Date

03/22/10

03/29/10

04/05/10

04/12/10

04/19/10

As a retiree, my source(s) of income are
generated by:
     Social Security - 46%
     Retirement Pension - 14%
     IRA/Investments - 35%
     PT Employment - 5%

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95%

Sears will be opening on Thanksgiving for the first time in its 85-year retail history. The stores will be open from 7 a.m. to noon.

Do you intend to beat "black Friday" and shop at Sears on Thanksgiving for great values?
Comments:
1. I really hope they have "GREAT VALUES" and just as important be IN STOCK. The one experience I had was on black Friday when the store opened at 6 AM. I was the second customer at the jewelry counter and they told me they had sold out. "Dog bites once dog's fault - dog bites twice your fault. I will not be bit again.
2. This sounds like a desperation move thought up by a man who does not know retailing.
3. another holiday taken away from employees
4. I wonder if the business gained will pay for the light bill for that period and how many of our customers will be alienated? Sears groceries, household items and electrical items prices are not competitive. Qe1 and Qe2 make about as much sense as a manufacturer buying all of its output. Unless the private sector is encouraged through lower taxes, less bureaucracy and stop shipping jobs out of our country we will become a third world country. Spending must be cut and entitlements must be addressed and resolved and possibly cut. Illegial immigration must be stopped by putting at least 60,000 trooops at the Mexican border, fining those who employ them but don't tie employer's hands by not allowing them to adequately screen their employees, enforce current immigration laws (no amnessty) and make English our official language. Fred Karnatz
5. Becoming a KMart clone, same service, same Chinese products.
6. Next year they will be open on Christmas.
7. I think it is just terrible for all associates to have to work on Thanksgiving. What is next, Christmas and Easter? Bill Owen Retired Store Manager 1405
8. What great values?! Sears is never the lowest price in town.

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Where do you plan on doing most of your holiday shopping this year?
                Amazon.com - 44%
                Kohl's  -  25%
                Penney's  -  6%
                Sears  -  0%
                Target  -  0%
                Walmart  -  13%
                Other   -   13%
Comments:
1. It's convenient and shipping is free over a nominal amount of purchases.
2, Good values, good customer service, real sales and always in stock.
3. Radio Shack

Last week, a miracle occurred in Washington, D.C. -- current Democratic President Barack Obama appearing with former Democratic President Bill Clinton to endorse the extension of the tax cuts of Republican George W. Bush!

If the tax cuts are not extended, who should bear the blame?
Comments:
     President Obama                     25%
     House Democrats                    38% 
     House Republicans                    0% 
     House Speaker Nancy Pelosi   25%
     Other                                         13%
1. Both house Dem's and Nancy Pelosi. How can a reasonable thinking person not vote to extend the tax cuts in this economy? If it is not brought the the floor for a vote the Dem's will "think up" an excuse to try and blame the Republicans. (Estate tax)I have never seen so much acromony, back biting and "in fighting" before. The Dem's do not care what happened in the last election.
2. Pelosi is a piece of work!! Because she controls the House majority for a couple of more weeks (thank goodness), she has the power to deny a floor vote and hand the American economy a giant tax increase on January 1, 2011. Pelosi is trying to show Obama who wears the pantsuit in the party. This is merely an exercise in sheer ideological willfulness. San Francisco should wake up and vote her out of office. Pelosi is a real threat to our country!!!

Sears ranked third in overall Web traffic for a multi-channel store retailer during the week ending November 27, which included Thanks-giving and Black Friday.
How would you rank Sears online customer service? 
     The best on the Web:  0%
      Excellent:  0%
      Good:  17%
      Could be better:  0%
      A disaster: 17%
      Never shopped Sears.com: 67%
1. Knowing the experiences and lack of values and stock in the stores I was afraid to give it a try. It really is a shame to feel like that. View
2. Very slow and often sends you to a sight not intended.

