Sears.com Adds Fitness Equipment, Gift Wrapping, Gift Ideas to Top Off Holiday Offerings

Just in time for the holidays and New Year's resolutions, online shoppers can now click to get fit. Sears, Roebuck and Co. (NYSE: S), which sells more treadmills than any other U.S. retailer, adds fitness equipment to its Web store. Sears.com also tops off its holiday offerings this year with gift wrapping for hundreds of items and the online Gift-Ideas Center to help shoppers with their choices.

During the holidays, sears.com also is giving Sony PlayStation 2 to 50 lucky holiday shoppers a week through Dec. 17 -- in the "Sony PlayStation 2 Sweepstakes." Each online order of $50 or more will qualify for an entry.

"We've added the finishing touches to our year-long holiday preparations," said Dennis Honan, vice president and general manager of Sears Online. "Since last holiday season, sears.com shoppers will find more product categories, more product advisors, improved navigation and more intuitive product and brand searches. By listening carefully to our customers, sears.com has evolved significantly this past year.

"Customers continue to enjoy the increased convenience of Sears integration of stores and online shopping options," Honan added. "A gift bought at sears.com can be returned to Sears stores across the country. Thousands of customers are also researching online, then buying in stores. Because of our century-old commitment to 'customer satisfaction of your money back,' shoppers are confidently shopping sears.com to make major purchases such as projection TVs, ranges and treadmills.

  "We're expecting a very hot holiday season on sears.com," Honan said.

  Fitness equipment

Sears extends to the Internet its popular fitness equipment selection. Sears.com now carries treadmills, stepper and elliptical machines, fitness cycles, weight benches and weight systems in the leading brands of Nordic Track, Proform, Lifestyler, Weider and Body Solid.

Gift Ideas

To help narrow choices, the new, year-round Gift-Ideas Center at http://www.sears.com/ features digital electronic gifts, computing gifts, gifts for kids, for him, for her, and gifts under $50, $50 to $100 and $100 and up. Special-events gifts for engagement/weddings, new baby and new home are also suggested. While home improvement guru Bob Vila provides gift suggestions to tool lovers, the sears.com Gift-Ideas Center also links to wishbook.com for fine jewelry ideas.

Gift wrapping

For the first time, sears.com shoppers can order gift wrapping for selected items. At $4.99, gift wrapping includes a gift box, silver striped paper, silver ribbon and a gift tag that can be either blank or filled in with names and a short personalized message of up to 50 characters. Gift wrapping will be available for approximately 1,500 items on sears.com.

Product selection

The sears.com product selection has greatly expanded since last holiday season. During the 1999 holiday season, sears.com offered major appliances and expanded its tool selection beyond the top selling brand in the country, Craftsman, to include more than 120 tool brands. This holiday season sears.com also offers the following categories, which can be shipped throughout the continental United States:

  -- home electronics (including MP3 players, camcorders, cameras, CD
     players, video games, big screen TVs and car audio equipment)
  -- home office and computer equipment (including fax machines, lap tops
     and portable phones)
  -- products for baby (including furniture, travel gear and feeding
     products)
  -- lawn and garden equipment (including gas grills, snow throwers and hand
     pruners)
  -- small appliances and cookware (from George Foreman grills to Circulon
     cookware)
  -- fitness equipment.

  Sears Gift Cards

Purchasing a Sears Gift Card remains an easy -- and very popular -- way to wrap up holiday shopping. Available in $5 increments (from $10 to $100), Sears Gift Cards may be applied toward in-store purchases at Sears store locations in the United States and Puerto Rico. The Sears Gift Cards may be used multiple times until the value has been spent. Each card, individually wrapped in a special gift holder, can be shipped directly to the recipient with a personalized message.

Instant Credit

Customers have the ability to apply for the Sears Card from the shopping cart on sears.com -- and if approved, may use their new credit line immediately to complete their sears.com purchase. After customers have received their Sears Card in the mail, it can be used at approximately 3,000 Sears locations.

Wishbook.com

Sears.com also links to wishbook.com, the online version of the Sears holiday catalog popular since 1933. Wishbook.com offers 2,100 toys, gifts and fine jewelry for kids and grownups. Wishbook.com ships to all 50 states.

Order early

For the best selection and to assure delivery in time for Christmas, Sears encourages shoppers to order early -- and by December 18, if possible. For UPS-deliverable items that are in stock at the sears.com warehouse, sears.com will accept orders up to midnight CST, Dec. 20, for delivery by Christmas. As Christmas approaches, sears.com will clearly indicate on the site which items can be delivered by Christmas.

Wishbook.com guarantees delivery by Christmas for in-stock warehouse items that are ordered by Dec. 19, 10 a.m. CST.

Hope for those wanting a Sony PlayStation 2

Four qualifying weeks and 200 of the 250 Sony PlayStation 2s remain in the five-week "Sony PlayStation 2 Sweepstakes" on sears.com. In the sweepstakes, shoppers will automatically be credited for one (1) entry for every order at http://www.sears.com/ and http://www.wishbook.com/ of $50 or more, excluding shipping, taxes and electronic coupons. There are no limits to the number of qualifying entries on sears.com and wishbook.com, and entries remain valid through the duration of the sweepstakes.

The sweepstakes is open to residents of all 50 United States and the District of Columbia. Since the sears.com delivery area is limited to the continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii residents must enter through wishbook.com. Entries by mail also are accepted. See http://www.sears.com/ for complete rules. Must be 18 years or older to enter. Promotion ends online at 11:59 p.m. ET on 12/17/00.

About Sears

Sears, Roebuck and Co. is a leading U.S. retailer of apparel, home and automotive products and services, with annual revenue of nearly $40 billion. The company serves families throughout 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, http://www.sears.com/ .

SOURCE: Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Contact: Ann Woolman of Sears, Roebuck and Co., 847-286-7079, or
awoolma@sears.com

Website: http://www.wishbook.com/

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