I love the convenience of online shopping, but I hate paying a hefty fee for shipping, especially when buying an inexpensive item. Happily, a lot of companies are offering free shipping to win your holiday business. There’s even a new holiday: Free Shipping Day.
Free Shipping Day this year is Thursday, the last day to order goods online and be sure they will be delivered by Dec. 24. The promotion is organized by FreeShipping.org, always a useful resource for finding shipping deals and coupons.
About 250 merchants participated in last year’s Free Shipping Day. Nearly twice as many have signed up this year, and more could join. We won’t know exactly what they’re offering until 12:01 a.m. Thursday, when the deals are unveiled.
Participants include large companies such as Macy’s, Sears and Borders as well as smaller merchants in categories ranging from clothing and baby supplies to sporting goods and automotive items.
I don’t advocate buying anything online until you have done a search for a coupon. You should also always check freeshipping.org for deals.
If you’re in the market for a specific item, it’s a good idea to sign up for e-mail newsletters from your favorite stores. I get coupons and deals nearly every day from Borders and Dell Computer, for example. You can also get daily deal alerts on a variety of products from DealNews, Cheap Today and Brad’s Deals , among others.
Be aware that more deals means more temptation. An online offer prompted me to order a flat-screen TV I didn’t need. Luckily for my pocketbook, the order didn’t go through. It did include free shipping, though.
