On Sunday morning, September 9, 2007 I searched SEARS  sales circular to find a gift item for my son to purchase for his 6th birthday using a pre-paid Mastercard given by his grandmother.

We turned to page 11 and found a 1GB Digital Music Player(MP3) available in 5 colors for $39.99(Save $20).
 Item listed at: #21407 with a mouse symbol indicating that this product can be purchased online.

I went to Sears.com and placed the order totalling $43.69 plus the $1.00 authorization using a $45 pre-paid gift card.

I waited from 8am cst until 1pm when I had to call the 800# to find out why I had not received an email confirmation.

The receipt said my item would be available for pickup at the Sears 1 mile from my home on Friday, September 14th for a product advertised in Septmber 9th’s Sunday circular!!!!

Why?? This is an item in the sales ad, available in stores so why do I have to wait 5 days just to pick it up in the store?

I made the purchase through Sears.com for convenience purposes-buy online and then pull up and run in swipe card and pick up merchandise...

Too easy, eh??

Well by 5 pm after my 3rd call a CSR named Richard puts me on hold and calls the store and says there are over 50 of these MP3’s in-store and that it should be no problem. Wrong.

5:55 pm  I drive to Sears and swipe the credit card. No sale found.  I enter the ticket number. Ticket not found.

I call 800# and they verify the purchase and are confused, telling to "Just get the MP3. You paid for it".

By 7:15 after the manager explains that Sears.com has to "release" the order .

I go home and call for the last time.

"Allison" tells me I have to wait 24-48 hours for the order to be "processed" by Sears.com(yet they "processed the $44 in 30 seconds!).

I explained to her that this was NOT an item that needed to be shipped and was advertised in the circular and that 50+ were in the store.

Their only advice was to "Just go upstairs and buy it at the registers and then cancel the Sears.com order tomorrow".

How callous.  This is a Pre-paid credit card that charges fees to process returns which will eat up my little boy’s gift money. Plus they can hold a credit for 14 days.

I’ve made him wait until he is old enough for this MP3 and he was so sad and disappointed after waiting 2 years then all day only to come home empty handed.

Apparently, the MP3 that is in every Sears in my city is being processed to be shipped to the store as if it were a riding lawnmower or some difficult item necessitating shipping from "the warehouse".

What in the hell is so difficult that Sears can’t just let me take my property home from the store?

I’m DONE with Sears.com

Forgive me, Circuit City for straying. I’m coming home.