Save before you shop: Sears brings back the Christmas Club.

Do I get to say ‘I told you so?’ In a post written nearly a year ago called WWGD — What Would Grandma Do? — I forecast the wholehearted return of those favorite financial products beloved of our grandmothers — including the layaway plan and the Christmas Club.

Now, in a move that pretty much proves my psychic abilities, retail giant Sears is encouraging consumers to save before they shop for Christmas, using their Christmas Club card. Instead of functioning like a credit card (as many store cards do) the Sears card allows users to “load” the card beforehand—just like paying money into a bank account. If they do this before November 14, card participants who join before October 31 will be entitled to a jolly reward of 3% extra to spend in Sears, Kmart and associated stores. Considering the current meager interest rates on savings accounts, before you can say ‘horsefeathers!’ Mrs. Consumer looks almost as wise as Grandma.

As for Sears, reviving the Christmas Club system just may guarantee them a share of the Christmas market in advance.