On Saturday, April 11th at 9:00 am, Kmart will host a Chain-wide Continental US Bakugan Collector Event

Mar

31

2009

Kmart will receive first to market Season 2 Bakugan booster packs.  Customers are invited to come to the store and enter a raffle for a chance to be the first customers to open a manufacturer's carton and purchase new Booster Packs.  Once all cartons are open customers will have a chance to purchase remaining products.

Bakugan is a collectible game based upon the Bakugan cartoon series on Cartoon Network.  Bakugan Booster packs contain 1 Bakugan ball, 1 metal Card Gate, and 1 ability Card.  The Booster Pack allows Bakugan Battle Brawlers to grow their collection one at a time.

Everyone is invited and I would like to hear your feeback about the event!

Thanks

The Toys Team

Watch Bakugan - Episode 22 - Drago's On Fire in Animation  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Take the stink out of the kitchen

Mar

29

2009

By: Simmer Down

My oven was Dirty with a capital D.  Why would I let my oven stay dirty?  Because I hated the smell of the self clean cycle on my freestanding range! 

I felt nauseated whenever I turned on the self-clean cycle.  I would literally leave the house, just so I wouldn’t have to take a whiff of that wretched smell.  But then I knew my range gets really hot during the self clean cycle so I couldn’t just leave the house, right?  Tough decision: Breathe venomous odors or let your house burn down??? I thought, “Forget it, I will just live the rest of my life with a dirty oven and hope my friends can look past my dirty stoveness.”   

As I was planning to live my Dirty oven life, our friends at Kenmore came to the rescue and introduced AirGuard. Check this out- AirGuard virtually eliminates all self clean odors by using a catalytic converter to burn odors.  It’s like an odor eater for your oven!!!

Air Guard just doesn’t stop the self cleaning odors, but also bad baking smells like broiling/baking fish.  Before AirGuard, if my family wanted fish I would send them to dine out instead. I hated baking fish, because it seems difficult to get rid of some of those lingering food odors.

 

Now, I can enjoy my favorite stuffed-salmon recipe, because AirGuard keeps the fish smell inside the oven and away from my kitchen and family.

    

You're probably thinking right now that AirGuard sounds great, but like any proud baker, “I don’t want all the yummy smells eliminated.”  Who could blame you?  The smell of Tollhouse chocolate chip cookies makes a home feel like a home. The kids running off the bus seem to run a little faster when they smell my cookies. With AirGuard, these smells don’t go away, but simply turn Airguard on/off depending if you want keep some of your cooking aromas to waft through the kitchen. 

 

AirGuard is one of those innovations that make you wonder how we lived without it! This magical feature can be found on Kenmore freestanding ranges or Kenmore Elite wall ovens.  Whether turning AirGuard on to mask strong odors or off to enjoy the aroma of fresh cookies, you ought to check it out! It has made my life so much easier. Never again do I have to live with the dirty range! Check out an award from Good Housekeeping and ABC News.

What makes it a Star?

Mar

29

2009

By: Sterling

Unless you’ve been hiding under the proverbial rock for the last ten years, you’ve probably heard of Energy Star. 

 

The program has been around since 1992, and by their last estimation 74% of Americans recognized the Energy Star label when it was shown to them.  However, what does that mean?  I can recognize the hood of my car with my eyes closed, but that doesn’t mean I know what goes on under it (probably a furnace burning up dollar bills).

 

The short and sweet version of the story is that the Energy Star is a government program which started by labeling power plants, and then expanded to computers, new homes and eventually home appliances.  Today, the Energy Star label on a new appliance means that it has met a minimum government standard of energy usage that is lower than a traditional appliance. 

 

However, there are two disclaimers:

 

1. Energy Star is an absolute, not relative standard meaning that all appliances that meet a cutoff are given the designation, not only the top 30% most energy efficient or anything like that.

