Ready..Set...Go...CollegeReady with Sears

It’s nearly time again; time to begin those back-to-school shopping trips. I have three older sons; two have graduated from college and the last one is in his final year. In May I watched my second oldest walk across stage and accept his diploma. Four years of hard work and sacrifice paid off; he’s now a college graduate and is currently setting up house in New Orleans to begin a teaching job with Teach for America.

For all my sons, there was no college slush-fund. Each one of them enrolled with scholarships and student loans. Each of them also held a part-time job while in college to help with expenses. The two oldest left Cleveland to attend different colleges in Chicago where they learned valuable life skills like how to travel on the “L” without getting hopelessly lost, the underwear fairy doesn’t magically put fresh boxers in your drawers while you sleep, and Ramen Noodles can be their own food group. I can’t tell you how many times I received the dreaded “Hey Mom, can you put money into my account?” phone calls these past eight years. Don’t get me wrong, the two oldest boys learned the art of frugality; buying products on sale, learning how to trim their own hair with a pair of scissors, and packing two wash loads into one dryer to save the extra $3.00 to dry two loads. But money is tight when you’re a college student paying for college on your own.

But Sears is making the college experience a little easier on families. Sears CampusReady has reloadable gift cards that you purchase for both you and your college scholar. Parents can load funds onto the gift card online or in the student shop at their local Sears or Kmart stores. Your little Phi Beta Kappa can then spend to their card’s content online, in stores, or by phone. You can only purchase these reloadable cards in stores, but they’re capable of being funded online at any time, a great convenience for busy parents.

Sears also has a Facebook application for parents and students; CampusReady on Facebook. Design your dorm room with the Sears 3D Dorm Designer application and see your room in all it’s glory before you even step foot on campus. Create a wish list with the Sears Gift Getter application and share it with your friends and family; drop the hint and let them know what essentials you’re still lacking for your dream dorm room. Have some fun with the Roommate Match-Up; take the quiz and see what you and your new cohabiter have in common…or don’t. And then be sure to check out http://www.sears.com/campus and see how Sears can make the college transition a whole lot easier on students and parents.

Every Rose has its Thorn-Chris Heuer & Sears

As part of their Sears Grants a Wish campaign, Sears has given a smattering of bloggers the opportunity to grant their own wish and write about their experiences on their blogs. Each blogger went on a shopping trip and wrote a post about their excursion. Chris Heuer's Insytes was one of those blogs.

I had been blissfully ignorant of "blogging" until a few months ago. My former impression was that blogging was a lot like an online diary; people writing about their days, their families, work, beliefs, hobbies. It wasn't until I started to explore this whole blogging phenomenon that I found there's a whole marketing niche that's developed. Companies are offering bloggers the opportunity to try their products, write a post about the product and then offer the same to their readers.

All I can say is pure-marketing-genius! Companies are touching consumers almost directly by promoting their products this way. Bloggers are getting more readers to their site, readers that may share similar interests and likes. And readers, much like me, are having their initial perception of blogging altered. I, like many other people, have found blogs that I actually like and enjoy coming back to to read. It's not all "Janie's potty-training epic" or "My boss is a mind-numbing cheesedoodle". I've discovered sites that have given me great tips for shopping on a dime; computer tips, tricks, and fixes; how to work that dang digital camera that I lost the manual for. It's a wealth of knowledge out there, and I've only just begun discovering new blogs to read and come back to. Now everyone can be a novelist and write what they know.

The one thing that I have found with this whole blog-marketing thing is the lack of an "honest" review. I understand it..heck, if someone was giving me something gratis I'd probably be blowing smoke up their fanny too and telling everyone this great cleaning product not only cleans your home but fills your gas tank, housebreaks your puppy and angels will sing when you use it. But that's not what I always want to know. I want an honest review, one that gives me the pros and cons and then I can decide for myself if the "suck" is something I can live with. No product is a miracle. No product works perfectly 100% of the time. I can deal with that. As a consumer, I expect that. Hello companies...I can, and frequently do, make a decision to buy a product I know does not work exactly the way you portray it. That's why when I find an honest, accurate review, I embrace it and, by God here's a newsflash, I actually READ it! After reading Chris's review, I'm more inclined to shop at Sears..not less. Yes, there were some points that weren't all cuddles and kittens..but now that I know that, I've decided I can live with them and I'd still shop at Sears. I want honesty in the blogs I read, and I want them in the stores I choose to shop.

So if you've stuck with me to this paragraph, I'm going to encourage you to click over to Chris Heuer's Insytes and READ his honest review of his shopping trip at Sears. There's some valuable information in that post. After you're done reading, you can enter to win your own "wish" courtesy of Sears...one of three great prize packages Chris has put together for his readers. Choose one and one will be chosen to win. There's a Mind/Body/Soul package, a Media Package, or a Gamers Package. Chris has even offered to let his winner choose their own package, just go to Sears and find the item numbers of the things near and dear to your heart that you just can't live without (up to $500) and put them in your post. Go swiftly, young blog surfer, this giveaway deadline is December 23rd.

Your Wish is Granted: Technosailor & Sears

A new drill-driver? Some comfy flannel sheets? An iPod and docking station? Or how about a new Christmas tree? If you're shopping for any of the aforementioned, Sears has just what you're looking for. This year as part of their Grant A Wish program, Sears gave Aaron Brazell of Technosailor the opportunity to shop on their dime and review his experience for his readers. You can read all about his shopping junket and enter for the opportunity to have your Christmas wish come true! Sears has given Technosailor readers the chance to win one of three great prize packages:

The iPod Pack

* Apple 8GB iPod Touch (Black)
* iHome 2.1 Channel Micro Bookshelf System for iPod
* i.Sound 2-in-1 Rechargeable Backup Battery for iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPod

The Playstation 3 Pack (this is my wish)

* Sony Playstation 3 80GB
* Fallout 3

The “Electronics for Your Car” Pack

* Tomtom GPS, One 125 Portable GPS Device
* Audiovox Two Way Remote Car Starter
* Motorola HF1000 Bluetooth Car Kit

One winner picks his/her Sears prize package.
You only have until December 23 to enter for your chance to win. Head over to the Technosailor blog, read the review, enter to win, and cross your fingers that your Christmas wish will be granted.