/PRNewswire/ -- While many Americans have had to scale back charitable giving during these financially difficult times, their desire to give to those less fortunate has not wavered. In fact, a new consumer survey, commissioned by Sears and Kmart*, reveals that a majority (81 percent) of Americans remain generous at heart and admit that if they received a large sum of money, such as a prize or gift, they'd likely donate a portion of the funds to a charity, non-profit or other aid organization. Therefore, to celebrate the upcoming first anniversary of Shop Your Way Rewards, Sears and Kmart have announced the Shop Your Way Rewards 'What Would You Do with One Billion Points?' contest, to give one lucky, loyal customer the chance to win up to one billion Shop Your Way Rewards points - half to keep and the other half to donate to charity.**

"The Shop Your Way Rewards program allows us to better recognize and reward our customers. Our program also gives our customers the ability to earn and redeem points across the areas of our business - from appliances and electronics to kids apparel to automotive," said Scott Freidheim, executive vice president, Operating and Support Businesses, Sears Holdings." The Shop Your Way Rewards 'What Would You Do With One Billion Points?' contest is a fun way to engage our more than 17 million members while also giving them the opportunity to help others - in a very big way."

Starting today, Shop Your Way Rewards members can enter the contest by submitting a 45-second personal video message describing what they would do with One Billion Points. All videos will be posted online at www.billionpoints.com, where America will vote to determine the winner. The prize pool will start at 100 million points, and for every video submitted, another 10,000 points will be added - up to one billion points. The contest winner will take home 50 percent of all of the points in the prize pool, and they will also decide how the remaining 50 percent of the points will be donated to charity. For the charitable component, the winner has two options:

• Give all of the charity points to one or two of Sears Holdings Corporation's charity partners (Rebuilding Together, St. Jude or March of Dimes).
• Give half of the charity points to a Sears Holdings charity partner and the other half to a charity of their choice that meets the qualifications of the contest rules.

Video submissions and the initial voting will continue through Oct. 5. The Top 20 vote getters will move on to a final round of voting, which will result in a single winner, announced by mid-November. To learn more about the Shop Your Way Rewards One Billion Points contest, visit www.billionpoints.com.

Sears and Kmart are also rewarding its Shop Your Way Rewards members by making it easier for them to accumulate and redeem points at Sears Holdings retail formats. The Shop Your Way Rewards program has incorporated some great new improvements, since it was introduced last year, that offer more ways and more places to earn rewards. For example, members can earn 10 points for every $1 spent on qualifying goods and services across Sears, Kmart, Lands' End, mygofer and the great indoors - in store and online. Shop Your Way Rewards members can earn and redeem points on almost everything they buy, from a new swimsuit at Lands' End, to an oil change at a Sears Auto Center, to food products at Kmart and more.

"When it comes to customer loyalty programs, the key is to make it simple - from enrollment to redemption," said Jill Griffin, author of business best seller, Customer Loyalty: How to Earn It, How to Keep It. "The Shop Your Way Rewards program is not only easy, it is truly ground-breaking in the world of retail - offering a breadth of rewards that consumers have typically only seen in the service industry, such as with airlines, hotels and bank cards. And, the One Billion Points Contest is a great example of how companies can combine their charitable efforts in a way that also benefits their loyal customer. It's a win-win for everyone."

For more information about Shop Your Way Rewards, go to www.shopyourwayrewards.com.

About Sears Holdings Corporation
Sears Holdings Corporation is the nation's fourth largest broadline retailer with approximately 3,900 ful-line and specialty retail stores in the United States and Canada. Sears Holdings is the leading home appliance retailer as well as a leader in tools, lawn and garden, consumer electronics and automotive repair and maintenance. Sears Holdings is the 2010 ENERGY STAR® Retail Partner of the Year. Key proprietary brands include Kenmore, Craftsman and DieHard, and a broad apparel offering, including such well-known labels as Lands' End, Jaclyn Smith and Joe Boxer, as well as the Apostrophe and Covington brands. It also has the Country Living collection, which is offered by Sears and Kmart. We are the nation's largest provider of home services, with more than 12 million service calls made annually. Sears Holdings Corporation operates through its subsidiaries, including Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corporation. For more information, visit Sears Holdings' website at http://www.searsholdings.com.

*About the Survey
The Sears/Kmart Shop Your Way Survey was conducted by Kelton Research between July 1 - 7, 2010 via email invitation and an online survey. Quotas were set to ensure reliable and accurate representation of the entire U.S. population ages 18 and over. Results of any sample are subject to sampling variation. The magnitude of the variation is measurable and is affected by the number of interviews and the level of the percentages expressing the results. In this particular study, the chances are 95 in 100 that a survey result does not vary, plus or minus, by more than 3.1 percentage points from the result that would be obtained if interviews had been conducted with all persons in the universe represented by the sample.

** NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES (D.C.), 18 YEARS AND OLDER WHO DID NOT PURCHASE ANY EQUIPMENT FOR PURPOSES OF ENTERING THE CONTEST. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Enter Contest by: 10/5/10. For Official Rules and prize descriptions, visit billionpoints.com. Sponsor: Sears Holdings Management Corporation, 3333 Beverly Rd., Hoffman Estates, IL 60179.

Sears Holdings Corporation

Sears Holdings Corporation

More from Sears Holdings Corporation