Shipping deadlines loom large for online shoppers

Sure, there are still two whole weekends for shoppers to finish their holiday shopping (one of which is even a three-day weekend for those lucky enough to have December 24th off). But the deadline for the 65 percent of consumers who plan to do at least some shopping online is much closer, especially for those who don't want to shell out for express shipping. And, of course,  deadlines differ from store to store, making it difficult to decide exactly where to invest those precious few minutes of screen time. Fortunately, the folks at DealHack have put together a handy cheat sheet with the shipping deadlines for over 120 merchants.  While most are still offering standard shipping with delivery by the 24th, some — including name brands like BarnesAndNoble.com, CircuitCity.com and ToysRUs.com — have already slipped into express (or at least "expedited") mode.  Many more are moving in that direction this weekend, with most throwing in the towel on standard delivery by next Tuesday, December 18th. Some notable holdouts, according to DealHack: Zappos.com, which is offering standard shipping with holiday delivery all the way through December 21st, and Blue Nile, which stretches its deadline all the way to December 22nd. And remember, if you plan to send your gifts the old-fashioned way — by waiting on line at the Post Office — tomorrow's your last day for Parcel Post, though you can get those gifts out by Express Mail all the way through the 22nd.