If you're like me, you bristle when you see shipping costs. I can't tell you the number of I've abandoned a transaction because I would have had to pay $5.95 to get the items to my doorstep. Or the number of orders I've padded with stuff I didn't necessarily need to avoid paying shipping costs, a tendency that's completely irrational considering the shipping would have cost less than the unneeded items.

But I'm not that weird. This recent Time Magazine blog cites a comScore survey that found close to half of respondents said they'd abandon an online order if they had to pay shipping. Most retailers have offered free shipping in some form this holiday season. Others, such as L.L. Bean and Nordstrom, have eliminated shipping fees altogether. Target REDCard holders get free shipping all the time, no mattter the order size.

For those of you who refuse to pay shipping costs, there is Free Shipping Day. On Friday, more than 2,100 retailers will offer free shipping through freeshippingday.com. In its fourth year, the event attracts big retailers such as Kohls and Herbergers, well known brands such as Columbia and Apple, and small businesses such as St. Paul-based StormSister Spatique, an online retailer that once had a brick and mortar location in the West Side neighborhood.

Best Buy is a big Minnesota-based retailer that's participating on Dec. 16. Cabellas, Gander Mountain and Creative Kidstuff are also on the list.