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More than half (54 percent) of shoppers will use this week to shop for the gifts they really wanted, expecting they would only receive an average of only 61 percent of their personal holiday wish lists according to a new survey* conducted by Sears, Roebuck and Co. (NYSE: S). Now that the curtain has closed on a pre-holiday season chock full of entertaining and shopping for others, more than one- fourth of consumers who plan to shop this week say their post-holiday shopping is "all about me." (See chart below.)

In line with this self-indulging mindset, the most highly sought-after items at Sears on Dec. 26 included electronics, fine jewelry, apparel and tools. This tops the traditional post-holiday shopping missions of stocking up on holiday decor and returning/exchanging gifts.

The week after Christmas has become an important "Act II" of the holiday season. The rise in popularity of gift cards is one reason post-holiday shopping has climbed. With great post-holiday deals in store, it is an ideal time for shoppers armed with gift cards to treat themselves. Gift cards have been the third most popular gift of the season at Sears surpassed only by home electronics and tools, and the week after Christmas historically has been the biggest week of the year for gift card redemptions at Sears.

In 2003, Sears' customers most often used their gift cards for tools and men's and women's apparel. According to the new survey, 50 percent of shoppers plan to spend their holiday gift cards on apparel followed by home entertainment items (27 percent) and electronics (26 percent) -- all of which can be found under one roof at Sears.

During this self-pampering time of year, Sears is offering deals on some of the most desired gifts of the season including Levi's jeans on sale for the entire family, a Craftsman Laser Trac level for $29.99 and Sansui DVD/VCR player for $89.99.

Sears stores will open the week of Dec. 26 from 7 a.m. until mall closing hours where permitted.

   "It's All About Me" Tops the Chart of Post-Holiday Shopping Personalities

   After-Holiday Personality Type                    Percent of Shoppers (%)
   It's All About Me (Buying gifts for yourself,                         27
    things you've had your eye on during holiday
    shopping for others)
   Holiday Maven (Buying holiday decor, gift wrap,                       23
    cards, ornaments etc. for next year)
   Making it Right (Exchanging gifts for right                           18
    size/different color/something you really need)
   Stocking Up (Buying household items, i.e. towels,                     14
    socks, small appliances)
   Gift-giving Planner (Pre-shopping for 2005 gifts,                     12
    i.e. birthdays and holidays)
   Preparing for the New Year (Buying items tied to                       6
    New Year's resolutions, such as fitness equipment,
    home/garage storage and organization items, etc.)


  About Sears

Sears, Roebuck and Co. is a leading broadline retailer providing merchandise and related services. With revenues in 2003 of $41.1 billion, the company offers its wide range of home merchandise, apparel and automotive products and services through more than 2,300 Sears-branded and affiliated stores in the U.S. and Canada, which includes approximately 870 full-line and 1,100 specialty stores in the U.S. Sears also offers a variety of merchandise and services through sears.com, landsend.com, and specialty catalogs. Sears is the only retailer where consumers can find each of the Kenmore, Craftsman, DieHard and Lands' End brands together -- among the most trusted and preferred brands in the U.S. The company is the largest provider of product repair services with more than 14 million service calls made annually.

*The Sears study was conducted by Directions Research on Dec. 22, 2004. The online survey was completed nationwide among 1,030 consumers 18+ years of age. Margin of error can be as high as plus or minus 3.1 percentage points at the 95 percent level of confidence.

SOURCE: Sears, Roebuck and Co.

CONTACT: Media, Lisa Gibbons, +1-847-286-5506, lgibbo3@sears.com , or
Corinne Gudovic, +1-847-286-3226, cgudovi@sears.com , both of Sears, Roebuck
and Co.

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