Sears – Christmas shopping this year?
To the editor:
While Sears isn’t always been my first choice as a retail store, it’s now quite
amazing to me when you think of how long this “active” war in Iraq and Afghanistan has lasted, Sears hasn’t withdrawn from their commitment.
Maybe, I would suggest, that each of us could very easily buy at least one of our Christmas gifts at Sears this year?
How does Sears treat its employees who are called up for military duty?
By law, they are required to hold their jobs open and available, but nothing more. Usually, people take a big pay cut and lose benefits as a result of being called up for active duty.
Sears is voluntarily paying the difference in salaries and maintaining all benefits, including medical insurance and bonus programs, for all called up reservist employees for up to two years.
I submit that Sears is an exemplary corporate citizen and should be recognized for its contribution for its employees who are also reservists. As such, I would also suggest that most of us shop at Sears, at least once, for our Christmas shopping, while being sure to find a manager to tell them why we are there so that the company gets the positive reinforcement and feedback that it now, clearly, well deserves.
Just to be sure that this was not another Internet overblown falsehood,
I decided to check this before I sent it forward. So I sent the following e-mail to the Sears Customer Service Department:
(ITALICS) “I received this e-mail and I would like to know if it is true. If it
is, the Internet may have just become one very good source of advertisement for your company. I know I would go out of my way to buy products from Sears instead of another store for a like item, even if it may be cheaper at that other store.”
(ITALICS) The answer came from Bill Thorn at Sears Customer Care: “Dear Customer: Thank you for contacting Sears. The information is factual. We appreciate your positive feedback. Sears regards service to our country as one of the greatest sacrifices our young men and women can make. We are happy to do our part to lessen the burden which they all bear at this time.”
Sears needs to be recognized for this outstanding contribution; we need to show them, as Americans, that we do appreciate what they are doing for our military.
Paul Rendine
Salisbury, Md.