BUSINESS MEMO: SEARS GOING CYBER

Sears, the nation's largest department store chain, began selling 2,000 major brands and models of appliances over the Internet last week, becoming the first brick-and-mortar retailer seeking to cash in on the big-ticket items over the Web.

The site -- www.Sears.com -- can walk a user through the various options, including the ability to narrow the search to a particular color, brand or size, check within a price range and determine if a pictured item is on sale. It also provides links to sales of Sears' Craftsman tool line and Part Direct store.

Customers who buy online also must pay the applicable state sales tax, a federal requirement other online sites do not have because the retailer operates in all 50 states, said Alice M. Peterson, vice president and general manager of Sears Online.