Target offers free shipping on all holiday items

NEW YORK -- Target Corp. is offering for the first time free shipping on all items for its online holiday customers, including even $6 lipsticks, as the discounter throws itself in the ring to better compete with the likes of Amazon.

The Minneapolis-based chain says its free shipping offer starts Wednesday and will last through Dec. 20. The move is unusually early for a retailer - happening weeks before the official holiday season kickoff over the Thanksgiving weekend - and could squeeze Target's profit margins.

But the strategy underscores how retailers are willing to do whatever it takes to grab shoppers in the critical holiday shopping season, which accounts for about 20 percent of the retail industry's total sales.