Free Shipping Day: Is it really worth it?

Free Shipping Day is today, Dec. 18, with many noteworthy retailers offering free shipping with no minimum purchase. But many stores already offer free shipping year-round, making their involvement in Free Shipping Day yawn-worthy at best. 

Most people would probably agree that shopping online is easier, more convenient and often cheaper than spending a day at the mall. But for all its advantages, there's one major drawback of cyber spending: the shipping fees.

Depending on what you order, you could be paying an extra $10-$20 to get the goods delivered to your door. The good news for last-minute holiday shoppers is that this Thursday, December 18, has been declared National Free Shipping Day.

The bad news is that this event might not be everything it's cracked up to be. Many of the participating retailers already offer free shipping year-round, which makes their involvement in this event yawn-worthy at best. And even if they don't ship free every day, you can usually get it anyway by using a coupon or simply buying from a store that does.

Plus, if it's free shipping you want, you don't have to wait around until Thursday. Target is offering free shipping with no minimums throughout the holiday season, and Nordstrom,Barney's, 6pm and Zappos are among several big-name retailers who offer free shipping all year.

That being said, there are a few big stores who've signed on to Free Shipping Day that don't offer year-round shipping.

Here's our list of noteworthy retailers (which usually charge for shipping) offering free shipping with no minimums on December 18:

• American Eagle/Aerie
• Bass Pro Shops
• Belk 
• Bon-Ton Stores
• Cabela's
• Dick's Sporting Goods
• hhgregg
• Hot Topic
• J. Crew
• Kay Jewelers
• Levi's
• Omaha Steaks
• REI
• The Body Shop
• The Limited
• Torrid

So what do you think: is free shipping day worth it?