The holiday shipping wars are already starting to heat up.
Best Buy is launching an assault on Amazon by offering free one-day shipping on purchases through the holiday season. And in 42 U. S. cities, it’s offering same-day delivery on orders completed by 3 p.m. local time. (You can, of course, also still pick up an online order curbside and at stores.)
The offer is being made to 99% of its customers, says Best Buy. And most items are included, though larger items (like big-screen TVs and refrigerators are excluded). In those cases, free standard shipping will be offered.
Unlike Amazon, which requires people to sign up for Amazon Prime for free next-day shipping, Best Buy is making it available to all customers.
Best Buy is the latest retailer to offer free shipping to customers in a bid to woo them away from the online shopping giant. Walmart and Target have adopted the policy and even Etsy has pushed its sellers to include free shipping on their products.
The question, at this point, is whether (or, more likely, when) Amazon will announce plans to once again waive its minimum order size for free shipping. It did so in 2018 to widespread consumer acclaim.
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