• New York Times, Thursday, November 11, 2010 10:38 AM

Starting today and running through at least through Dec. 20, Wal-Mart is offering free shipping on its Web site for almost 60,000 gift items, Stephanie Clifford and Claire Cain Miller report. No minimum purchase is required.

"Everyone's trying to figure out how we can serve a customer that's trying to save every penny they can," says Steve Nave, svp and gm of Walmart.com. "It's the most competitive offer out there, and we're pretty excited about it."

Wal-Mart says it will not raise prices to offset shipping. Shipping is not nearly as affordable for smaller operations that must pay regular rates and usually ship from one location, placing them at an even greater competitive disadvantage. Wal-Mart says it is considering offering some free shipping after the holiday season is over, too.

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