Free-Shipping Day is coming

Attention all Tightwads. Circle Thursday Dec.18 on your calendars. That’s the date when last-minute shoppers will be rewarded for their patience with a flood of free shipping offers from hundreds of merchants from Amazon.com and Bloomingdale’s to Victoria’s Secrets and Zappos.

The idea for a single day devoted to shipping bargains was hatched by the marketing honchos over at FreeShipping.org, a site we covered last week. Luke Knowles, a spokesman for the Web site, said that consumers tend to decrease their online shopping activity around Dec. 12, and sees this first-ever event as a way to let consumers know they can order as late as the 18th and still have delivery guaranteed by Christmas Eve.

So far, around 35 major chains have announced their participation on the FreeShipping Web site, including Macy’s, Kmart, Sears, Nordstrom, OfficeMax, Crate & Barrel, Bloomingdale’s, Dell, and Victoria’s Secret. Knowles said many others plan to be part of the promotion, but are reluctant to have their names publicized just yet for fear of jeopardizing current sales.  Knowles said the Apple Store will be participating, too, though the company’s name doesn’t appear on the site.

The specific deals will differ from retailer to retailer, with some offering free expedited delivery without restriction or based on a particular dollar amount spent. Knowles said the deals will be announced jointly on both FreeShipping.org and each individual retailer Web site.

Whether or not you’re planning to take advantage of free shipping, you may want to review FreeShipping’s guide to holiday shipping deadlines at more than 250 retailers.