overall they tried to work with you concerning your schedule. Not only that I LOVE craftsman tools, its all I own and all I will EVER own. You break it, they replace it as long as its a hand tool and not anything with a motor in it. Otherwise if you get the replacement for a few extra bucks, its replaced.

I've heard this before about Sears. I'm looking into buying some new appliances and even if Sears is a little more, I'll be getting them there.

Buy Kenmores (the ones made by Whirlpool...not Frigidaire). I worked there. They are good appliances.

I really need a new range. The one that's in the house, I'm sure was the cheapest model available and it takes forever to cook with (it's a Frigidaire).

probably because they make all of those jet engines and really know how to get things 'fired up.' But GE knows nothing about products that have to do with water...refrigerators, dishwashers....never get a GE.

Good luck with your shopping. I enjoyed selling kitchen appliances...people always seemed happy when they fixed up their kitchens...and I always worked within their budgets and cooking habits.

If you have them in your area check around for a Sears Outlet store. They sell the same Appliances and electronics available in the Department stores. These appliances have small superficial blemishes and scratches and are usually 20 - 50% off retail price. The sears warranty you can purchase at the Dept store can be purchased on these products as well.

...for that type stuff, I most always go to Sears.

More power to 'em if they're genuinely supporting our troops. That's more than our crappy gov't is doing right now.

...I have a few of them - screwdriver sets, etc. I have other tools but those are at the top of the pile and the ones I always grab. Some of my other screwdrivers broke or the heads got mangled - NOT the Craftsman ones.

I cant afford it right now, but I'd love to get a whole mechanics/electrical tool set like this! http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_009H0155000B?filter=Mechanic+Tool+Set+Type%7C200+pc.+and+over+mechanics+tool+set&vName=Tools&cName=Tool+Sets&sName=Mechanics+Tool+Sets

Just about everything I would ever need, plus a few other useful tool sets like air powered tools and the like:-)

You'd have to buy a cabinet to store them in! Makes me wish I had a garage because I really love tools. Esp. GOOD tools. Been itchin' for a Dremel for years - and I'd love a good cordless (or corded) drill.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_009H0017000B?vName=Tools&cName=Garage+%26+Tool+Storage&sName=Chest+%26+Cabinet+Combos

Or would I might need another storage chest?

in my 30x45-foot pole shed.

I think I need another pole shed.

Its just so empty and doesn't seem right without a good amount of tools:P I got stuff to mantain anyways like my dirtbike and whatever other mechanic problem withen my skill level to fix. All I got just about is a 160+pc Craftsman tool set, and a 5pc cordless power tool kit. Anything else I need, I'll have to borrow from my dad. He's got just about everything, if you can find what you need.

I always buy my appliances there. Cheap enough, and good quality. Nice to know they actually deserve my commitment.

Enjoy yourself in our addictive little village!

:hi:

:hi:

I have a 5yo son who put holes through the knees of 8 (yes, EIGHT) pairs of pants last year. This year, I got all his jeans at Sears and signed up for their Kidvantage program. There's no charge to sign up for the program, and they guarantee to replace the pants for free if the kids puts a hole through them. Well, less than 2 months after purchase, and my son put a hole through the knees of his Toughskins jeans. I took them in and they kindly swapped the pants out with no questions asked. I didn't have to produce a sales receipt, give them my phone number, or provide any other sort of verification. I'm a believer! Now, with your post, I have one more reason to patronize Sears. Thanks for the info.

Great warranty and actually, great name brand tires...AND...cheaper than the no-name tires at Walmart.
I also get my oil changed there.
I purchased a Kenmore freezer there a few months ago. It had a dent in it (nowhere near the compressor) and they gave it to me for less than $100. I saved almost $200.

It's 30 years old and still going strong. I hope you get the so many years of service with your new one.

Is K-mart doing it as well?

They closed the Sears locally and re-opened a Sears division in K-mart.

They keep their bigger department stores at the mall and keep smaller service centers where you can order things....Sucks for the rural people, but it save them money and allows them to be able to make a promise to the people in the service... However, how many Sear's employees are in the service? That would be a noteworthy number to know.

K-mart went bankrupt, and yet after the bankruptcy proceedings they had a ton of money which they used to buy Sears. Amazing how a corporation can come of out bankruptcy with a bunch of extra money.

deal with them again, so I haven't. I will find out why.

