By Allison Keyes, wtop.com
WASHINGTON — If you’re a last-minute shopper worried about whopping shipping fees, don’t panic. Consumer savings expert Andrea Woroch says there are many ways to get around them and still have gifts delivered in time for the holiday.
“Lots of retailers offer free shipping until the third week of December to maximize their online profits, because they know people often don’t pick up gifts until the last minute,” Woroch says.
She suggests checking out shipping deadlines at websites such as Offers.com, which has a full list of shipping deadlines for many stores, USPS and FedEx, among others. Several retailers, including Target, LL Bean and American Eagle, offer free standard shipping with no minimum. Others, such as Wag and Toys “R” Us, are offering free shipping on most orders of $49 or more.
Woroch says shoppers can also avoid shipping fees by signing up for free shipping trials, such as “Shop Your Way Max” at Sears and Kmart. Once you sign up for a free 90-day trial, you get free two-day shipping on most items. A one year membership is $39. A free 30-day trial of Amazon Prime includes free two-day shipping with no minimum order. But you might want to cancel if you don’t plan to use it after the holidays — the membership costs $99 a year.
Some retailers offer free in-store pick-up, and Woroch also says customers should remember that Dec. 18 is free shipping day. Many retailers will not only offer free shipping with no minimum and delivery by Christmas, but they’ll also offer sales and discounts.
If you are packing your gift yourself, Woroch suggests paying attention to the weight. Sending extremely heavy items at the last minute could get expensive.
Finally, if you look up and Christmas is the next day and you still haven’t gotten your gifts, you can always order a gift card. You can usually print them yourself, or simply e-mail them to your loved ones.
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