2. Related to this is the fact that each appliance category has its own cutoff point, and some of them have not been revised since the late 90s.  That means that a quick search on Sears.com yields the result that 93% of dishwashers are Energy Star-qualified.  In comparison, only 56% of top-freezer refrigerators are. 

So, going back to the original question, what does that mean?  I suspect that you probably know the answer already:  Not all appliances are created equal.  The Energy Star designation is still important, but with all the advanced technology that have come along since 1992, consumers need to do a little more research than just staring at a big blue logo. 

 

In the next few blog posts, I will take you through each major category of home appliances, what the standards mean to you, and little tips and tricks to get you on your way.

 

(Oh, and don’t fret about the standards… plenty of people are already working on updating them.)  

I really hate to vacuum.

Mar

29

2009

By: Heidi in Floorcare

I’m the buyer for floorcare and I hate to vacuum.  Yes, it’s true.  I hate the overall time it takes, moving the cord, and sometimes the vacuum nozzle doesn’t fit under or around the furniture….blah, blah, blah. 

 

However, I realized as I learned more about vacuums that I could be making my life a lot harder i.e. more vacuuming.  I have a bagged vacuum at home. 

 

It turns out that I should be replacing the bag before it gets full i.e. maybe ¾ full instead of waiting for it to be overloaded. 

You see, as air is pulled in from the floor it’s got to flow through and around the bag.  As the bag fills, the less air can move and thus lower suction.  It’s better to replace the bag before it gets full to keep the air moving. 

 

Yes, replacing the bags is a pain, but what’s great about a bagged vacuum is that they often have better air filtering. 

 

In fact, cloth bags do better than paper. 

So just because you have a bagged vacuum doesn’t mean you have a bad vacuum.  You may actually have better performance than you think.

Visit your local Sears store or sears.com for a wide selection of vacuums!

Plasma: The Choice When Cleaner Air *Matters*

Mar

29

2009

By: Big Daddy Air Care

Understanding the technology in today’s air cleaners can be difficult. There are more acronyms than explanations!   Of all these technologies, it’s the science behind “plasma” that intrigues me most.  This science is what I wanted to discuss in my first blog.

 

Plasma is most commonly recognized as the fourth state of matter – the state after gas where molecules are most energetic.  Plasma technology is relatively new in the air cleaner market, but it’s a technology that has outlasted others, such as ionic, whose effectiveness and environmental impact have recently come into question. 

 

In large part, plasma owes its popularity and credibility to the work done by Drexel University’s Plasma Institute in Philadelphia.  Much of the work done at the Plasma Institute centers on harnessing the power of plasma to solve environmental issues, in this case indoor air pollution.

So, the real question now is,”How can an air cleaner use the ‘fourth state of matter (plasma)’ to improve the quality of the air we breathe? “  

 

Air Cleaners equipped with Plasma Technology use the energy in these plasma molecules to break down pollutants and allows the base elements to reform as harmless compounds, such as trace amounts of water vapor or pure oxygen. 

 

Now, let’s take this into a real world example.

If I were to tell you that your apartment had a buildup of methane gas, you would almost certainly want to remove it.  Methane gas has a nasty habit of displacing oxygen in enclosed spaces.  Introduce an air cleaner featuring Plasma Technology. 

 

The Plasma Technology tears apart the methane gas (chemical compound CH4) and allows the four parts hydrogen and one part carbon to bond with other naturally occurring elements, in particular Hydrogen and Oxygen, to form two molecules of water vapor (H20) and one molecule of carbon dioxide (C02).  So, you just used your air cleaner to transform methane gas into water and carbon dioxide!   You’ve now made a potentially harmful molecule harmless!

 

Air cleaners featuring Plasma Technology usually use additional media to hit even higher levels of efficacy and contaminant removal.   You can find two Kenmore models (85500 and 85501) that offer PlasmaDoctor ™ technology in addition to true HEPA filtration, an ENERGY STAR rating, and auto sensing technology (all topics for future blogs!) at Sears stores or on sears.com.   