Both of them are vocal about staying away from Sears. Basically they both missed one payment on their card and Sears reported them to credit agencies, or something like that. I forget the details but they got really screwed over somehow by using Sears credit and making one mistake.

but it's too bad they took away sick days from their holding companies' employees, like Orchard Supply Hardware. They have a huge anti-labor attitude. Nice to hear they cut their military employees some slack...

know this. Thanks for posting it.

screen t.v. to jewelry for me there. He has this love with the store that is astounding. Now, I have gone to Lowe's for paint and some other home improvement items because it is a bit cheaper, and I have a bit to do with my foreclosed home that I bought... For certain items, I do shop at Sears... They need to upgrade their clothing line though... Its not really all that good. As for tools and appliances ... the warranty is much better, and for a lot of those appliance items, the installation comes with the purchase, unlike the box stores who charge more for it.. Might as well get the good warranty, the installation, the hauling off of the useless product... It ends up coming out costing similarly to the price you found at the other store....

We have ABUSED our Kenmore washer and dryer for 15 years and they are still going strong. Seriously, they are TOUGH.

At the time we bought them (Clinton years) I didn't know their principles were important, but that's good to know... just one more reason I can wholeheartedly recommend their appliances.

my father worked for them or 30 years than retired, he was treated pretty good.

R&K

k&r

:dem:

-Laelth

They may be doing the right thing by their employees who are called to serve but they are still selling exactly the same shit that Wall Mart does and its made by exactly the same Chineese exploited labor - all they do is change the packagaing.

but it's hard too avoid buying it completely!

Some are made in china. Some aren't. Ever tried to return a tool to walmart? Surfing through a crowd of doofuses to talk to a yahoo who has no clue.

Most craftsman tools have been stamped or milled with the "made in usa" mark. Not all.

No. I have had good luck with sears. I buy snap-on now but still have plenty of craftsman tools, especially the ones I break, frequently.

... go there for the "few" holiday items I buy. I've seen some nice Lands End womens apparel from my sister's closet borrowed when visiting her. I didn't know they were in Sears before this.

I'll be sure we use Sears this "season".

Good to read ya! :hi:

If they wear out too soon, they replace it no questions asked. I get a lot of school clothes there because of it.

made in China house slippers made by Dearfoams

got a pair recently. at home, after cutting off the plastic ties, found one shoe bigger then the other and the slipper that was the right size had the sole inlay (the part the foot is on) was glued on slightly crooked.

I could have taken them back, but since I only schlep around the apt. in them, and I hate to shop - I'm wearing them.

cripe

:)

:hi:

Therefore, that should give people even more options.

You get $.20 off per gallon per fill up at getgo gas station!So I always buy enough gift certificates to cover my purchase!

I actually paid $1.80 for gas last month using accumulated discounts.

But glad to see this thread, I need some better doormats for the winter and a thermal cover for the water heater, so Sears it is!

Just to be clear, is a blue company a company that stands behind unions?

and progressive causes.
Starbucks, Barnes & Nobel are blue companies.

who CONTRIBUTES TO DEMOCRATIC POLITICAL CANDIDATES AND HAS LIBERAL VALUES!
I bought a sears sink and faucet in 1991. By 1995 it was leaking and since it was washerless, couldn't be repaired.I called and complained a couple of times, while running up my electric bill with water constantly dripping. Finally, 1995 when I had gone back to college I called again, They gave me a new faucet free! Not only that I had had a year of discovering how hard it was to get a job (age 57) in Portland Maine, ( with 6 colleges definitely favored young employees.) The Sears employee who handed me the new faucet was at least in her late 60's or older!
I had a Sears sabre saw for 20 years before it tanked 9the big screw that held the sawblade right angke t the body stripped and couldn't be fixed. I've had a new one since 1991, still going strong. ( Of course business has fallen off by 75%, so I don't use it as much! ( used to cut painting surfaces or furniture to shape)
Black & Decker is another good one. I bought a dustbuster at the Ames going out of business sale, it fritzed soon after.I sent i it into the B& D repair in MASS. They sent me a new one, that fritzed too. They tried sending a new charging cradle......, nada after a few weeks..... Then they sent me a whole new one. Third times the charm, it still works 2 years later!

correct me if I'm wrong.
I wonder if Kmart is doing the same for its employees?

Not positive.

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/kmart_sears.html

Kmart Buys Sears

November 17, 2004

Kmart Holding Corp. is buying Sears, Roebuck & Co., for $11 billion, a deal that will create the third-largest retailer in the U.S.

Kmart emerged from bankruptcy just 18 months ago and not long ago looked like a candidate for the dust bin, but Kmart has been generating strong profits in recent months while Sears continues to languish.

Their appliances are very good quality for a reasonable price.

They are the same company now since they merged last year. So does the same apply to K-Mart?

She loves this stuff. I'm all smashed thumbs, but I try. Great stuff.

our next tv there. The current on eis very old, and my husband is itching to get a new LCD tv.

gotta love Sears.

I've always had a Sears Card because when I was younger and poorer it was a good option for car repairs.

