Minneapolis – Best
Buy is the latest retailer to offer free shipping for online purchases this
holiday season.
The No. 1 CE chain
said the offer, available now through Dec. 21, will apply to hundreds of
thousands of products, including all
CDs, Blu-ray Disc and DVD movies, as well as gaming software and accessories.
The offer excludes
laptops, netbooks, iPads, iPods, game hardware, Dynex TVs, appliances and other
items that require scheduled delivery.
The announcement
follows Walmart’s launch last week of free shipping on all CE products (except
iPods and iPads) and thousands of video games.
“I think they got
the jump on us by a little bit,” Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn told Reuters during an
Intel investor event.
Other big-box
chains offering free shipping this season include Target, which is providing
the service on all purchases of $50 or more from Nov. 21 to Dec. 11, and Sears,
which will provide free shipping on most orders totaling more than $99 and 150
pounds or less.
Amazon.com
continues to offer free two-day shipping on select items, and provides
unlimited two-day “free” shipping to subscribers of its $79-a-year Amazon Prime
program.
“We know consumers
are looking for value and convenience this holiday season, and we’re continuing
to provide them with exciting ways to improve their shopping experience,” said
John Thompson, senior VP and general manager of BestBuy.com.
Best Buy also recently
launched an enhanced “Store Pickup Plus” program that features benefits such as
same-day pick-up in-store, allowing customers to designate a friend or family
member to pick up their items in-store, or ship out-of-stock items to their
local Best Buy at no additional cost.
