The newer sign for the other parking spot advertises "in-vehicle pickup" using the "Shop Your Way app". I had no idea that the Shop Your Way brand (which still lives on, somehow) ever extended beyond the Rewards thing that Sears/Kmart so aggressively pushed for a while! I guess this was another way of them pushing the brand, but it still seems strange.
Ha, I'm surprised you didn't comment on the use of the word "shop'in" on that sign! It seems like a strange shortened version of shopping especially considering the whole idea of using pick-up is to avoid going 'in' the store!
ReplyDeleteYes, I do remember Sears' attempt at pick-up via the Shop Your Way program. I think the idea was that someone could order items from either the Sears or Kmart website and pick it up at either store so I guess that is why they used a neutral name. Sears was a bit ahead of their time with curbside pick-up.
Of course, do you remember Sears' MyGofer store in Joiliet, IL? Sears converted an old Kmart into a warehouse in 2009. People could order things from the MyGofer website, or use a kiosk at the warehouse, and then use drive-thrus at MyGofer to pick-up their order. It was certainly ahead of their time in 2009, retailers are still trying to figure out how to operate electronic fulfillment centers like this even in 2024! Link: https://patch.com/illinois/joliet/mygofer-store-closes-witout-notice
There was also Kenmore's Alfie, an Alexa type smart device which I'm sure only Shop Your Way's biggest fans, all three of them, ever used, lol.
Sometimes there's just too much silliness to comment on every single thing!
DeleteI do remember MyGofer -- that was another thing Sears pushed quite heavily, even in the Hometown stores I was used to! I never really understood what it was (and I'm still not completely sure I do since everything I can find online talks about it as a Kmart thing, but I know Sears was advertising it in their Port Angeles store, and there were no Kmarts anywhere around), and the branding didn't help (between it and Shop Your Way, the attempts to create neutral brands for Sears and Kmart really seem to have only caused more confusion). That standalone store was certainly an interesting concept, but I'm not surprised it flopped since standalone pickup locations like that seem to have flopped repeatedly, even when companies like Walmart or Amazon tried them!
I haven't been to a Sears or Kmart since 2021, so I don't even know if Shop Your Way Rewards points even work at the remaining stores (since you've been to Sears more recently than me, maybe you know). I still get SYW's emails, and it seems like they've been spun off as some kind of independent online rewards program (like Paypal's Honey rewards), and they don't even mention anything about Sears or Kmart at all anymore (and oddly enough, like to mention points-back offers a lot on Walmart.com and Samsclub.com).
ReplyDeleteI don't think so -- there certainly wasn't anything in the store promoting Shop Your Way, and even this sign is gone now. Then again, Sears doesn't seem to bother with any sort of promotional signage these days! I thought Shop Your Way had been sold off, but it does appear to still be owned by Sears in some capacity.
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