Will You Be Using Your Sears Card Today?

Even though many retailers offer a 10 percent discount at the cashstand if you apply for a store credit card, consumers are using them less, consolidating credit debt onto a few general credit cards with lower interest rates. According to the Nilson Report, store cards represented about 12.7 percent of total credit card outstanding receivables in 2001, compared to roughly 21 percent in 1990. Moreover, store cards are projected to account for only 10.9 percent and 9.2 percent of outstanding receivables in 2005 and 2010, respectively, according to Bear Stearns retail analyst Dana Telsey.