Free Shipping Day Is December 18th
Check out the 18 and counting online retailers at freeshippingday.com for stores that will give you free shipping and guarantee delivery by Christmas if you shop there on Thursday, December 18th. The retailers include Amazon, Zappos, Dell, Target, Macy's and other big names, with perhaps more joining before the 18th. Nothing like getting rewarded for waiting until the last minute.
FreeShippingDay [Official Site]
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Comments:
I see Eddie Bauer is on the list. Read the "details" section there. I noticed earlier this year that Bauer separates handling fees from the shipping fees, so even when they are touting their "free shipping" the fine print notes that a $3.00 handling fee "still applies."
@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy->★: I got that email too, I thought it was weird, it was presented as if it were something new.
@Oxzimmaron: Ah, handling. The beloved fallback of the desparate. I love having the privilege of paying someone to touch my stuff. Just two letters from fondling. Mmmm.
Seriously, though - shouldn't handling be factored into the price of the item? You know it's been handled. Unless you want a more "special" kind of handling.
I can't stop saying handling now. Thanks. I'm going to go take a shower.
Don't most of these places have free shipping after buying a certain amount anyway? I know Amazon and Musiciansfriend do.
Free shipping at Target is pretty valuable, since they almost never give free shipping for orders under $50 or $100. Same with Macys.
Free shipping at Container Store is a big deal to me, as their shipping charges are completely ludicrous. They're also one of those companies that still punishes customers who buy more: shipping is tiered, increasing as the dollar amount of the order increases (not based on size/weight of product at all). Lowest charge is $8.50 for orders up to $29.99; $25.50 shipping for $150.01-199.99, then 15% of order total (!!!) for orders over $200.00. Completely ridiculous and poor customer relations, IMO. I do love that store; I'll just never order online.
Does anyone else find the info on the freeshippingday.com site to be a little cryptic? I can't seem to find mention of this on some of the sites listed as participants in this promotion. Amazon, for instance, has the 18th as the last day for Standard shipping, but mentions nothing about free standard shipping this day (the last day for their free Super Saver Shipping is the 17th). Same thing on Nordstrom--they mention free shipping on orders over $200, but that's it--no across the board free shipping on the 18th.
Anyone else find this strange?
@Git Em SteveDave loves this guy->★: that's not change we can believe in [awkward smile], that's more of the same [really awkward smile]
@Batwaffel: You can always get codes for Victoria's Secret shipping over $100, but this is a day when there is free shipping for everything. That's what makes it special.
@undefined: Hah, good luck with Dell. They can "promise" to have it there by christmas but that's just a ballpark guideline. Don't bank on it.
You peasants clearly have never employed "Platinum 'Hands Off!' Shipping," a service I cannot live my life without! You see, it's a handling option where my packages aren't touched by human hands. By using a system of powerful air blowers and highly charged electromagnets my packages valiantly fights against the very forces of gravity, spitting in God's face, remaining forever unsoiled by the peasant hands of the factory worker, the mailing department employee, and the UPS man.
Sometimes I order a cheap (read: <$100,000) item from Amazon.com.rb (Never heard of the .rb TLD? It's for 'Rich Bastards,' like me) and have it delivered to my home on electrified maglev duo-rail only to take hold of the package with rubber gloves and throw the box into the trash, never opening it.
Indeed, such a delicate handling process can only be appreciated by high-minded glitterati like myself and, quite frankly, feel like my social status has been diminished slightly by regaling you proles with my story about it.
I also can't find any information about this. I was wondering what the "or" clause is: if I order on the 18th with free shipping, and my order fails to be delivered by/before Xmas, then what? Do I get a discount? A refund? A "taking it seriously" faux-pology?
@ribex: It actually doesn't even make too much sense, either, because if Amazon were to offer free shipping and guarantee three day shipping (which free super saver shipping is not) wouldn't it actually be more prudent for them to advertise free expedited shipping (which would be 3 or 4 days)?
Either way, it's cutting it really close to order things on Dec. 18 and think they'll absolutely be there by Christmas if the shipping offered is standard ground. There's no wiggle room - standard ground shipping is what it is. If they were offering free expedited shipping, they should specify expedited.
Free Lunch?
Somebody is giving away Free Lunch?
Yo, there ain't no such thing as Free Lunch. You pay for the meal even if it ain't itemized.
