Sears Stores Across the Country to Extend Shopping Hours Till Midnight; New Survey Confirms Extended-hours Holiday Shopping Trend

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Dec. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Sears stores in 260 markets will offer extended shopping hours for the remainder of the holiday shopping season[1], staying open until midnight from Wednesday, Dec. 14 through Friday, Dec. 23. The extended store hours come as a new survey reports 71 percent of consumers said they have already or were planning to shop during off-hours, according to a national poll by Wakefield Research, commissioned by Sears[2]. Furthermore, nearly one in five (18 percent) Americans said they have or are planning to shop a late-night in-store sale, beginning at 9 p.m. or later.

"We listen to our customers day-in and day-out and continually adapt to the ways they shop," said Monica Woo, chief marketing officer for Sears. "During the busy holiday season when family time and budgets are stretched, it's even more important for us to give our customers more time to shop and better value for their money."

The national poll also found that more than eight in 10 (83 percent) respondents who shop during the off-hours, such as early morning or late at night, shop these times to avoid crowds. Additionally, nearly half (46 percent) are motivated to shop these extended hours for better customer service while 36 percent go for promotional deals and prices.

Sears' extended hours come just ahead of what is anticipated to be one of the season's biggest in-store shopping days, Saturday, Dec. 17, nicknamed "Super Saturday." Sears' new exclusive Super Saturday offers (available this Friday and Saturday, Dec. 16-17) include:

• Save up to 75 percent on fine jewelry, plus get a free pair of diamond studs ($99 value) when you make a jewelry purchase of $199 or more, while supplies last
• Save 65 percent off fashion boots
• Save 65 percent on  sweaters, outerwear and long sleeve tops for him
• Save up to 60 percent on coats, sweaters and fleece
• Save up to 40 percent off all Craftsman combo kits
• Shop the Midnight Madness event from 6 p.m. to midnight (local time) on Saturday, Dec. 17 and save even more. Save up to 65 percent off sweaters. Plus, receive 30 percent off already-discounted, fall clearance clothing and home fashion items—a total savings of up to 75 percent off.

Further helping customers make the most of their holiday budgets, the Sears Price Match Plus Policy matches competitors' advertised prices on the same items, plus gives customers 10 percent of the difference. (Customers receive the difference in the same form of tender in which they made the original purchase.) Additionally, if an item purchased from Sears goes on sale within 14 days of purchase, customers will receive a refund of the difference.

Sears also makes shopping more convenient with Buy Online, Pick-Up In-Store, which enables customers to make purchases online and pick them up in-store at their convenience. Purchases made from Sears.com or through any of its mobile offerings are backed by Sears' Ready In 5 Guarantee, which allows customers to shop from anywhere and pick up their purchases within five minutes. For added ease, Sears also offers curbside pickup at select locations[3].

Deal-seeking customers can also take advantage of the popular People's Pick program, continuing weekly through Dec. 24, 2011, for incredible, limited-time savings online and in-store. Every Sunday through Tuesday at Sears.com/pick, customers can vote for products within select categories to determine the items that should go on sale each week. (See the website for more details.)

For a complete list of the stores that will offer extended hours, please visit Sears.com/hours.  

Sears Holiday Poll Methodology
The Sears Holiday Poll was conducted by Wakefield Research among 1,000 nationally representative Americans ages 18 and older, between Dec. 7 and Dec. 12, 2011, using an email invitation and an online survey. Quotas have been set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the U.S. adult population ages 18 and older. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. For the interviews conducted in this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.

About Sears, Roebuck and Co.
Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: SHLD), is a leading broadline retailer providing merchandise and related services. Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 2,700 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and Canada, which includes over 890 Full-line and more than 1,350 specialty stores in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs. Sears, Roebuck offers consumers leading proprietary brands including Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End—among the most trusted and preferred brands in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck is the 2011 ENERGY STAR® Retail Partner of the Year. The company is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 11 million service calls made annually. For more information, visit the Sears, Roebuck website at www.sears.com or the Sears Holdings Corporation website at www.searsholdings.com.

[1] Visit Sears.com/hours to find which stores will offer shopping until midnight beginning, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2011.

[2] This survey was conducted by Wakefield Research for Sears Holdings on Dec. 7 – 12, 2011. It was an online omnibus survey of 1,000 nationally representative Americans ages 18 and older.

[3] Available at participating Sears stores; excludes jewelry. Customers drive to the curbside location near Merchandise Pickup. A Sears associate verifies the customer's email confirmation or credit card, retrieves the purchased item and loads it into the customer's vehicle. The customer receives their item in five minutes or they get a $5 coupon good for their next in-store purchase.

SOURCE Sears

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