Sears

Full review
I am by no means a Sears shopper, and frankly, I take pride in not being their target demographic.  I wasn’t even aware there was a Sears in Seattle until very recently, actually, when my vacuum cleaner died so completely that it now works in reverse and blows dust and dirt onto my carpet.  But I go where the low prices take me, and in this case, that was Sears.com.

Normally I enjoy the consumer-research part of a major purchase, but words cannot express my lack of enthusiasm for spending money on a cleaning appliance.  A recommendation from a friend plus some consumer-review reading led me to conclude that a classic Hoover WindTunnel was the brand for me – but where to get it?  The price was pretty consistent on all the sites I checked, but shipping would cost a fortune and there was no good place to have it sent (my apartment building’s not secure and my office would probably look askance at a vacuum in my inbox). 

Sears.com had the solution.  Not only did they have my vacuum on sale for $10 less than any other place, but they offered a Merchandise Pick-Up option that seemed like the best of both worlds: I could get all the discounts and extras from shopping online, but not have to pay for shipping AND have my vacuum the same day!  By searching online, I found a promo code for another $5 off, and because I was shopping online, I got to use Ebates and charge it to my points-earning credit card.  I love it when I can save four ways on one purchase!

For the most part, I found the site easy to navigate.  As far as I can tell, it offers the full range of Sears products that you would get in a bricks-and-mortar store, but I went straight to the Appliances department and then the Vacuum Cleaners and Floor care page.  Once there, you can search by brand, by style (upright, canister, etc.), by highest customer review, and current sales.  The only part I found confusing was when I chose the Merchandise Pick-Up option.  It asked me for my zip code, then gave me results for the Sears stores in my area – but also seemed to be prompting me to choose a different model instead, which would be available immediately (implying that the one I wanted was not).  Only when I ignored that and put the vacuum in my cart did it show that the model I wanted was indeed in store and available right away.  It seems strange that you can’t tell how long it will take until you’ve put the item in your cart.  If they don’t have your item in stock, they ship the item to the store you’ve chosen (which could take up to a few days) and then send you a notification email when it’s ready for you to come and get it.

The checkout process works just fine and seems secure.  I had no problems adding my promo code that I found online, and the ordering steps were simple to follow.  You get a chance to review your order one final time before placing the order, so if you are unsure about how the in-store pickup option worked, you can double-check to make sure you set it up correctly.

The pick-up part was easy and painless.  There is a merchandise pick-up lot that you’re supposed to park in so they can bring your stuff around (though they don’t tell you this until you’ve parked and come inside).  You have to print out your email receipt and bring it, because it has a bar code that you’ll scan into the automated kiosk, along with the credit card you purchased with.  They promise that your order will be out within 5 minutes, and it really was!  I stood there for about three minutes and a guy appeared with my vacuum on a dolly.  He loaded it into my car, cheerfully wished me a good evening, and that was it.

I can’t speak for orders that are shipped directly via the online store, since I opted to pick mine up myself, but it looks like their return policy is pretty standard and you can definitely return items purchased online to a bricks-and-mortar store.  The Merchandise Pick-Up option may seem like a weird and inefficient hybrid of online and in-person shopping methods, but for my purposes, it was the best option and worked flawlessly and easily.  The only bummer is that now I have no excuse for not vacuuming regularly…