Newsletter - Sears Holdings Alumni

Newsletter
Summer 2016
Attention Kmart Shoppers, Bluelight Specials are Back!
If you’ve shopped our Kmart
stores over the last few months,
you may have noticed the blue
lights flashing and the familiar
liveliness in the store when a
new bargain is announced over
the speakers: “Attention Kmart
Shoppers, the Bluelight Special
is...” The energy is palpable,
the lady shopping near you just
abandoned the black flats she was
trying on and now you’re both
running from Footwear over to the
Home section to grab a blanket
for 20 dollars that you didn’t even
know you needed.
Kmart brought fun to the shopping
experience when the Bluelight
Special first launched in 1965, and
now we’re helping our members
and customers rediscover what
they love about Kmart. There is
such strong brand equity and
nostalgia tied to Bluelight Specials
and we want to recapture that
excitement and energy in our
stores, online and through our
mobile app.
We’ve heard great feedback from
our members since we’ve reintroduced the Bluelight.
Bluelight Specials are happening
Here are a few examples of what
throughout the day in every single our members are saying through
store, every single day. The blue
our store managers:
sirens go off in-store indicating
surprise, 15-minute-long deals are
now happening on great products
at unbelievable prices.
After listening to what our
members want, we’re leveraging
Kmart’s 125 year heritage and
iconic brand name in a way that is
relevant and modern.
Tell Us Your Story!
If anyone knows more about the
Bluelight special, it’s you! Share
your memories by sending an
email to CorpComm@searshc.
com. And, come check out the
new specials happening every
day at the Kmart near you.
www.SearsHoldingsAlumni.com
“I had a member tear up during
my Bluelight Special in electronics
today- she was so excited to
see them back. She told me
that when she was a child, her
father would bring her to Kmart
to sit in the KCafe and sip sodas
while they waited for the Bluelight
announcements! A very touching
nostalgic experience - and she
bought two headphones from
me, too!” – A store manager from
Lafayette, Indiana
“I overheard a member telling her
husband about how she really
needed to get her Mom into Kmart
because she saw that the Bluelight
was back and how excited she
was and how her Mom would
love it, too. It was great hearing
that and knowing that the Bluelight
is getting out there and people are
paying attention. You can see it
when you do a Bluelight. It is very
exciting!” – A store manager from
Morton, Illinois
“Members are really loving that
the good ol’ BLUELIGHT is BACK
and better than ever! What a
great opportunity to really make
shopping fun and interact with our
members and just have a great
time!” – A store manager from
Mantua, New Jersey
This is just the beginning of
Kmart’s journey. With thrilling deals
and experiences that better meet
the needs of our members, Kmart
is making shopping fun again.
We look forward to continuing to
rollout new and exciting products
and services that we are confident
our members will love.
Save 20%
Stay Connected to the Devices You
Love with Sears Tech ProtectSM
• All device brands are
covered – regardless of age –
purchased from any retailer.
• Includes accidental damage
from handling on laptops,
tablets and digital cameras.
• Covers 100 percent of repair
parts, labor and shipping of
replaced devices for approved
claims.
• No receipts are needed to
purchase Sears Tech Protect
or to file a claim.
• Automated, affordable
monthly payments means no
lapse in coverage – ever!
• No long term commitment.
You can cancel at any time.
Every day we depend on our
electronic devices to keep
us informed, entertained and
connected to our world. So
when they stop working, you
want a plan that can quickly get
you and your devices back up Tech Protect covers televisions,
and running.
home theater systems, tablets,
gaming consoles, laptop
We introduced Sears Tech
and desktop computers and
Protect, an innovative new
peripherals, streaming devices,
protection plan, designed to
wearable technology and
delight our members and to
much, much more – all in a
meet their evolving technology single plan.
needs. Sears Tech Protect is
the first plan on the market that Devices are protected from
covers nearly all electronics,
covered failures—meaning
entertainment and tech devices mechanical or electrical
– both the ones you already
breakdowns and normal wear
own and those you’ll purchase and tear. Additionally, your
in the future.
laptops, notebooks, tablets and
digital cameras will be covered
To help launch Sears Tech
for accidental damage from
Protect, we’re pleased to extend handling, such as accidental
a special offer to retirees
drops, liquid spills and cracked
who are eligible for the SHC
screens.
