I recently received a $200 giftcard on behalf of Sears so that I could do some last-minute holiday shopping and write about my experience with their website and products. The Sears & Kmart gift card is redeemable at Sears, sears.com, Kmart, kmart.com, Lands End and landsend.com. All of these combined offer such a wide variety of brands for you to choose from, which most single-retailer gift cards don't provide. Needless to say, I accepted the challenge!
Keep reading to see what I bought and to find out what I think about shopping the Sears family of websites!
First things first: A little something for me! I headed straight to LandsEnd.com and added this cardigan to my cart, which I had wanted since this post. I love long, cozy boyfriend cardigans for layering, and the rugby stripes on this particular sweater caught my eye. I was also curious to see whether the fit would be boxy and old-school, or if Land's End was keeping up with the times and could deliver a more contemporary fit. I got the size XS and I'm glad I did, the fit is great and the fabric is very soft. However, only time will tell if this sweater will wash and wear well. I'm optimistic!
Since I was already on LandsEnd.com, I decided to pick up some silk long undies. I've been dying to try "winter silks" since Sal from Already Pretty, a Minnesota resident, said they were essential for cold weather. I won't subject you to a photo of me in these, suffice to say they fit great, they're smooth like butter, and they definitely kept me warm during a long walk today in 30 degree weather. Awesome.
My shopping adventure was off to a great start. Then, I hit a roadblock. The Italian shearling moccasin slippers I had hoped to get for my Dad were sold out. Very frustrating, but I'd get over it. I proceeded to scope out the men's flannel pajamas. Once again, the sizes and colors I wanted were completely sold out. Thwarted again. Maybe it's a sign, I thought. I'll do some more shopping for myself. After all, I could use some new winter boots! But once again, the shopping gods were against me: I added these amazing Dory Snow Boots to my cart, size 9, black, on sale for $79.50, then proceeded to look for more gifts. Sadly, by the time I checked out, the boots had sold out! Mind you, this was only about 30 minutes later. Granted, it's the middle of December, days before Christmas, so I have only myself to blame…sigh.
Men's genuine leather wallet, on sale for $9.99 (currently sold out at LandsEnd.com)
Moving right along, I picked up a genuine leather wallet for my boyfriend's brother on sale for just $10. Unfortunately, if you're looking for this style now, it's sold out. The good things go fast!
Next, I picked up two of these large canvas reusable totes in a fun daisy print for my boyfriend's brother's fiance. She loves to cook and shop at farmer's markets, so I'm hoping she can put these to good use. And I think she'll like the prints, too, which match her classic, upbeat personal style.
At some point, I switched over to Kmart.com and then Sears.com to look for a drill for my boyfriend, but LandsEnd.com was so much more fun. This was a brand I grew up with, yet hadn't revisited since Sears bought Land's End some years ago. Besides, I kinda prefer shopping at Sears and Kmart in person, so back to LandsEnd.com I went!
And that's when I stumbled upon these adorable wellies. I knew the perfect recipient would be my dog-walking buddy, who always compliments my Hunter Wellingtons and bemoans the fact that her feet get wet on rainy days. I hope she'll like the cheerful blue (one of her favorite colors) and that the lining will be comfy. It's not as thick as I had hoped, but the construction of the boots overall seems good.
The final item I added to my cart, bringing my total to just over $200, was this Reversible Dog Car Blanket, a gift for my boyfriend. My mom would kill me for paying $50 for a blanket, especially since you could just buy a fleece blanket at Walmart for under $10 that would work just as well BUT in my defense, my boyfriend is really hard to shop for—and look! This blanket is reversible, it has buckles for securing it around the headrests, and openings for seatbelts. I think my boyfriend will be stoked to have a nice car blanket for keeping his most prized possession clean. Sidenote: Land's End also carries cute doggie coats, beds and other goodies if you like spoiling your pets.
Shipping would have cost something crazy like $16.95 (I forgot to write down the exact figure) but I easily applied a coupon code for free shipping from freeshipping.org, a great money-saving site.
My order was placed the afternoon of Thursday, December 10th and was delivered in the afternoon on Tuesday, December 15th. I'd say that's about average.
All in all, I'm pleased with my shopping experience and the quality of the products. LandsEnd.com is easy to navigate, and the images are true to life (although I don't like the zoom function, but many sites use it).
In the future, I'd love to see them add customer reviews (ie., ability to rate the products), more clothing aimed at misses (cooler cuts, etc.) and more shoes!
Did you have a chance to check out any of the apparel or home decor at Kmart? You might luv Jaclyn Smith's cashmere sweaters...they're serious steals. Here: http://twitpic.com/qv8a0
http://www.thebudgetbabe.com/archives/2125-Dress-by-Number-Kate-Moss-Neon-Pink-Top.html
Looks promising, like a cheaper J. Crew. I hope to review their site in the new year, and I'll let you know how it goes!