Shop Your Way Rewards

Update (5/30/14):
Instead of receiving emails that state that I have surprise points toward any purchase, I now receive emails stating that I have surprise points toward a clothing purchase only. 


I have never really shopped at Sears until about a year ago.
I somehow joined a program they offer, called Shop Your Way Rewards, which is free of fees, etc.
It includes Kmart as well as Sears. I haven't really used the points at Kmart, so I'm not exactly sure how it works at Kmart. I've only used my points at Sears, so I will be sharing from my experiences at Sears.

I started to shop at Sears because I began receiving emails from the Shop Your Way Rewards program saying that I have $4 on my account. No minimum required. I have been getting these emails about twice a month or so. In addition, you can also rack up points (every 1,000 points = $1).
Here is the email I receive every couple of weeks:

Congratulations! You have been awarded $4 worth of surprise points (4,000 points) to your account for being our valued member.

HURRY! These points are valid 9/26/13 - 10/02/13. You can redeem them towards any Sears purchase, in store or online.

I know that a lot of stores offer similar programs, such as Kohl's, Famous Footwear, DSW, etc. However, I rarely shop at Kohl's because I don't live near one, and I often don't want or need anything at Famous Footwear, DSW and many of the other stores that offer a similar program.

Sears, on the other hand, has a large array of items to choose from: clothing, kitchenware, toys, candy, hardware, electronics, etc. I often find things at Sears that I need and/or get small things that I don't necessarily need but don't pay anything/much for.

The first time I went to Sears, I bought 3 packs of socks for $1.98, but I didn't have to pay anything since I had $6 on my account.

About a month ago, I discovered a small clearance section (it's not always there). I found a King sized bed skirt (original price was $49.99) on clearance for $1.99. I also purchased 2 King sized pillow covers (original price was $29.99) also on clearance for $1.99. Again, I paid nothing since I had $4 on my account. What a steal!

When I don't find anything that I necessarily need, I look for something fun for the kids.
Today I went to Sears and paid $0.37 for these (after using $4 on my account):

A pack of two necklaces and a pack of two bracelets. Perfect for my two daughters. Plus, my youngest daughter's birthday is coming up! It even beats the dollar store, both in price and in quality!

Sometimes I don't have the motivation to go to Sears and use the $4 they put onto my account 1-2 times a month  (for doing nothing might I add), but when I do find the time and energy to go to Sears, I always come home glad that I did, even if they are small items.

Update:
I finally went around to Kmart to use my Shop Your Way rewards points, and it worked the same as Sears.
I was able to get a Ninja Turtle toy camera and some peanuts without paying a cent!
Not a big purchase, but I plan on returning to Kmart with my Shop Your Way reward points during the next few months to stock up on Christmas presents for the kids. Shopping for 3 kids for Christmas can add up!

2nd Update:
My daughter needed a new backpack for school. I wasn't thrilled about purchasing a new backpack considering the one she was using was relatively new. However, the zipper broke, making the backpack useless. I was concerned that this would happen again to the new back pack, but she needed a backpack, so we set out to Kmart.

Thankfully Kmart had some backpacks on sale, and my daughter picked one out originally priced at $17.99. The sale price brought it down to $9. I had recently received an email saying that I had $7 of surprise points added to my account for being a member. (I usually get only $4, but from time to time I will receive $7 or $8.)

I used my $7.45 Shop Your Way rewards points ($7 from the surprise points simply being a member and 45 cents came from points racked up from previous purchases.) and thus only had to pay $1.55 plus tax! 

Needless to say, my daughter and I both came out of the store very pleased!