Sears and Kmart Help Loyal Customers Give Charities Millions of Reasons to Celebrate This Holiday Season

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Oct. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- The holidays are a time for sharing and one lucky customer of Sears and Kmart will give multiple charities millions of reasons to celebrate this year.  The grand prize winner of the Sears and Kmart Shop Your Way Rewards "What Would You Do With One Billions Points?" contest will win the final prize, which equates to $547,740 in product value, half of which they will donate to deserving charities. The winning charities will be given the opportunity to use the awarded Shop Your Way Rewards points to purchase items that will help their respective cause, such as thousands of diapers for babies, clothing for the homeless and even new appliances for food kitchens.

When the contest launched earlier this year, the prize pool began at 100 million points and increased 10,000 points for every video submitted. Thousands of Americans expressed their generous nature and their loyalty to Sears and Kmart by submitting an online, 45-second, personal video message answering the question "What Would You Do with One Billion Points?" Videos ranged from wishes of helping educational, diabetes and wildlife charities to personal desires of using the points on everything Sears and Kmart has to offer, including outfitting a home with appliances, electronics, sporting goods, tools, indoor and outdoor home furnishings, jewelry, apparel and footwear for the whole family.

After the submission of more than 44,000 endearing and creative entries, customer votes narrowed down the pool of videos to 20 finalists. Now it is up to America to determine the grand prize winner by voting for their favorite video online at www.billionpoints.com from Oct. 9 through Nov. 3.

"The Shop Your Way Rewards 'What Would You Do with One Billion Points?' contest has been a huge success, and we've enjoyed learning about our customers' personal interests and how they would help others through charitable giving," said David Friedman, senior vice president and president, marketing at Sears Holdings. "Many of the entries were heartfelt and focused more on how our customers would share their winnings with others versus how they would use the points themselves. The charity donation is a key component of the contest and it was wonderful to see this embraced by our customers."

The contest was designed to celebrate the first anniversary in November of the Shop Your Way Rewards program, which has already acquired more than 23 million participants. In addition, the program is meant to educate customers and members about the value of Shop Your Way Rewards points, and most importantly provides Sears and Kmart customers an opportunity to give back to charity in a big way.

Americans are encouraged to go online and vote for their favorite candidate by visiting www.billionpoints.com. Voting will close at 11:59 p.m. EDT on Nov. 3 and the winner will be announced by mid-November.

Beyond the contest, the Shop Your Way Rewards program has incorporated new improvements since it was introduced last year, so loyal customers can earn more rewards in even more ways and formats. Now, members can earn 10 points for every $1 spent on qualifying goods and services across Sears, Kmart, Lands' End, mygofer and The Great Indoors – in store and online. And, points can be redeemed on almost everything they buy, from a new winter jacket at Lands' End, to a car repair at a Sears Auto Center, to home goods at Kmart and more. Plus, the introduction of Extreme Points will accelerate the number and speed at which points can be earned.

For more information about Shop Your Way Rewards, visit www.shopyourwayrewards.com.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES (D.C.), 18 YEARS AND OLDER who did not purchase any equipment for purposes of entering the Contest. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Enter Contest by: 10/5/10. For Official Rules and prize descriptions, visit billionpoints.com. Sponsor: Sears Holdings Management Corporation, 3333 Beverly Rd., Hoffman Estates, IL 60179.

About Sears Holdings Corporation

Sears Holdings Corporation is the nation's fourth largest broadline retailer with approximately 3,900 full-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada. Sears Holdings is the leading home appliance retailer as well as a leader in tools, lawn and garden, consumer electronics and automotive repair and maintenance. Sears Holdings is the 2010 ENERGY STAR® Retail Partner of the Year. Key proprietary brands include Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard, and a broad apparel offering, including such well-known labels as Lands' End, Jaclyn Smith and Joe Boxer, as well as the Apostrophe and Covington brands. It also has the Country Living collection, which is offered by Sears and Kmart. We are the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 12 million service calls made annually. Sears Holdings Corporation operates through its subsidiaries, including Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corporation. For more information, visit Sears Holdings' website at http://www.searsholdings.com.

SOURCE Sears Holdings Corporation