Please check Sears for all the details. I'm not really interested in them. What I'd like to do is address, in a general sense, what I believe to be the net worth of this idea. And that would be: not much.

I know other businesses have offered protection schemes of one kind or another, and maybe they do convey companies in a positive light during a difficult period. In fact, I'm almost certain they must. However, I unfortunately see the added layer of bureaucracy of this program as nothing more than a potential burden that might not create enough economic value to justify the expense and/or risk, especially when the retail situation is complicated.

And I must say, I find Sears to be in a complicated retail situation that might not wholly benefit from this idea, at least considering there might be better alternatives for the company to pursue. Sears is obviously making a bet: most people who buy the appliances won't lose their jobs. Sears is probably correct. Yet, if I were a shareholder of Sears, I'd probably feel more comfortable offering such protection during a time of employment expansion. I'd also feel more comfortable if Sears decided to re-brand itself not via specific promotional initiatives meant to boost sales here and there but by campaigns meant to foster the concept of Sears being a fun, easy place to shop, regardless of price and protection against job loss (and, yes, I know a lot of you out there are laughing at the mere suggestion that Sears is a fun place to shop).

Repositioning Sears within the minds of shoppers who haven't been in one of the company's stores for years as a place to try again is a difficult task, but it would pay higher dividends down the road than a play on fears of unemployment because it wouldn't be as narrowly focused in nature.

I wish Sears luck with this, but the added headache of determining who is legitimately out of a job and who isn't doesn't sound like the best strategy to me. It's a good headline, but honestly, it doesn't make me say "oh, I have just got to go to Sears to buy my next big-ticket product!" Quite frankly, I'd rather be convinced to go to Sears because the transaction process will be smooth and easy.

This gimmick doesn't make me want to buy the stock, either. On a year-to-date basis, Sears has been rocking (as of this writing, the stock is up 60% during that time). But there are definitely better retailers to look at before Sears (for example, Wal-Mart or Target). I'll stay away from the stock for now.

Disclosure: I don't own any company mentioned; positions can change without notice.