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Nov 21, 2008 10:00 pm US/Central
Find Free Shipping Promo Codes For Online Shopping
(CBS 11 News)
The holiday shopping season is upon us, and so are the deals. You're about to read an online secret that could change the way you shop. CBS 11 News uncovers an underground trick of the shopping trade that is sure to help you save.
Whether you're buying clothes or other necessities, the World Wide Web has become a popular place to shop. But with online shopping comes an unpopular expense - shipping.
One shopper said, "When you walk into a store, you don't pay for anything, so it's like wasting money."
Retailers are learning that by offering free shipping, and other special discounts, more people are inclined to buy online at their sites.
Brian Cooley, Editor-at-large with CNet.com says as people look for pennies to pinch, the free shipping offer has become a useful marketing tool for stores. "Free shipping is a traffic builder," Cooley says. "It brings people in the door to spend there, at that merchant versus another merchant who may have the same product at a similar or very same price. If you've got the free shipping, you win!"
The deals usually come in the form of special promo codes that, when used during check-out, give you those discounts or free shipping. The trick is finding those codes.
"They often put the codes out because they want to reward repeat shoppers, or they want to test the effectiveness of an email campaign," Cooley says of certain retailers.
Often, though, those codes pop up on websites like FreeShipping.org to help everyone get in on the savings. On FreeShipping.org, you can find codes for Macy's, Kohl's, and even Plano-based JCPenney.
Nick Bomersbach is the Vice President of E-Commerce for JCP.com. He says their special online offers have become just as important as their in store sales. "Our customers are looking to shop smart this holiday season," he says. "So they're looking for deals not only on the merchandise, but on the shipping."
A little investigating can also go a long way in saving money online. Cooley suggests opening up a search engine of your choice, type in the name of the company you want to shop, and then type "Promo Codes" (in quotes). Dozens of sites pop up listing dozens of promo codes and coupon offers.
"I prefer to go do a little Googling to find my promo codes and my free shipping offers because then I know I'm really searching the whole expanse of the web," Cooley explained.
According to Bomersbach, JCP.com customers can save anywhere from 10 – 20-percent on shipping depending on how much they spend on the site.
CBS 11 News is making it easy for you to find these codes, check them out in the 'Related Links' to the right of this article.
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