Associate Discount.
Sign up online at www.
Just call 1-888-349-0170
searstechprotect.com or
or visit www.searstechprotect.
call 1-888-349-0170 and
com and enter offer
use the code SHC20 to take
code SHC20 during checkout
advantage of this offer by
to get the plan at a discounted August 6, 2016.
monthly fee of only
$19.99 (plus applicable taxes),
for as long as you’re enrolled
in the program. Please note
that no additional discounts will
apply.
on Sears Tech ProtectSM
Limited Time Offer
Stay Connected
Introducing Sears Tech Protect
- a single plan that protects
nearly all the devices that keep
you informed, entertained and
connected to the ones you love.
Call 844-538-7587 or
visit searstechprotect.com
and enter offer code SHR20
to receive a special 20%
retiree discount.1
• Protects an unlimited
number of eligible devices
for one price.
• All device brands are
covered, regardless of
age or where they were
purchased.
• A discounted, flat monthly
fee of only $19.991.
Call 844-538-7587
Here is why Sears Tech Protect
is unique:
by August 6, 2016 to
save 20% on your plan.
• There is no limit to the
number of eligible devices
covered by the plan.
2
Taxes may apply.
Discount not applicable to FL residents.
1
www.SearsHoldingsAlumni.com
Who to Contact
For Questions on:
Contact:
Address Change:
See each plan below for contact info.
Death of a retiree or spouse:
See each plan below for contact info.
Retiree Medical Benefits for general questions or to enroll in medical coverage: See Aetna information below.
For specific questions about the Aetna Medical plans and prescription drugs,
you can call Aetna directly at the numbers provided below:
Aetna Medicare Rx Access Prescription Drug Plans
1-800-254-2239
http://searsretiree.aetnamedicare.com
Aetna Member Services (for general questions)
Pre-65: 1-800-432-1623
Post-65: 1-800-254-2239
Aetna Rx Home Delivery™
Pre-65: 1-800-432-1623
Post-65: 1-800-254-2239
Aetna preferred drug list (Formulary)
Pre-65: www.aetna.com/formulary
Post-65: www.aetnamedicare.com
Retiree Life Insurance: For questions about reporting a death, change of address or investment changes.
Securian
1-888-887-3277 (option 1)
Group Universal Life Insurance:
For questions about reporting a death, change of
address or investment changes.
Prudential
1-800-778-3827 (option 1)
Pension Plan: For questions about reporting a Sears Holdings Pension Service Center
death, change of address, checks, pension options 1-800-953-5390
or direct deposit.
The Savings Plans (formerly 401(k) Savings Plan):
For questions about reporting a death, change of address or investment changes.
Sears Holdings Benefits Center
1-888-88sears (option 1)
Follow the prompts to financial
benefits and speak to a
Benefits Center representative.
Retiree Discount Cards: For questions about reporting a death, change of address or ordering a replacement
card.
Sears Holdings HR Support Services
1-888-887-3277. Follow the prompts to speak to a representative (option 6).
Credit Customer Service: Sears Card®
Sears MasterCard®
1-800-917-7700
1-800-669-8488
To find a Sears or Kmart store:
Go to Sears.com or Kmart.com
Sears Holdings Archives E-mail: Mediarelations@searshc.com
Sears / Kmart archives website
www.searsarchives.com
Sears / Kmart Retiree website:www.SearsHoldingsAlumni.com
Sears Holdings Retiree Newsletter:
Submit stories/ideas to e-mail:
CorpComm@searshc.com
Obituaries: We send our sincere apologies to those of you who have recently lost a family member or fellow retiree. If
you would like to share an obituary in the next newsletter, please send a message to the Corporate Communications
team at CorpComm@searshc.com. We thank you for your response, and again, send our deepest sympathies.
www.SearsHoldingsAlumni.com
3
Alumni Clubs
Are you looking to increase the
membership of your local Kmart or Sears
retiree club? Send your club name along
with the name, phone number and/
or email address of your club’s contact
to CorpComm@searshc.com. Club
information will appear in the next issue
and be posted to SearsHoldingsAlumni.
com. Please feel free to send images of
your events as well!
