Amazon and UPS are both offering refunds to people who did not receive their scheduled packages in time for Christmas.
A $20 gift card and a refund on shipping charges will be given by Amazon to affected customers. UPS promised refunds on shipping costs. Fed Ex did not promise specific refunds but promised to work with affected people.
A combination of bad weather, shoppers waiting until the last minute and the overwhelming surge in online buying resulted in some packages not getting under the Christmas tree in time.
Some are chalking up the delay to a shorter than normal shopping season, as there were six days less this year than normal between Thanksgiving and Christmas.