Sears has a rich history as one America’s oldest department stores, and its low prices and quality items have been a part of the store since the beginning. Although some Sears locations are criticized for their worn down and old appearance, the store is still beloved by many customers, including bargain hunters.
Dealspotr has put together the following list of ways to save at Sears. In no time you’ll be a savvy Sears shopper on the hunt for lots of good deals.
Join Shop Your Way
It had a bit of a shaky start after it was launched in 2009, but now the Shop Your Way Rewards Program has worked out the kinks to provide great benefits to customers. The free program is easy to join and gives each person a membership number that must be used to cash in on membership perks. Shop Your Way members also get a free 90-day trial of Shop Your Way MAX, a paid subscription that is similar to Amazon Prime and offers free two-day shipping on most items. After finishing your free trial, you’ll have the option to continue the MAX program for $39 a year. If you don’t enroll in the paid program, your credit card won’t be automatically charged.
Shop Your Way has a lot of components and can be tricky to figure out at first. With a little practice, you’ll soon be able to take advantage of the many rewards.
Shop Your Way has more than 150 online partners, including most major retailers. Whenever you shop online at participating stores, you’ll earn points that are applied to your Shop Your Way account, but in order to do that, you must first log into ShopYourWay.com and click the link to your desired store from a list of online partners. Click the “Shop Now” button on the store’s page to track your spending and your points. Each store rewards a different amount of points, but that information is displayed on their Shop Your Way page. Shop Your Way occasionally offers special deals where they will double the points you get at each store.
You can also earn points by signing up for a credit or debit card with Shop Your Way. In fact, some stores will only reward points to Shop Your Way members with an enrolled credit card. Many of these stores are restaurants, which also allow points to be used in store instead of just online.
The Shop Your Way site also lets you shop for items based on product category. To do so, click the Departments tab, or search by brands using the Shop tab. Both search options can help you earn extra points, often in large quantities.
As an extra feature, Shop Your Way also features a Surprise Points section, where it randomly gives points that can be redeemed at nearly any participating store. There isn’t a rhyme or reason to these points, so check back regularly to see what’s in your account. Surprise points often have conditions applied to them that they may only work on a certain type of product or brand, have a quick expiration date, or require you spend a certain amount of money.
Shop Your Way rewards points can be redeemed very easily. Simply shop at Sears, Kmart, LandsEnd, or Mygofer in store or online and apply your points to your purchase by using your membership number at checkout. Every 1,000 points you earn transition to $1 that can be used on future purchases.
Coupons
If the Shop Your Way points weren’t enough, there’s also a whole section of digital coupons. These coupons can easily be added to your Shop Your Way account and are automatically applied when you use your membership number at checkout. Coupons range from store-wide discounts like $10 off at Sears or can be limited to certain areas of the store or certain types of products, like a discount of $5 on a $50 clothing purchase or $25 off a major home appliance over $499.
Flash Sales
As yet another added bonus for Shop Your Way members, the program also features flash sales under the Deals tab on its website. The deals are run either by Sears or Kmart or by Groupon, who is a Shop Your Way partner. The “Deal Heist” feature showcases limited-time deals from outside websites on products ranging from furniture and jewelry to tools and everything in between.
Extra Features
Aside from the points, coupons, and sales, Shop Your Way also provides a lot of social and gaming features that are designed to be interactive and give you more opportunities to save. The best way to see what is out there is to explore the site yourself and see the available features and what works best with your shopping habits and needs. There is also a sweepstakes area that allows you to enter to win points or even cars for free, as well as VIP program that has extra perks.
One of the most useful features on Shop Your Way is the catalog area, where you can organize and track items you may want to purchase in the future. Using this feature allows you to monitor prices and know when items go on sale.
Use Coupons and Promo Codes
Even without the Shop Your Way Rewards Program, Sears still regularly releases site-wide and high value promo codes and coupons. The promotions might occasionally be higher for Shop Your Way members, but they still provide everyone with great discounts. As with many other department stores, coupons and promo codes at Sears tend to come with a long list of exclusions.
Sears typically doesn’t allow coupon stacking, so it is rare that a promo code or coupon can be used with clearance items. Other exclusions include luxury brands and specialty items. Even with the exclusions, the frequency and value of coupons make them a great way for shoppers to get great deals.
Check back with often with Dealspotr.com to find the best available online coupon codes for Sears. Sears also sends coupons in the mail or in newspaper or regional publication inserts.
Shop Clearance Sales and Save up to 75%
Aside from the typical department store offerings of clothes, furniture, and electronics, Sears sets itself apart with a large and extensive tool sections and an appliance section full of the best brands. These sections are so large that many other competitors can’t even come close with price and selection. Sears uses a lot of its store and warehouse space to store all of these products, including larger items like lawn mowers and refrigerators. Carrying so many large items means Sears is especially conscious about getting rid of excess inventory, which is where clearance sales come in. Sears runs large clearance sales on a regular basis to get rid of old and overstock items and to give the store room to restock and replenish its inventory.
The best deals in the store are often found in the clearance section, which makes it the best area in the store to start your shopping. Because Sears has so many items on sale and clearance at any given moment, you should only look at regular-priced merchandise if you can’t find what you are looking for in the clearance section.
Download the Sears App
Although it’s not as flashy at other apps, the Sears app is very useful. The app allows you to compare products by features, price, and user reviews, and also to read the Consumer Reports note about the product. You can also chat directly with brand representatives to ask them questions, which is especially useful when purchasing appliances.
Sears goes even further by notifying app users of sales and coupons as soon as they are available. You can also look at local flyers and use the app to order items and pick them up free in store to avoid paying shipping fees. A unique feature of the app is that it lets you notify the store once you have arrived to pick up an item, and store employees will then bring the item straight to your car.
Get a Sears Credit Card
If you are a regular Sears shopper, a store credit card could be a good decision. Most departments in Sears offer a discount to cardholders, typically an extra 5% off, which can add up to huge savings on big items like furniture, appliances, or exercise equipment.
Even better than the discount is that there are no interest options. You can purchase expensive items for yourself and your home as long as you pay the bill in full within 12 months and don’t have any late payments. Not having interest is a huge saving and a big advantage over other credit cards. Be sure to check the most recent terms and conditions before signing up for a card, as they can change at any time. You should also make sure your chosen offer is applicable to online purchases because some are only available in store.