It s a common conundrum of holiday shopping: Shop in the store and save on shipping, or shop online and boost the odds of finding the item you want.

Now, there s a third option. More retailers are offering free ship-to-store service, in which customers order items online and have them sent free to a nearby store for pickup.

The service is available at a variety of retailers this season. Recent Wal-Mart ads have touted its Site-to-Store service. And plenty of other big stores, including Borders, L.L. Bean, Radio Shack and Payless ShoeSource, also quietly offer free shipping for online orders delivered to a store instead of your home.

Why are retailers providing the service at no cost? In a year when online holiday sales are critical, a ship-to-store option can give some stores an edge over their competitors, especially web-based ones, says Scott Testa, an assistant professor of business administration at Calibri College in Radnor, Pa. (A quarter of consumers plan to do the bulk of their holiday shopping online, according to a survey by Deloitte LLP.)

With this [service], you have the best of both worlds, online and store shopping, Testa says. Consumers can take advantage of broader availability and cheaper prices online, without paying for shipping or worrying about delivered goods sitting unattended on the stoop all day.

Like other free shipping offers, ship-to-store offers come with plenty of fine print. Here s what you need to consider before counting on them for your holiday shopping list:

Check availability

Not all products are eligible for site-to-store shipping. Outdoor gear retailer Gander Mountain won t transport items that normally ship directly from the manufacturer, and Wal-Mart won t send perishable goods or anything weighing more than 350 lbs. Most retailers will let you split a single order to send some items to a store and others to your home, but of course, that limits the convenience.

Even if the item you want can be shipped to a store, the location closest to you may not be available to receive it. For example, Radio Shack customers in Okeechobee, Fla., would have to drive an hour to the closest site-to-store location in Port St. Lucie. L.L. Bean doesn t offer pickup at the chain s outlet stores. Use a retailer s online store locator, which usually lists site-to-store shipping as a store feature where available.

Hunt for coupons

A coupon code for free shipping doesn t always mean it s the best deal, says Loren Bendele, the chief executive for coupon site Savings.com. The real value advantage of free site-to-store shipping is the opportunity to combine it with other deals, like a dollar- or percentage-off coupon, and still get free shipping. For example, use code BBC3553R at Borders to save 40% on one full-priced item and select site-to-store for free delivery to a local shop.

Gauge delivery timeframe

Site-to-store shipping can be faster or slower than standard ground shipping, depending on retailers existing networks to transport items from the warehouse to the store. Radio Shack says items could arrive in three to eight business days. Performance Bicycle warns customers that orders can take up to three weeks to arrive, and Payless ShoeSource s shipping and delivery page has an order deadline of 8 p.m. ET on Dec. 10 for in-store delivery by the holidays.

Want it faster? You can speed up delivery to the store, but those express shipping fees are on par with what you d pay for express delivery at home. Wal-Mart is the exception. For $29 a year, the retailer offers customers unlimited delivery in-store within three to five business days, instead of the standard seven to 10.

Know the pickup policy

Make sure the experience is [that] you literally walk in the store and pick it up, Testa says. Wal-Mart has a separate Site-to-Store pickup counter, but in most other cases, users are forced to wait in line at the customer service register with everyone else looking for a refund or waiting on a complaint. Minimize the hassle by showing up early in the day, when the line is likely to be shorter, he says.

Also check that you have the right materials to claim your order. L.L. Bean, Gander Mountain and Wal-Mart require the person whose name is on the billing slip to pick up an item, and Radio Shack wants to see the credit card used to pay for the order. (Wal-Mart allows you to designate an alternate pickup person when checking out online.) Most stores also require a photo ID and printout of the order confirmation.

Mind the penalties

Stores hold site-to-store orders for a limited period of time, usually a week or two. Fail to pick up your order within that time, and it may be put out on shelves or sent back to the warehouse. You ll receive a refund, but some stores take a cut for their trouble. Do It Best Hardware charges a 20% restocking fee on orders unclaimed within 10 days of arrival. Ace Hardware doesn t offer refunds on unclaimed orders -- you must claim the order and return it at the store.