DC area gets new Sears/Amazon tire installation service

WASHINGTON — Sears Auto Centers has partnered with Amazon for a tire installation service, and stores in the Washington, D.C. area will be among the first testing out the service.

The full service tire installation and balancing service covers any brand of tire a customer buys on Amazon, including Sears’ own brand. Amazon ships the tires directly to the nearest Sears Auto Center for installation on the customer’s vehicle.

It is the first nationwide auto service center to offer Amazon customers a ship-to-store tire service integrated into the Amazon checkout process. Customers will be able to select the most convenient Sears Auto location and their preferred date and time for the tire installation.

The ship-to-store and installation service is initially available at 47 Sears Auto Centers in D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco. The D.C. area has several Sears Auto Center locations in Maryland and Virginia.

Sears, which has 400 Sears Auto Centers, says the service will quickly expand nationwide.

It is the latest in a growing partnership between struggling Sears and Amazon that Sears hopes will boost sales.

Last summer, Sears began selling its Kenmore appliances on Amazon. In December, it started selling DieHard products, including battery chargers and jump starters, and then added DieHard batteries in February.

Jeff Clabaugh

Jeff Clabaugh has spent 20 years covering the Washington region's economy and financial markets for WTOP as part of a partnership with the Washington Business Journal, and officially joined the WTOP newsroom staff in January 2016.

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