Black Friday crowds can be avoided, free shipping is the key

There will probably still be large crowds to battle on black Friday, but a lot of companies are offering an enticing incentive to stay home and shop.

By: Laura Phelps | WNCT
Published: November 25, 2008

Retailers are expecting people to spend less on the biggest shopping day of the year: Black Friday.

Nonetheless, there will probably still be large crowds to battle on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and now a lot of companies are offering an enticing incentive to stay home and shop.

Everyone knows that shopping online has its downside, and that's shipping. But retailers are learning that by offering free shipping, more people are inclined to buy on line.

Brian Cooley, Editor at large for cnet.com, says the free shipping offer has become a useful marketing tool for retailers, especially now, as people look for pennies to pinch.

"It brings people in the door to spend their money at that merchant versus another merchant, who may have the same product at a similar... price, but if you've got the free shipping, you win," said Cooley.

The deals usually come in the form of special promotional codes that you type in during check out.

Here's how you find those codes: try looking on the site freeshipping.org. It has promotional codes for stores like Macy's, Kohls, and JC Penney.

You can also go to a search engine, like Google, and type in the company you want to shop, then type the words "promo code" in quotes.

Skipping those pesky shipping fees can save you up to 20 percent on an online purchase.