Calling All Santas! No Red Suit Required This Holiday Season

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- This holiday season, Sears is giving consumers the chance to "Be the Santa You Want to Be," as the retailer conducts a national search to find five very unique Santas, each with their own special approach to Christmas. So whether you're an aspiring actor, the leader of a local theatre group, or just passionate about the way you like to shop, Sears is inviting consumers nationwide to enter for their chance to be cast as one of five different Santa personalities which will be featured in the retailer's holiday campaign through Dec. 31.

Sears is hosting a casting call to find five Santas to represent the different types of holiday shoppers this season ranging from a Savvysanta to a Procrastisanta. Aspiring Santas are invited to go online at www.sears.com/bethesanta through Sept. 14 and upload a one-minute video explaining why they should be cast as a Sears Santa. The retailer will review all submissions and announce the 2010 cast of Santas on Oct. 8. Ultimately the five Santas chosen will each earn $50,000 and be featured in the Sears holiday ad campaign through Dec. 31.

"Everyone has a different style when it comes to shopping for the holidays," said Robert Raible, vice president, Integrated Marketing Communications, Sears Holdings. "We want to celebrate those differences and allow all of our customers to be the Santa they want to be this year. But, before the shopping season begins, we need to find the right Santas to represent our brand and our customers. So, whether consumers shop early in the season with Layaway, scour for great deals, utilize our ShopYourWay offerings, or wait to shop until Christmas Eve with last minute gifts, Sears will have a Santa they can relate to."

Sears is looking to cast the following Santa personalities:

Savvysanta: Always organized and always ahead of the game, everyone knows one of these Santas. Before you've even got your decorations up, they're already done shopping. They know all the secret online discount codes and group deals. They earn points and rewards like no one's business. Plus they can buy online, pick up in store and get back before the neighborhood cookie exchange.

Santamazing: There's one of these in every family, the dad, aunt or cousin who lives to give and make this Christmas the best ever. Their mission is to blow people away with the biggest, most jaw-dropping gifts around. So they find out what everyone's wishing for most then somehow find a way to get it under the tree.

Powersanta: Not even Turkey Day tryptophan slows this Santa down. For the Powersanta, shopping is a sport. Frequently spotted with an equally powerful companion, they're always up at 2 a.m. for doorbusters and first in the queue for Cyber Monday because these Santas are locked into one thing only – finding the most amazing deals on the most sought after gifts.

Santabulous: Also known as the diva of Christmas, these Santas look fabulous and give fabulous. Always inspired by the hottest styles of the season, they make sure everyone on their list looks great. While they're shopping for others, they're never afraid to pick up a few must-haves for themselves because if you must be dashing through the holidays, you might as well look good doing it.

Procrastisanta: We all have 365 days to prepare for Christmas but this Santa is typically too busy for the first 363 of them. Don't get them wrong, they love Christmas but they just have a way of waiting for the last minute to actually start shopping for it. Plus, why start early when you've perfected the art of cramming months and months of thoughtfulness into 48 hours?

"The Sears casting call is our modern day twist on an iconic figure and celebrates all the different types of gift givers and shoppers out there," added Raible.

All submission videos will be posted online so users can view entries and root for their favorites until the cast is announced. For more information, or to apply online, visit www.sears.com/bethesanta.

About Sears, Roebuck and Co.

Sears, Roebuck and Co., a wholly owned subsidiary of Sears Holdings Corporation (Nasdaq: SHLD), is a leading broadline retailer providing merchandise and related services. Sears, Roebuck offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 2,300 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the United States and Canada, which includes approximately 929 full-line and approximately 1,200 specialty stores in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck also offers a variety of merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs. Sears, Roebuck offers consumers leading proprietary brands including Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End -- among the most trusted and preferred brands in the U.S. Sears, Roebuck is the 2010 ENERGY STAR® Retail Partner of the Year. The company is the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 12 million service calls made annually. For more information, visit the Sears, Roebuck website at www.sears.com or the Sears Holdings Corporation website at www.searsholdings.com.

SOURCE Sears, Roebuck and Co.