Sears Declares 'Opening Day' of the 2001 Lawn & Garden Season

Atlanta Braves Field Director Ed Mangan appeared at the Sears Parts & Repair Center in Tucker today to offer tips to a crowd of local lawn and garden fans on getting equipment ready for game time. Sears HomeCentral® hosted the event as part of its "Opening Day" ceremonies for the 2001 Lawn & Garden season.

(Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20010310/HSSA010 )

"Most lawn enthusiasts get caught in the dugout when they go to start their mowers for the first time," said Mangan. "But having your lawn mower inspected and tuned-up by a Sears professional to prevent possible breakdowns means you'll beat the procrastinator crowds at repair centers and be ready to enjoy the first mow of the season."

Mangan and the experts at Sears HomeCentral say a smart first step for homeowners is to tune-up their mowers before the lawn season starts to help prevent premature mower failure. Whether they like to do it themselves or prefer to rely on professionals, homeowners can get the parts and repair expertise they need from a name they know and trust. With a nationwide network of Parts & Repair Centers, Sears offers consumers quality workmanship and fast service, all backed by their customer satisfaction guarantee.

Equipment Maintenance

"We have thousands of specially-trained technicians who service nearly three million pieces of lawn and garden equipment a year," said Dan Colbert, vice president of Performance Engineering and Carry-In for Sears HomeCentral. "Whether its push mowers, riding mowers or any other piece of lawn and garden equipment, Sears specially trained technicians service the product, no matter where the customer bought it."

  Mangan offered consumers this Spring Training maintenance scorecard:
  --  Spark plugs -- corrosion, cracks or oil build-up call for replacement.
      Sears experts advised consumers to be sure they replace spark plugs
      with the models specified by the manufacturer -- many spark plugs look
      the same but are not.
  --  Air filters -- clogged air filters restrict airflow through engines,
      affecting how easily engines start and how smoothly they run.
  --  Fresh gasoline -- stale fuel can prevent engines from starting.  Using
      a fuel stabilizer with each refill can help to prevent fuel from going
      stale during the lawn season.

A professional tune-up covers all of these items and includes an overall assessment of the equipment's condition. Consumers can call 1-800-4-MY-HOME® (1-800-469-4663) 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or visit the Sears Web site at http://www.sears.com/ to schedule riding mower repairs, find the nearest Sears Parts & Repair center or purchase lawn equipment parts.

Sears HomeCentral is one of the nation's largest home repair provider in terms of the number of home repair specialists, with more than 12,000 trained technicians making approximately 14 million repairs annually. Sears repair specialists are trained through the Sears Technological Institute, the first fully accredited educational institution of its kind in the U.S. Technicians make over 200,000 in-home repair visits per week and service most major brands no matter where the customer purchased the product.

Sears, Roebuck and Co. (NYSE: S) is a leading U.S. retailer of apparel, home and automotive products and services, with annual revenue of more than $40 billion. The company serves families across the country through approximately 860 department stores, more than 2,100 specialized retail locations, and a variety of online offerings accessible through the company's Web site, www.sears.com .

SOURCE: Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Contact: Edgar P. McDougal of Sears, 847-286-9669

Website: http://www.sears.com/