Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Finally, A Company Doing Something Right

just got this in an email today



Christmas shopping has already started I know I needed this reminder since Sears isn't always my first choice. Amazing when you think of how long the war has lasted and they haven't withdrawn from their commitment. Could we each buy at least one thing 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.

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. I suggest we all shop at Sears, and be sure to find a manager to tell them why we are there so the company gets the positive reinforcement it well deserves.

Pass it on.

Decided to check this before I sent it forward. So I sent the following e-mail to the Sears Customer Service Department:

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's cheaper at that store.


This is their answer to my e-mail:

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 greatest sacrifices our young men and women can make. We are happy to do our part to lessen the burden they bear at this time.

Bill Thorn
Sears Customer Care
webcenter@sears.com
1-800-349-4358

Please pass this on to all your friends. Sears needs to be recognized for this outstanding contribution and we need to show them as Americans, we do appreciate what they are doing for our military!!!

It's Verified ! By Snopes.com at:
http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/sears.asp(shows the entire article)





Michele Homyak

Executive Assistant to:

David S. Shook, Sr VP & Managing Director, Americas

Jon Heidorn, VP Marketing, Americas

Siemens PLM Software

2001 Butterfield Road Suite 630

Downers Grove IL 60515

ph. 630-437-6747

fax 630-437-6749

michele.homyak@siemens.com

www.siemens.com

I thought about posting that but wasn't sure if it was legit and every time I do something like that someone comes along with snopes and says it isn't so!

Ya know I have been getting into a lot of woodworking lately, and some of the hard core WWers like to poo on Sears and their tools... But ya know what I have a bunch of their stuff and love it. Jump on the Crafstman Club and you get some awesome discounts. Next week is the sale week

So yeah, I'll be buying a few things!! Good to know its helping out.

thanks for the info i think i could use a few more tools, i do own a jeep so i need them pretty bad!

That 'message' is at least 1 year old. It was making the rounds last year when I was in Afghanistan.
BTW - Paying the 'difference in salaries' has been in vogue for the last 10 years and the "Medical Benefits" stuff is crap. The DoD takes care of all medical during the callup. This is an artful advertisement for Sears.
NOW, with THAT said, I will go ONE step more.
I have bought Craftsman Tools for the last 25 years and will continue to do so. Gotta love the return policy. Quality tools and they will replace EVERY screwdriver that I use as a hammer. Awesome.

I have picked up junk Craftsman tools along the road,the broken, chipped ,electricly burned screwdrivers, bent wrenches (those things don't bend easily toughest wrenches I ever had) and anything else you can think of and returned them with never even a dirty look, Those cheaper K-mart tools are like that now too. I have a K-mart ratchet that I have broken 3 times now and same deal, never a question. They don't break particularly easy just using them in my business 3/8 stuff breaks,all of it no matter who made it.

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Being in vogue and actually doing it are very different. There are not alot of companies that actually do it. As for the medical benefits. The people who work at Sears are Reservist of some kind therefore most of the families are NOT near a base and TriCare is a piece of crap. While it may be a good advertisement it is awesome that they do that.

I spent 17 yrs in the Reserves and work for the Federal Government they give you two weeks of military leave and nothing else (you can keep your medical) if you are mobilized so I think what Sears is doing is a good thing

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Very well said. The fact is they do not have to do it. I shop there for tools anyway, but would definitely support them after this if I didn't already.

I've never had any problems with Sears hand tools. Some of their power tools are questionable. I have a sears table saw that's 25 years old and going strong. I've had a router that burnt up and a cordless drill that burnt up but that was after years of use and building a huge deck finally did it in. Really can't complain about that.

I still have a bad taste in my mouth from the sodomizing Sears gave me on a $1900 range that died less then a year later but this is enough to bring me back, Thanks for the info

That's nice and all. Pray you don't have to deal with customer service.

http://consumerist.com/search/sears/

That's a very respectable thing to be doing. Our troops risk everything and don't expect so much as a thank you in return. This is how America should work! Oh, and I love craftsman tools!

I always look at Craftsman first when I need tools. Now, I can honestly say that I have owned Porter Cable, Dewalt, Black and Decker, Makita,... etc.... and can say some of their products have really let me down.... especially the Porter Cable. I think most of Sears tools are consumer, not Pro, oriented and should be treated as such. That said, my dad just gave me his Craftsman radial arm saw that is at least from 1975 and it is still running strong!!! Also their support of the Extreme home Makeover show and the way they present their commercials during it is very admirable. I will always shop at Sears.... ride safe...Gordon
P.S. And don't even get me started on customer service.... ever go into a Home Depot and ask for help... its laughable... let alone get them to stand behind the products they sell. Ask me about my two month ordeal to get valences recut for the blinds I bought from them.... still waiting....

Kudos to Sears for doing that. I usually buy tools and jeans and stuff like that from them anyhow. Their tools are just fine and dandy for a tinkerer like me.

I fortunately work for a company that does this for people called up to active duty. I find that pretty impressive for a private company to do. We have about 1000 employees at our location and more than a few have been called. One of my lab techs was gone for 8 months last year. Missed him in the lab but he was doing a good thing and didn't lose any of his pay or other benny's for serving our country. That is just the right way to do things if you ask me.

If I checked myself then what would you guys do with your time?

Contrary to popular belief, USERRA (Remployment Rights Act) does not require employers to 'hold' a specific job for the service member upon return following reserve service. It DOES require the employer to re-employ the service member in a job 'equal to' the one vacated during employement, and it even allows an employer to 're-employ in a laid off status' if an equal position does not exist upon return. Many service members have returned home to find that they had no position waiting for them as they had presumed would be the case. I personally returned to find that my previous territory, which I had worked long and hard to establish into a profitable region, had been reassigned to a guy who jumped into it as soon as I left. Upon my return, I was reassigned to another new territory and had to start from the beginning there. I also lost that year that I was gone in service toward pension with my then employer - Dassault Falcon Jet. Otherwise, within the company, I was supported well by my fellow workers and colleagues.

I applaud Sears and all the other employers who hold the services of their employees in high regard when they are deployed and will do my best to use them and let them know that their sense of public conscience has some value in today's commercial world.

Personally I think EVERY service person called to duty should have a job waiting when they get back. Any person hired to fill the position should be hired on a temporary basis until that service member returns. If for any reason that service member does not return then they should be offered the position permanantly. If those men can risk their lives for us and their employers and in some cases give their lives then that seems to me the least an employer can do for them.

I just saw something in the news tonight about Sears that they should get credit for and makes me want to patronize them. A service man came back from Iraq paralized and Sears redid his whole house to make it wheelchair accessable. I didn't catch the whole story but what I surmised from it is the guy was an employee and Sears did it for him free of charge.