Sears Introduces "givetogether"

Sears has introduced a new gift-giving service called "givetogether," which is free, online at www.sears.com. With givetogether, families and friends can easily combine individual contributions into a single, larger gift, gift card, or service.

Sears givetogether works on four easy-to-navigate Website navigation tabs in four simple steps, First, the organizer or the recipient selects from any product or service offered by Sears and creates a group gift goal.

Second, they send an e-mail to invite contributors, such as family and friends, to participate at whatever level they choose, via credit card. There are no hidden costs or service fees.

Third, the group can track progress toward the goal online.

Finally, when the goal is met, the originator of the givetogether account can select to give a Sears eGift Card to the recipient via e-mail or in person. The gift recipient can then redeem the eGift Card online, or in-store, for the actual gift.

Said Bill Kiss, Sears' divisional vice president of marketing, planning and program development,"Giving gifts is an important part of American life that becomes a little more challenging when loved ones are geographically dispersed. We want to deliver a pleasurable experience for the gift givers, one that leverages a sense of family or community and which ultimately thrills the recipient. That's all part of the givetogether experience."

Sears Holdings's plans for givetogether, he added, will include home fashions, apparel and other products from Kmart.