Have Lands’ End and Sears Finally Gotten it Right? Almost.

I must admit I’ve frequently scrutinized those Lands’ End “ghettos” in Sears stores ever since Sears acquired the pride of Dodgeville, Wis., five and a half years ago. For a few years, Sears tried to sprinkle Lands’ End products amidst its mostly forgettable array of private label and largely undesirable polyester clothing.

But I’m happy to report Sears is getting closer to getting the Lands’ End integration thing right. And when I received a 12-page mini-booklet — not quite a catalog, per se — I was truly blown away. The 63⁄4-inch x 51⁄8 inch outer cover wraps around eight 63⁄4 inch x 4 3⁄4 inch pages and shows two families merrily hauling a Christmas tree through the snow, wearing their cushy Lands’ End gear. It contains the headline “Great gifts warm wishes” on top and the title, “Lands’ End Shop at Sears,” on the bottom.

The cover and inside back cover of the booklet were glued, so the piece mailed as a Standard mail bulk presort letter — far less expensive than the flat (catalog) rate — and was printed on nice-feeling recycled paper. On the inside front cover, customers are invited to get special holiday savings at the Lands’ End shop in Sears. Then on page 3, they’re offered $10 off when spending $50, and $25 off when spending $100 or more. The booklet gave a Dec. 9 deadline. (My wife, a Lands’ End mail order regular, received it at the end of November.)

The coupon page contains two barcodes so customers have to bring the booklet into the stores with them. And into the stores they must go, as the discounts are only good for Lands’ End merchandise bought inside Sears stores. It’s a retail traffic-builder for sure, but the booklet contains that Lands’ End touch and undoubtedly used a Lands’ End list. And that gives it added bonus points in my book.