CNBC’s Jim Cramer wasn’t too infatuated with the idea that Sears would sell smart appliances synced with Amazon‘s voice assistant, Alexa.
Shares of Sears soared Thursday after the department store chain announced plans to sell Kenmore-branded appliances on Amazon.com. The products will also be compatible with Amazon’s Alexa platform.
The Alexa-enabled appliances will allow customers to control settings with their voice like the temperature on an air conditioner or starting a load of laundry, Sears said.
“When we talk about the major innovations of our time, that’s it. Are you kidding me?” Cramer said Thursday on “Squawk on the Street.”
“Is it really that hard to push a button? [If] you get me someone to put the stuff in, that’s different. My wife makes me do the laundry because it’s a humbling experience to be in my house,” he said. “It takes longer to say ‘Alexa, start my dryer’ than it does to push the button.”
Cramer joked that what people really want is for the company’s appliances to fold their clothes. “It’s a great press release,” he said.
CNBC has reached out to Sears for comment.
— CNBC’s Lauren Thomas contributed to this report.
Cramer on Sears: 'Alexa, start my washing machine' — that's not innovation