Huntsville, Alabama Club: Contact Jim
Duncan at cdduncan@outlook.com. The
club meets once a quarter at 9 a.m. at the
Blue Plate Café in Huntsville. Please email
Jim as the date varies.
Bangor, Maine Club: Contact Richard
Dufton at 207-862-4275 or at Ddufton@
gmail.com. The club meets on the
second Tuesday of each month at various
restaurants in the area.
Dubuque, Iowa Retiree Club: Contact
Denny Gansemer at 815-747-3762 or
jdgansemer@mchsi.com.
Great Northern DieHards Club: Contact Edie
Lester at 440-327-4048. The group meets
at 12:30 p.m. on the fourth Wednesday of
every month at Canary’s Restaurant in North
Olmsted, Ohio. Please call Edie if you plan
to attend so she can request a table for the
group.
Key West Club: Contact Zenaida Rojos
at Geraldrojas@comcast.net. The group
celebrated its half-century reunion in May
2015. Please view page five for more
information and pictures from the event.
4
Joelle Maher joined SHC a year
ago as President and Chief Member
Officer for Sears. In her role, Joelle
is responsible for developing a
member-centric business strategy
for the Sears format and leading the
execution of that strategy to deliver
growth through profitable sales.
She works across the organization
to ensure the merchandising,
marketing, pricing and selling
strategies at Sears align to what our
members need and want.
Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania Club: Contact
George Ryba at 610-398-1786 or
gcryba@aol.com.
Ventura County Club: Contact Jim Holbrook
at 805-485-1688 or at ajandjess@webtv.
Dallas, Texas Club: Contact Paul Briggs at net. As expressed in the last newsletter,
972-222-6041 or pwb@netzero.com. The Jim is still looking to start a retiree group
club meets on the third Thursday of each in the Ventura County area. Jim would like
month at the Dallas Athletic Club in Dallas, to invite all Sears and Kmart retirees to join
Texas. All are welcome!
him and his wife for live Jazz and Swing
performances every third Sunday as part of
Derby City Club: All Sears retirees from
the Channel Cities Jazz Club they belong to.
Louisville and Southern Indiana are
The group meets at the Pacific Corinthian
welcome! The group meets once a
Yacht Club at Channel Island Harbor in
year in December for a luncheon. The
Oxnard, California.
next meeting is set for 11:30 a.m. on
Thursday, December 8 at the Captain’s
Washington, DC Club: Contact Tom Nally at
Quarters restaurant. Members are
703-451-5358 or nally1000@cox.net. The
encouraged to bring a toy to donate to the
group meets in the DC area two to three
Salvation Army. A representative from the
times a year.
organization will also be speaking to the
group. To RSVP, please contact Dale
Winchell at 812-246-1927.
Detroit Region Club: Contact Stanley
Hreneczko at 586-268-3656. The
Sears Detroit Region Club just
celebrated its 46th anniversary and
would like to extend an invitation to
all those living in the Detroit area to
join the group. The group meets five
times a year at various restaurants
in the metro area. Stan welcomes all
calls and encourages retirees to leave a
voicemail if your call goes unanswered.
Sears Format
Executive
Detroit Region Retirees Club
www.SearsHoldingsAlumni.com
In her position, Joelle also serves
on the Home Appliances, Tools /
Lawn & Garden, Fitness / Sports
/ Children’s Entertainment, Sears
Apparel, Footwear and Jewelry
Board of Directors.
Joelle joined SHC with a depth of
retail experience. She was most
recently the Chief Operating Officer
at Gymboree Corporation where she
led all operational aspects of the
company including stores, planning
and allocation, real estate and
construction, international, distribution
and logistics, operational process
and strategy and information
technology. Joelle’s career also
includes leadership roles with Levi
Strauss & Company and Lucky
Brand Jeans. Before growing
into more general management
positions, Joelle began her career in
merchandising and planning working
at Old Navy, Macy’s East and Lord &
Taylor. Joelle’s breadth and depth of
retail and business experience and
experiences achieving turnaround
results in established organizations
made her a strong fit for SHC.