Comments:
1. not this year economy has to pick up quite a bit and store personnel have to get better (like knowing the product and actually helping the customer)
2. He does not understand retailing and is ignoring the stores' physical features, allowing them to fall into disrepair. Is only interested in buying back shares with available cash, thereby enriching himself and other shareholders, but the stores are continuing to go down hill due to lack of funds to improve the facilities. A sad situation.
3. I certainly hope so but Mr. Lampert's track record of investment success is not digging Sears out of a 5 year rut but putting Sears deeper into the rut. Mr. Lampert is out for one thing and that is to wring every cent out of Sears he possibly can and then dump it in the trash. Customers vote with their pocketbooks and Mr. Lampert is an expert in picking pockets.
4. Too little, too late. Competition has momentum, Sears doesn't. Sad, but true.
5. our local sears club is disappointed with your bias against the past speaker of the house and leader of the senate. the new health bill may not be perfect but, its very important to seniors, middle class hold the pharma,greedstreet,big business, and the wealthy to help us with health care. our newsletter should reflect that. you have not done that. we donate every year because you speak for sears retirees. thankyou, mel spatt/scranton sears retiree club..toolguy609@aol.com
6. No, he doesn't have a clue how to do it. With today's announcements, I would tell anyone who works in the stores, "Watch Out," you may be next on the chopping block! Good Luck to all those faithful Sears employees! View
7. Lampert has never been, nor will he ever likely become a retailer. He is a successful investor, however, and may have some yet to be demonstrated method of generating profit from his K-Mart/Sears venture. But it will not likely come out of retailing success.
8. The Internet will save Sears Holdings!!! Stay with Sears. It will be a real money maker. Do not bet against Eddie.
9. As an employee I see first hand daily the effects of not investing in the stores. The stores look dated from no remodels for years and equipment needed to do the work is old and unreliable. Employees mostly dont stay long due to minimum wage pay with no raises ever and a very poor benefit package including no match on the 401k plan. On top of that priorities are all about selling credit applications, extended warranties and shop your way rewards programs. There is not enough cash left at this point to turn around the business because so much was squandered on stock buybacks. I don't see how it can be turned around at this point. trust me hardly any of the employees care that much because they generally work 10 to 20 hours a week with no benefits.

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A number of states have introduced e-Fairness legislation which would require out-of-state online retailers with a nexus in the state via online affiliates to collect the appropriate state sales tax. This could have a direct impact on purchases made at amazon.com.

Do you favor such legislation?
Comments:
1. If I go to another State and buy something I do not pay my State's sales tax. Why should that be any different when I purchase online from out of my state? This is just another way for "your pocket to be picked".
2. This is not a new tax. There has never been a debate that residents of states with sales taxes are supposed to pay that tax on their purchases. As consumers have grown more comfortable with online shopping, the chance to avoid sales tax is an incentive to give their business to Web merchants. That simply is not fair. Local merchants are the heart of a community’s economy. They don’t just sell goods; they provide employment for their own workers and for employees of a wide network of businesses that support the retail community. They bring customers into their local communities.
3. We tax everything else why not. The politicians have to live too. Illinois wants to tax retirement so they can get out of the hole they dug themselves into.

The Spring 2011 issue of STRAIGHT TALK was recently released and also available on our web site.
Did you find this issue informative?

Comments:
1. Your issues get better and better. I especially enjoyed your lead article about why Sears changed insurance carriers and the problem with Prudential. I wish Sears would give us this news without us retirees having to ask for it. Keep up the good work!

2. Another great issue -- both informative about Sears, then and now.

3. Very informative. The answer on the change of life insurance companies put a different perspective on the issue. I just wish Sears/KMart would let everyone know "up front" before they create a big uproar. Also the article on General Wood was great and just as valuable today as it was then. It's to bad Sears/KMart don't follow it. "The customer is our real employer" and the Company is loosing them by their actions and lack of actions.

4. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK

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