I like how Zappos is on there, even though they always offer free shipping on any order. But hey, they'll have free shipping on the 18th too!
I think it could well be a hoax.
No one seems to be able to find evidence of "Free Shipping Day" on merchant sites. I'm following this "story" on other sites than just Consumerist, such as FatWallet.
The site proclaims: "This Thursday December 18th is the first annual Free Shipping Day, a yearly promotional event..."; how can it be yearly or annual if this is the first year? (Not a strong argument, but it smacks of puffery.)
I just called Amazon CS and the rep I spoke with was unaware of this alleged promotion. I gave her the URL and suggested that she pass the information up so that corporate could look into it.
In the meantime, please do not take this site seriously, especially if you were planning to place an order and decided to delay it.
Ben:
Did you get an email that looks a little like this?
"Wisebread, I an attempt to keep shoppers shopping online later in to December we have come up with the first annual Free Shipping Day (December 18) which is a day when online merchants offer free shipping with guaranteed delivery by December 24. Online sales begin to decrease for many retailers around December 10-12th because shoppers fear their orders will not arrive in time. Free Shipping Day is a way of giving procrastinators one last chance at a good deal online. We are expecting hundreds of retailers to offer free shipping on Free Shipping Day. We set up a website at www.freeshippingday.com with more information about the day and a list of holiday shipping deadlines for over 250 stores. We're asking influential blogs like Wise Bread to help spread the word about Free Shipping Day. Thanks so much for your help."
I noticed that the text appeared on their site earlier today but is now missing. It still exists in the Google cached version and will now be preserved here in comments.
PLEASE add a strong disclaimer to your story.
Free shipping is a LIE! At least it is for the ~1.3 million people that live in Hawaii.
Amazon is the only company (that I know of) that actually ships free to Hawaii. Oh how I love thee Amazon...
Yeah the price of the item may be $5 - $10 more expensive than 3rd party sellers, but when shipping is over $20 for pretty much all items, it is worth it.
@ribex: I forgot to say: I hope I am wrong, and that there really is a Free Shipping Day. I just sense something fishy from the site as it stands today.
I suspect you're right. I posted this on The Other Deal site, forgot about it, read some of the comments that had been made and went back to look more closely at the actual web site. Alarm bells started ringing very quickly. It's very subtle and I don't see how it's a scam, in fact I've got no idea what the guy is hoping to achieve but I don't see this happening. I'd like to be wrong as well but I'm a born pessimist.
This is not a hoax. Thursday December 18 is the first annual Free Shipping Day.
Participating merchants will be offering free shipping with guaranteed delivery by Christmas. Many retailers have contacted us to tell us they are on board with this and that they really like the idea.
There is a perception among many shoppers that after December 10, 11. 12 it is to late to shop online for fear that orders will not arrive in time for Christmas.
Free Shipping Day is an effort to change that perception and to give shoppers one last chance to purchase gifts online while still getting a good deal.
You can see a list of merchants who will be offering free shipping on December 18 with guaranteed delivery by Christmas at www.freeshippingday.com.
We will be adding more and more merchants to the site every day. In fact we've had over 30 new merchants sign up today that still need to be added to the site.
Our hope is that with in a couple years Free Shipping Day will be as big as Black Friday or Cyber Monday.
Luke Knowles
Free Shipping Day
Watch this fail and none of the gifts arrive on time.
I'm so evil.
@PhyllisJaffe: Standard shipping via an Amazon seller will NOT get something to you by Xmas if you order on the 18th. Something will get to you by MLK Day though...
I am from the bastard child of a state Hawaii, which will never ever qualify for free shipping. Ever*. Despite the fact that letters find their way here for a mere 42 cents and the USPS can get it here in 2 days for $4.80 flat-rate, no, every website in the world demands to use services that charge a bazillion dollars to get it here, oh, next month.
/rant
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*Restrictions and conditions apply, hahahaha! That means no Hawaii!
@LoisMergus: Luke, thanks for stepping up here.
But there's still problems with this. Why aren't the sites linked? Why isn't there more information about the *guaranteed delivery*? What happens if merchants fail to deliver orders (free) by/before Christmas? Are these retailers going to have information on their own sites? When? I checked your site again but don't see any changes aside from the couple of blog posts from today, and the press release.
Amazon just sent me an email telling me they are giving me free shipping on orders over $25. I found this weird as they usually give me free shipping over $25.