Key West Alumni Club Celebration
Written by Mandy Miles and originally published in the Key West Citizen
Womens’ dresses cost $3.15. Barbie dolls were $1.92 and
boys’ Batman costumes were about $5 in 1965, when Sears
opened its department store in the first shopping plaza on North
Roosevelt Boulevard. Named for the catalog-turned-retail giant,
the Searstown shopping center also housed a supermarket and
F.W. Woolworth’s with its nostalgic lunch counter. Zenaida Rojas
spent many lunch breaks at that counter, walking down the
shopping plaza during her afternoon break from Sears, where
she worked from 1970 to 1991.
“Sears opened on the boulevard in November 1965, but there
had been a catalog center for years before that at the corner
of Fleming and Simonton streets,” Rojas recalled, a few weeks
after a 50-year reunion of Sears employees on May 30, 2015 at the DoubleTree Grand Key Resort. Ms. Cleo
Rosam, who worked at both the catalog store and the retail department store, was honored at the reunion, where
former managers crowned her “Queen Bee of Sears” for her decades of service. Ed Harris, known to customers
and colleagues as “Mr. Ed” was similarly honored as “King of Sears” after recently ending a 41-year career with
the company.
More than 100 former and current associates of the Key West Sears shared memories, stories and photos of a
different era in shopping, when Amazon was just a river in South America. “We used to have to wear pantyhose
and pastel colors, but pants were never allowed,” said Rojas, whose husband, Gerry, also worked at Sears in
the furniture department. Her daughter, son, niece and nephew would later take up their positions behind cash
registers or on the sales floor at the same department store that launched the New Town shopping district.
“We wore dresses and closed-toe shoes—always—and always with pantyhose. That was the big thing.” One
longtime employee stood up at the recent reunion to share a story about the customer service that shoppers
don’t receive today.
“This woman had worked in the women’s department
and in women’s lingerie,” Rojas said. “She stood up
and reminded us all that when a woman walked into
a dressing room with a pair of pants, then we better
have been right behind her with at least two shirts
that would match.” And all the ladies who worked
in the women’s department recall the older women
coming in to buy their girdles,” Rojas said laughing at
the memory of young sales girls dutifully following a
woman into the fitting room to help her wrestle her into
the form-fitting undergarments that were worn to give
women a smooth silhouette.
“It was certainly the old-school type of customer service,” Rojas said. In the early days of Sears in Key West, the
department store also housed a beauty parlor, where ladies thumbed through magazines while sitting under the
dome hair dryers, and the unmistakable scent of chemicals used in their permanents, or perms, drifted into the
departments.
Times have changed for retailers everywhere, but during the reunion, former Sears associates celebrated the
company’s heyday “and the family we created in that place.” For some it was a stepping stone in their career,
and for others it was their career, but back then, everyone who worked there felt “the softer side of Sears.”
www.SearsHoldingsAlumni.com
5
Sears Holdings Alumni Newsletter
6250 West Howard Street
Niles, IL 60714
YOU DON'T GET
YOUR PRESCRIPTIONS
AT KMART?
That's a hard pill
to swallow.
DON'T HAVE A KMART
PHARMACY NEAR YOU?
No problem!
FREE DELIVERY – We'll mail*
your prescriptions to you upon
request! To locate the Kmart
pharmacy in your state, go to
kmartpharmacy.com
or call 800.349.0764.
*
Restrictions and exclusions apply.
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
PERMIT NO. 202
CAROL STREAM, IL
Upcoming Event!
FAMILY&
FRIENDS
Sears Stores
All Day Event!
Sunday, July 17
until 8 p.m.
Store hours may vary by location.
Hackensack and Paramus, NJ; St. George,
West Jordan, Ogden, Salt Lake City and
Provo, UT; and Charleston, WV hold the
event all day on Saturday, July 16.
Not valid in Sears locations in Glen Burnie,
Bel Air, Annapolis, Columbia, Baltimore,
Cockeysville and Westminster, Maryland or
Puerto Rico locations.