Sears has a new holiday store called ReadySetHoliday.com,. and they asked me to check it out and share my thoughts. Even gave me a gift card so that I could be thorough about the matter.

A part of the challenge for me is that I’m done with my Christmas shopping already, so picking something out means finding an extra for someone. Fun but not easy.

I started out by checking out the gifts for men. My husband does so much that it’s always nice to get an extra little something for him, although I think I’ve done a good job with his Christmas present. He’s not easy to shop for when I don’t have inspiration. But they do have gift ideas separated out by interests, so that’s where I go first.

The gift ideas are interesting, but I think the navigation could use some work. It’s not quite intuitive enough, especially going page to page. The compare button is easy to find, but that makes it take a moment to find the links to subsequent pages. Most sites have it closer to the bottom right rather than more or less centered, so even once I know it’s there it takes a moment to go to it because I have to think about it.

Clicking on an individual item, I liked how it made it clear if the item was available for in-store pickup rather than having it shipped. Very helpful. I also liked the similar items box.

One thing I noticed is that it’s also not a one-click matter to go from interest to interest. The link for showing the interests is there, but you click it to re-expand the menu, then select the interests. I think it would be easier for navigational purposes to keep the entire list up with the current selection highlighted.

Something I do like is that their gift suggestions are sometimes really good. No gift guide is going to appeal to everyone, but I saw several that if I weren’t already done with my Christmas shopping I might have selected as a gift.

They have some interesting tools. In the clothing sections for women and for men they have a virtual model setup. Pretty neat tool, but I haven’t used one before so I can’t compare its quality to other virtual models.

Each item also has a section for a user review. Most aren’t reviewed yet, but that does take time and I believe this is a pretty new site. And getting input from others who already have the product is always nice.

The checkout process takes you to the main Sears site, which is quite a shift in appearance. However, the navigation still makes enough sense, and you suddenly see a lot more categories for shopping. This is good if there’s still more you need to buy.
The site also has more than just products. There’s a forum in the Mom to Mom section so you can talk to other shoppers. There’s a Kidzone which doesn’t appear to be 100% functional yet but shows some promise. You’ll also find tips on getting ready for the holidays in the Getting Prepared section.

No, I’m not going to tell you what I bought for who… at this time of year? Not a chance!

All in all, I found the site most useful for those who really need some inspiration. There were a few items that really tempted me despite being done with my Christmas shopping. And that is unusual for a gift site.