Sears Shmears
Written: Dec 26 '04 (Updated Mar 18 '08)
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Unless I am shopping for Craftsman products, my local Sears retail store is usually not even a place I consider to do my shopping. Why? The prices on most items are higher than average, the fashions are dated, and the service is absolutely horrible. So, what about Sears' online store? It couldn't possibly be as bad as my local Sears; could it?
The Store:
As you might imagine, Sears.com is an absolutely huge online store. Sears' online store carries pretty much everything that your local Sears retail would carry. i.e. clothing, appliances, home and garden equipment, automotive supplies, computers, electronics, etc. In addition to what your local sears might already offer, Sears.com allows the user to book vacations, order flowers, rent vehicles, etc.
Even though Sears.com takes up a large chunk of cyber space, this site is formatted in a way that lets the user navigate around the store without getting lost or too overwhelmed. Sears.com features 15 main categories that then get divided into sub-categories and then are finally divided by brands. When a search result is found, the product page will usually provide the user with both a picture of the product and a full description.
To purchase a product at Sears.com you can register with this company, if you want your billing info stored in their database, however becoming a member is not necessary to complete an order. I do highly recommend registering at Sears.com if you do plan on shopping here more than once, as all your info will be erased if you backtrack from the billing page. At Sears.com you can have your order shipped to your home or your local sears. Sears, however, doesn't offer much in the form of payment methods. Sears accepts only major credit cards and their series of Sears cards.
While browsing this store may be easy, finalizing a purchase on the other hand, has been a huge problem for me. I don't know if it's just the way Sears conducts business online or I just had an unfortunate experience, but Sears just couldn't get my credit information correct if it were to save their lives. To explain, when attempting to finalize a purchase I would get a statement stating that my credit card number was not valid. Frustrated after several attempts, I called the store's customer service department and finally got things settled. Still, simple mistakes from such a well-known store are unacceptable. After all, this store isn't exactly new to doing business using credit cards.
One should note that Sears also features auctions at eBay, which can be accessed at Sears' home page.
My take on Sears.com:
As I have already mentioned, in the past I rarely consider Sears or Sears.com for anything but Craftsman products. I have used Sears.com on one occasion; to purchase my Craftsman Travelling Sprinkler.
Prices:
The prices at Sears vary. Usually you can get a good deal if you are purchasing Sears' own name brand products. i.e. Kenmore or Craftsman, however most products that don't carry these nameplates are more expensive than average. For example, my Panasonic Home Theater System was almost $100 more at Sears.com than it was at eTronics Online Store. I purchased my Craftsman Travelling Sprinkler from Sears.com for 75 dollars after taxes and free shipping to my local Sears. I find this price extremely fair, considering I paid nearly $200 a few years back for a generic model that claimed to do the same thing.
Perhaps Sears' best asset is its enormously diverse selection of products. From electronics to vacuum cleaners, Sears.com offers an amazing selection on all kinds of goodies. In terms of name brands, Sears does have a slight Kenmore/Craftsman bias (especially in the home and garden department), however there are still plenty of name brands to choose from.
Customer Service:
My biggest gripe with this store is the poor customer service. The folks at Sears' customer care center were unpleasant and rude on all occasions. As I mentioned earlier, they didn't get my credit card number correctly at the site and somehow were successful at making me feel like it was my fault on the phone.
Shipping:
Sears' shipping methods and costs are a mixed bag. Sears charges by weight and speed of delivery. This is great news if you are buying an expensive light-weight item, however it's a huge downfall for those who are ordering heavy items such as dishwashers and refrigerators where shipping costs can run as high as $250! If you are having a product shipped from Sears' online store to your local Sears store (highly recommended) shipping prices are usually free of charge. When I had Sears.com ship my sprinkler to my local Sears store, Sears.com customer care line claimed they couldn't for computer reasons. Knowing this was bull, I made a fuss until I got my free shipping; sometimes this is what it takes. Shipping methods at Sears.com are generous. Sears.com offers Standard UPS ground, 2-day air, Overnight, and APO/FPO.
Arrival Time:
Just three days after I ordered my Craftsman Sprinkler, I received an e-mail stating that my sprinkler had arrived. I was not expecting shipping to go so smoothly after all the problems I had with the site and customer care. Whether or not my constant complaining had anything to do with this fast delivery is beyond me, though it obviously didn't hurt any. One should note that if you do decide to have your product shipped to your local Sears, all you need to do is bring in the confirmation e-mail that will be sent and your credit card to your local Sears.
Return Policy:
One good thing about shopping at Sears is that you can take the merchandise back to your local Sears store for returns. Minus shipping, Sears will provide a full refund on products for up to 90 days after you receive your merchandise. Of course there is the exception where Sears will provide a lifetime warranty, where you can just take in the old product and get a new one without question (or so they say).
Final Thoughts:
I really wanted to like Sears.com. It's a huge online store, which is perfect for shopaholics like me. Unfortunately, because Sears has generally higher than average price tags and their customer service is horrible, I don't recommend this store.
Thanks for reading!
Recommended:
No
What product did you purchase or try to purchase? Craftsman travelling sprinkler
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