I bought my Ipod from Sears

I didn't, but I remember someone saying that I could have.

didn't know they sold them.

They changed my card too. I never use it. But I might have to break it in with an Ipod.

I just bought a stove at Sears this past weekend. I don't know how they stand on other political issues, but I am happy that they support our troops where it matters.

I will buying from Sears.

What is wrong with them acting like patriotic corporate employers? Don't they know that is not the way corporations, or this government does business?

Hire 'em

Use 'em

Lose 'em

That's their motto.

very important information. If any other DUers know of other corporate companies who are doing their part, then please let us know.

I won't buy from them anymore. Too many bad experiences.

SEARS DOLLARS CIRCULATE THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY 5 TIMES BEFORE GOING BACK TO THE FEDS...

WALMART DOLLARS GET SEND OUT OF COUNTRY...

------------ANY SANE ECONOMY OF A GOVERNMENT WOULD STOP THE LEAKAGE



.....AND I DON'T SHOP AT CIRCUIT CITY EITHER (FIRED ALL THOSE WORKERS)

------------IT IS ONLY A FEW BUCKS DIFFERENCE TO SHOP SOMEWHERE THAT DOESN'T MAKE JESUS VOMIT

Choose K-Mart over Walmart!

And my washer and dryer are Kenmoore, 8 years old, HEAVY use (husband has a dirty dirty job) and still going strong.

Cost half as much, more efficient and higher capacity than the twenty-year-old one that died. What I love about Sears stuff is that everything comes with a whole parts list so you can actually fix things.

However I had some serious problems with their credit department in the past. They could never seem to deal with a change of address; even though I would every month go into my local store, make a payment and fill out yet another change of address form, they still put my account in collection because the statements kept getting returned. Of course they got the right address on the collection notices, but they could never get a statement to me.

Sears charge cards charge around 29% interest on their card. Yeah thats a company I want to support

My wife heard of a big sale at Sears (she's usually a Macy's/JCPenny's kind of gal) and found some really good deals for her, for me and for the kids. Since then we've gone back a few times and I have to say, either I've just grown up and become a Dad or Sears is a pretty cool store! It's icing on the cake if they support our military with more than lip service and magnetic ribbon stickers like everyone else in my area.

So shopping at Kmart would support the troops too.

Although they called it a "merger", KMart shelled out $11 billion for Sears.

I bought a terrific interview suit there this fall. Suits are such a waste of money since I wear them about once a year, when I change consulting gigs. I was happy to get a nice looking one at Sears for a very reasonable price.

They're not Wal-Mart
They have top quality appliances
They're not Wal-Mart
They provide good service from good employees
They're not Wal-Mart
They're very old retail general store that's been around since the depression
They're not Wal-Mart
They're competively priced and provide needed diversity to the local economic scene
They're NOT FUCKING WAL-MART!!!

Thank you for this really nice thread; lots of nice comments. You have helped me decide where to go to get new tires for my car a couple of months from now--Sears. I have gotten many other things from Sears over many years (Kenmore, the appliances)--a refrigerator, lawnmower, microwave, car battery, etc.--and they are all still running, including a washer and dryer that must be 20-25 years old that I inherited. Also, they have salespeople who actually help you and spend time on it, when you have a problem, plus great selection of clothes, for when you have the money. Also, when I was just starting my adult life and could not establish credit, the very first thing I ever got was a Sears credit card--I am grateful to them for that alone. I will have to reestablish the habit of going back to them again; my Mom also loved Sears. Again, a very nice thread.

I live overseas, but go hhome twice a year.

I know wher I'll be doing a lot of my shopping in 2008.

i just bought something there tonight, and now i feel even better than before

Thanks for the heads up.

In a Canadian CBC study on customer service, Sears came out on top in a comparison of customer telephone service.

The services of various retailers were rated on ease of use, access to a real person, dropped calls and general satisfaction.

Such good service should be recognized.

:toast: MKJ

They were the worst employer I ever had.

i feel your pain.

just because a company is 'blue' doesn't mean it's all roses.

but i'll go to sears or barnes & noble before i'll step into a wal*mart, that's for damn sure. thankfully i have lots of bookstores here so i can buy my stuff elsewhere. but ever since barnes & noble has a monopoly on the 'little video game store in the mall' market (they owned software etc. - now defunct - babbages, game stop, and bought out electronic boutique) i've bought my entertainment needs anywhere else if i can. i try to encourage others to do the same, but there's only so far they can go before it's just walmart 'n target. or you could buy online, even from mom 'n pop stores, like i've been telling everyone to do... average S&H versus 20 mile roundtrip in wear 'n tear and gas costs roughly even out.