free delivery

Alan Rappa

Amazon Now Offers Free Limited One-Day Shipping To Prime Members In Select Cities

Sometimes waiting two days is just too long. Or at least that seems to be what Amazon is saying by offering Prime members limited free same-day delivery for some orders of $35 or more.  [More]

Free Shipping Is Expensive For Retailers, Bad For Profits

Free Shipping Is Expensive For Retailers, Bad For Profits

Customers love free shipping, but retailers do not. Well, that’s not quite true: retailers love the sales that the availability of free shipping drives, but it isn’t very good for their profit margins. While customers have become used to free shipping and view it as the default for shopping online, retailers still haven’t been able to figure out how to provide free shipping without losing a lot of money. [More]

Home Depot Pushes Free Assembly That Isn’t All That Free

Home Depot Pushes Free Assembly That Isn’t All That Free

When shopping for a grill at Home Depot, Amy and her spouse had a requirement that they didn’t think was too onerous. They wanted a grill that had not yet been assembled, so it would fit in their car and so they would only be able to blame themselves if it were put together wrong. “But…but…but… FREE assembly!” insisted employees at their local store, dragging them into an illogical spiral where “free” actually means “we can rent you a truck for $19.99.” [More]