Compare free shipping for 4 stores
Editor’s Note: This article was written by Craig Johnson, who is part of Team Clark Howard and writes for Clark.com.
With this year’s Black Friday and holiday shopping season shaping up to be one of the most competitive in recent years, retailers have drawn battle lines around free shipping.
Stores like Amazon, Target, Walmart and Best Buy are all luring customers with offers of free shipping. But what are the differences?
So that you can get a better handle on (literally) what’s in store, we’ve compared each of the free shipping offers from the major retailers.
Amazon
Amazon customers “for a limited time” can “enjoy free shipping with no minimum purchase amount. Any item with “FREE Shipping” messaging on the product detail page that is fulfilled and shipped by Amazon is eligible.”
The free shipping offer was originally an exclusive perk for Amazon Prime members, but facing unprecedented competition this year from big-box retailers, the Seattle-based online giant is rolling it out to all customers. Prime members in the United States can also shop free same-day delivery on eligible items.
Best Buy
Through Dec. 25, Best Buy is offering “free shipping on everything all season long.” The Richfield, Minnesota-based retailer is trying to beat out Walmart and Amazon for electronics purchases for Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
See the store’s key ordering dates to have items shipped where you need them for the holidays.
Target
Up until Dec. 22, Target is also choosing to lift the $35 shipping minimum on free shipping. The deal, which is being offered for the first time by the Minneapolis-based company, comes with no membership requirement.
If your order is not delivered within two days, it may be because you didn’t beat the cutoff time (typically noon local time). Plan accordingly.
Walmart
The world’s largest brickand-mortar retailer announced earlier this fall that Walmart. com shoppers will be able to take advantage of expanded two-day shipping on millions of items.
The Bentonville, Arkansasbased retailer used to exclude many third-party sellers from free two-day shipping. For the holidays, as long as shoppers spend at least $35, that requirement is lifted.