Don’t be a victim of dish water hands

Mar

29

2009

By: Redefining Dish

It is not too often that my entire family can get together and visit for a full week-end.  But when we do it is GREAT!  8 adults and 5 kids in one house…. What an experience!  You can only imagine the number of dishes 13 people at 3 meals per day will create.

 

So we started our day with a nice big breakfast of eggs, bacon and fruit.  Once breakfast was complete, we began to clean up and start loading the dishwasher (for the 1^st time of the day).  As I am helping my mom clear the table, I realize she is literally washing the dishes in the sink prior to putting them in the dishwasher.  I took a minute to educate her on the capabilities of her 1 year old dishwasher.  I explained to her that the dishwasher eliminates the need to pre-rinse your dishes.  It actually will work better if she didn’t pre-rinse. 

 

We make it through lunch using paper plates.  Not very environmentally friendly of us, but the dishwasher was not finished drying from breakfast.  Guess we could have used the 1 hour wash. 

 

Have I mentioned yet that My Mom is an AWESOME cook?!  She has prepared lasagna, salad and garlic bread for dinner.  WOW!!!  I can barely make it out of my seat after that meal.  At least it is not my turn to do the dishes.  We leave it to the men tonight. 

 

Does anyone in my family know how a dishwasher works?  My dad is standing at the sink literally filling the entire sink up with water and dish soap to soak the glass pan my mom baked the lasagna in.  I run to the sink and explain to him the unnecessary amount of work he is doing, not to mention the excessive amount of water he is wasting. 

 

I opened the dishwasher and placed the dirty, messy, baked-on cheese coated lasagna dish in the back of the bottom rack in front of the TurboZone™ with rotating spray jets mechanism. It’s a concentrated wash area for tough to clean pans.  Neither of my parents realized they had this feature in their dishwasher.  I filled the detergent dispenser, verify there is enough rinse aid, shut the door, select the TurboZone™ button and tell my dad to trust me…. The dishes will come out sparkling clean.

 

The next morning, I wake up, grab a cup of coffee, and greet my dad with a “Good Morning”.  Before I have a chance to put cream in my coffee, my dad shows me the lasagna pan from the night before.  It looked GREAT!

“Don’t walk out on me!”

Mar

28

2009

By: Miss Clean

 

Hello! Welcome to my Sears blog.  I will be blogging from time to time, informing you on all things “Laundry” – what’s new, helpful tips, new technology/products – basically anything I experience in my life that I feel is important enough to tell you in order to make your life easier!!! 

 

I can’t even begin to tell you how excited my family was when my oldest sister came home with her new little boy she adopted from China. Needless to say, we had been preparing for their homecoming and could barely wait until they got of the plane!!!  We were waiting at the airport terminal and started taking pictures the minute we saw them walk through customs. We were like paparazzi!!!

 

Once we left the airport we headed to his Grandma and Grandpa’s house and to his surprise he was greeted with his entire new family .I am sure he was thrilled considering he had been on a plane for 14 hours.  He started crying immediately!

 

After ogling over him for a couple hours I decided that since my sister and brother-in-law were exhausted from trying to remain sane with their 5-year old daughter and new little boy (awake for hours on end in tiny airplane seats) - I thought I would help them by relieving them of their most dreaded task – LAUNDRY. 

 

I took their suitcases into the laundry room and started to sort and load the washer.  I think that they wore a new outfit every hour of each day! I have never seen so much laundry from one trip!  Anyways, I loaded up the washer, selected my cycles, hit the “steam” button, added the High Efficiency detergent and pressed start thinking how grateful my sister was going to be that I had decided to help her out. 

 

When I started to hearing running and my sister trying to whisper and yell “STOP” at the same time, I was concerned and started thinking how could she not want me to do her laundry?  Well unbeknownst to me, the little one had FINALLY fallen asleep and she was terrified that the washer was going to “walk across the room” and wake him up.

