When I signed up for the free ID Fraud Detection mentioned above, I did not need to enter any shopping details at the HD site. I typed in name and email, and received a code through email to enter with AllClear. I believe they confirmed my purchase through their records. Or better, maybe they searched the stolen data on a Russian hacker site (tongue in cheek comment).
From the email quoted, it sounds like the service is using some intelligence gathering techniques, sifting through various data sources, looking for bits of compromised data. This sounds good, but remains to be seen how effective it is.
I'd like to see the credit bureau entities come forward with a plan that really does protect my identity and credit. Knowing that will not happen, I expect there will be a massive upset to the systems brought about by compromised security. Then there will be outrage, calls for action, years of debate, and a minor update to regulations.
I know we won't be shopping HD or Target for quite a while. We have other options, but eventually I suspect every retailer or one of their partners will fail the security test.