This post is a sponsored post on behalf of Sears via Izea. The opinions are mine.

Read about the contest below. Win one of three $500 value Sears gift packages. As part of their “Don’t Just Give A Gift, Grant A Wish” holiday campaign“. Me, and several other bloggers were chosen to assist in this promotion. Those also participating are: Chris Pirillo, Tamar Weinberg, Aaron Brazell, Liz Strauss, Steve Spalding, Joseph Jaffe, and Chris Heuer.

Since I was a little kid growing up in the suburbs of Cleveland, I’ve always remembered going to Sears. Around here, Sears is a staple. You went there for all kinds of things, but mostly in my case it was with my parents to get stuff like paint, or a ladder, or tools, or a washer/dryer. I grew up in Sears all around my neighborhood, so when I was asked to take part in this contest and posting I jumped at it. Read below for the contest.

As I was saying… I went to Sears a lot growing up. But mostly it was the hardware type Sears stores. I had been in the bigger stores where they had all kinds of different items, but to be honest, until I went back for this promotion, I had forgotten the variety of items they have so I was surprised to say the least, at the variety they had.

So MomGoesGreen and I packed up the kiddies and headed out to our local Sears superstore about 20-minutes away. The extra good news was that there was a Chick-fil-a in the mall where the Sears was so double bonus! Shopping and good food!

Toys, Eh?

Yeah, Sears has toys. And they’re right by the front door of course right? So our first 15-minutes inside were spent in those aisles. My 7-year-old daughter of course found the Barbies and unicorns and super pink girlie stuff that she loves. While my 4-year-old boy headed straight for the Craftsman brand toy tools. By the way, Craftsman has got to be on the biggest/strongest brands on the planet by now, no?

So now that the kids got some stuff. Me and MomGoesGreen got to shop a bit. She picked out a nice new fancy coffeemaker. I only drink decaf due to the fact I cut caffeine out of my life about a year ago, but the machine will make that just fine I’m sure. Our old coffee maker was pretty lame so this one is a huge upgrade. She also got into the bedding section and found some very nice sheets and bedspreads. We both thought the pattern was pretty cool.

As for me, I got caught up over in the electronics section. One aisle in particular caught my attention, and that was the audio aisle. Check out some of these awesome items I’ve been drooling over for some time now but never bought.

And of course, no trip to Sears would be complete without a trip to the hardware section. I mean, c’mon, if you go to Sears and you don’t buy some tools there’s something wrong with you, right?

The biggest problem is that I’m the anti-handy guy in the household. Which is ironic since my father taught me how to change the oil on the car, and the brakes, and I’m a whiz at fixing lawn mowers and stuff like that. But… I can’t fix a doorknob around the house for some reason.

Anyway, I did get into the tools section just because, well, I’m a guy and tools rule! My little boy especially loved looking at them too, and wishing he could use them for real. Someday buddy.

On the way out, we did pass the Atheltic stuff. They had about 25 different treadmills which surprised me. And all kinds of other stuff like boxing and other fitness equipment. I almost bought one of those big exercise balls to sit on at my desk by MGG said I’ve never use it. She’s probably right.

At The End Of The Tour…
We walked out of Sears with some really cool stuff and a deeper appreciation for all they have. I have to say that the prices I saw for some big ticket items like the HD tv’s were really competitive. Some people would say that shopping at Sears is beneath them. Pa-lease. I’m a blue-collar guy, living in a blue-collar town. I don’t wear fancy clothes and I don’t presume to think that I’m more or less important because of where I shop, or where I don’t shop.

Now For The Contest
So here’s how you can win your very own spending spree for up to $500 at Sears from their Grant a Wish promotion.

ENTER TO WIN!! A $500 WISH PACKAGE Giveaway!

I’ve put together three Grant a Wish packages. The winner will receive the package he or she selects. You’ll find the official rules here.

You can enter via blog comment, tweet, or blog post.

To Enter by Comment: Leave a comment here with the name of the wish package you would like to win.

To Enter by Twitter: Tweet out the following message: “RT @jimkukral please grant my wish to win the #Sears (package name) - tweet to win your own wish http://urlbrief.com/25a854″

To Enter by Blog Post: Write a post about the contest and linking back to this post. Be sure to leave a trackback or a comment linking to your post.

The Wishes I Designed for You Include

PACKAGE #1: PHOTO/MUSIC PACKAGE
Sony 8.1 MP Digital Camera, W150
Apple 16GB iPod Nano
IceTech Portable Pocket Solar Battery
Belkin Car Holder/Tunedock for Apple iPod
Jensen Universal iPod Docking Station with Full Scan Radio

PACKAGE #2: BLU-RAY/DVD PLAYER PACKAGE
Sony Blu-Ray Home Disc Player
Magnavox Portable DVD Player w/Dual 7″ Widescreen Displays (includes installation package for in-car use)

PACKAGE #3: XBOX 360 SYSTEM & GAMES PACKAGE
Microsoft Xbox 360 Arcade Bundle (includes five arcade games)
“Guitar Hero 3″ 360 + Wireless Guitar Controller
“World Series of Poker” 360 Game
“NBA” 360 Game
“Spiderman” 360 Game
“Bee Movie” 360 Game

The preceding was a sponsored post. For more information about the sponsor (Sears), see Izea. I should also note that I’m on the Izea advisory board.

My special comment on paid posting:
I’ve disclosed this is a sponsored post in 3 places here. If you don’t like that I’ve done a sponsored post, that’s fine with me. However, don’t pretend I was trying to ruse you. I am not. The power is in your hands. If the idea of me doing a sponsored post like this makes your stomach upset… then you know what you have to do… stop reading my blog. It’s that simple.

Disclosure is the key here. I have made it very clear, and now it’s your decision. Personally, for me, as long as I see full disclosure I could care less. Especially if the content is good or helpful or informative. If it’s not, then I might feel differently. Thank you for reading my blog and I hope you come back.

You may want to check out Chris Brogan’s take on trust here.

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