 

I started laughing and had to educate her that it was time for her to get rid of her ancient washer and dryer and that technology had changed from that old top-load that was in her house when she bought it.  I told her that there is new vibration technology on many front-load laundry washers that makes doing laundry a quiet experience and if installed properly her washer would not “walk” in the other room. 

 

After a few moments of silence and amazement, she complained that she needed to wash a few of the items separately because of stains on the kids clothes. I laughed again and told her not to worry – that’s why I pressed the steam button, it slowly heats the water to remove all types of stains!  She was speechless.  While she was staring at the machine, I left the room and whispered “Don’t forget to fold them!”

I am new to the blog process so I hope you enjoy reading my posts on Laundry related subjects.  Let me know your thoughts!

Heightened Sense of Awareness…

Mar

28

2009

By: Sierra Wilson

As the Associate Buyer for Refrigeration, I’ve learned more about Appliances, specifically Refrigerators, than most people learn in a lifetime.  Wherever I visit other people's homes, I notice Refrigerators and Appliances more than I ever have before.  Let’s use this past weekend as an example… 

 

I went back to Iowa to visit my family and while making small talk over breakfast, I asked my mom a few questions about what she did or didn't know about the appliances she bought for her new kitchen. Here are a few pointers that will help you avoid some of her regrets, if you are remodeling or buying brand new appliances for your kitchen:

 

Kitchen Layout and Space Utilization – Depending on the layout of your kitchen, you may want to consider a Counter Depth Refrigerator instead of a Standard Depth Refrigerator.  This small detail may give you additional clearance between the refrigerator and an island or other obstruction, making it easier to work and move in your kitchen.  This may be especially important if you entertain and/or use your kitchen as the “heart” of your home.

 

Type of food storage and flexibility – There are many different styles of Refrigerators to select from.  Each has its own benefit and function (I’ll provide more details on that subject in upcoming blogs…so be sure to check back soon) and should be taken into consideration when selecting the type that is best for your needs.  They include: 

 

   Top mounts (freezer on top)
    Side by Side (refrigerator and freezer next to each other)
    Bottom mounts (freezer on the bottom)
    French Bottom Mounts (side by side refrigeration, freezer on the bottom) 

Color options – Appliances have become more than just your standard basic white appliance.  There are a variety of fashion colors to pick from.  Some of these include:  Stainless Steel, Oiled Bronze, and unique differentiating color options are available and should be considered when replacing your appliances and/or planning for a kitchen remodel or update.  

As you can see, there are many different things to consider when selecting your refrigerator or major appliance.  I’ve only touched on a few of these topics in this post.  Check out additional details on different types of refrigerators with the help of  Sears.

Showering with the Stars!

Mar

28

2009

By: Water Works Judy

In these tough economic times, I thought I had found every way to save money and drilled into my family the attitude to only “Buy what you need and not what you want”, "Forget branded toilet paper", "Generic is fine!", "NO-we don’t need a new dog! "

Does this story sound familiar?

One day, as I was banging on the door of the bathroom because my son was STILL in the shower after 45 minutes, the light went on and I realized how much energy he was wasting by heating all that water!

Hmmm... another area to save! I could just go down and turn off the water heater?? That might work. But what about the next time he does that and I am not home? And of course, his sister is another likely culprit!

Time to consider Plan B - Look into getting a new water heater. Our's is over 15 years old, on borrowed time anyway and probably totally inefficient.

Now, where to go and what to buy! Ever hear of Energy Star? Just the name itself tells you that its focus is on saving Energy.  Ok! Just what I am looking for!!  Fortunately, beginning in January, 2009 water heaters have joined the other major residential appliances in the campaign to help us save energy and Sears has them!

Did you know that water heating represents between 13 and 17 percent of the national residential energy consumption? (This statistic is probably higher in my house!) 

In fact, water heaters are one of the least efficient energy user! Energy Star qualified water heaters can help you save approx. 9.4 percent on your energy over a standard water heater by having increased energy efficient foam insulation and higher energy factors during the 1^st hour. These ratings represent some of the technical factors that help save you money.

Interested? Sears carries Energy Star qualified water heaters in various sizes to fit your needs-even the 45 minute shower hog! So if you are looking for ways to save more money, look for Energy Star qualified water heaters at Sears...and "Then you can buy that dog!!!"

Energy Star Rebates - Free money in your pocket is only a click away...

Mar

28

2009

Captain MAJAP (aka "Major Appliances") has arrived to the digital age.  And with that, it's time for me to begin my blogs.  So here's my commitment...blogs that are quick, helpful and give you something that makes your life easier. 

With that, what will this inaugural blog be about?  This was an easy one.  A great opportunity for you to save money when you buy your next Energy Star qualified appliance.  Familiar with utility rebates?  If so, you'll likely want to move on to your next blog of interest.  However, if you are not familiar with utility rebates, then you'll want to read on...

What are utility rebates? 

Utilities across the U.S. are annually provided funding for programs by their state legislatures that literally pay consumers for purchasing Estar qualified appliances (This means they are highly energy efficient appliances that use dramatically less water and energy when used than other appliances.). 

Note: Not all local utility companies provide rebates.  It depends on the direction of your state legislature.  Read on and I'll tell you how you can find out if your local energy provider has a rebate program.

Why would the government and the power companies give us money for buying one appliance over another? 

That's simple to answer. The utility companies call energy rebates the "fifth source of power".  That's because it is really costly to build new power plants (plus it take a lot of time and many years and sometime lots of tax dollars).  By enticing people to consume less energy (like buying an Estar appliance), Americans ultimately use less power which means it reduces the energy capacity required and therefore reduces the need to build new plants.  So, giving rebates that drive lower energy consumption means in the long run utility companies don't have to build new power facilities that would cost more than giving rebates.  Unfortunately, a lot of the money set aside is never used.  Industry experts estimate that only 80% of consumers that qualify for a rebate actually file for the rebate.  Plus, lots of people that would have upgraded to an Estar product (if they knew about the additional savings through the rebate) don't purchase a qualifying product.  Lots of free money is on the table that many of our friends and family are not taking advantage of.

What are Estar rated appliances?

The Department of Energy and the EPA have a program called "Energy Star", which many simply call "Estar", that sets target energy and water consumption standards in the U.S. for all types products that we use everyday.  Refrigerators, washers/dryers and dishwashers are just a few of the products that are part of the standard.  Using these standards, power utilities set up rebates for purchasing appliances that qualify. See http://www.energystar.gov for more information.

How much can you get back on the rebates for purchasing an Estar appliance? 

The amount varies, but the good news is that the amounts are generally notable and most importantly the money is free.  Typically the amount is between $50 and $150 for a water rebate and the same for an energy rebate.  In some cases, you can receive both a water and an energy rebate. 

How do you find out if you qualify?

Here's the best part.  When you buy an appliance from any Sears store, your Blue Crew associate will help you determine if you qualify for a rebate.  They'll use the in store computer to check Sears.com site at our "Rebate Finder" page which directly links to the U.S. Department of Energy's Estar Rebate program.  They'll type in your zip code and instantly find out if your local utility provider has a rebate program.  If so, your Blue Crew associate will print off the forms and even help you file for the rebate if you would like.  That's important because these days who couldn't use another $50 to $300 in their pocket.  Economist tell us that there isn't anything known as a "free lunch" but I can tell you there is free money for you when it comes to buying an Estar appliance.  Not to mention, you'll be making a meaningful contribution to helping making our country more "Green".

Well, how did I do?  Let me know. 

Oh, by the way, thought you might want to know exactly who Captain Major Appliances is.  My name is Steve Light.  I am the VP of Home Appliances and Floor Care for Sears.  I am excited about all the great products and solutions we have for consumers when it comes to your appliance needs.  I look forward to talking with all of you in the days and weeks ahead.  See you next time...