Black Friday Deals or Cyber Monday Savings?
November 24, 2008
Black Friday deals can save you a lot of money if you don’t mind getting up early and standing in line in the cold dark morning. An alternative to the early morning and long lines is shopping for deals from your computer on Cyber Monday.
A recent survey by ShopZilla indicates that Cyber Monday has become a favorite of many deal shoppers:
“45% report they prefer Cyber Monday over Black Friday and only 10% prefer Black Friday, which used to be the official ‘bargain-hunters’ paradise”
Black Friday
Of course, Black Friday has it’s advantages. You don’t have to pay shipping and in some cases you can get free or pretty much free stuff for door buster specials. For some people it’s even a tradition, the family doesn’t mind rising early and waiting in the cold, they’ve made it into a annual fun family event.
Cyber Monday
The obvious benefit of Cyber Monday is that you don’t have to wait in line and deal with crowds. It’s still best to get up early since some of the deals are limited quantities, but it’s a lot easier to roll out of bed and sit at your computer than spend all night out in the cold.
Another benefit of Cyber Monday is that you have easy access to comparison shopping at your fingertips, you can pull up deals from multiple merchants in a matter of seconds and find the best match for you. Of course, this benefit will someday be matched by shoppers “on the ground” with the evolution of mobile shopping.
Cyber Monday vs Black Friday
You certainly don’t have to choose Black Friday over Cyber Monday, or vice versa. You can shop for bargains on Black Friday and browse for Christmas deals on Cyber Monday as well.
For me, the hustle and hassle of Black Friday isn’t worth the savings that I might find. I’ve plunged into the mass of scurrying shoppers in years past and each time I find myself wondering why I blow a whole vacation day running from retailer to retailer chasing down deals.
This year I’ll be looking for deals on Cyber Monday, how about you? Which do you prefer, standing in line or shopping from home?
All posts by Ben Edwards
Wow, I’m impressed Marci! You probably score some great deals throughout the year, plus you’re not as stressed during the holidays.
That takes some planning and foresight but it certainly sets you up for saving money and less stress over Christmas!
I prefer to be all done shopping by October – which I was – and enjoying this holiday without the hassles of shopping 🙂
Shop all year long, as you find something, sort everything out one evening, make sure you have everyone covered, wrap, and be done 🙂
My family is used to getting mailed shipments the first of Nov that say “hold for Christmas”, and my kids are used to having to store the cardboard boxes with their kids’ stuff in til Christmas…. I have a very small house – no way I can store for 8 grandkids and 3 families! Gets a little much! Even as sparsely as I buy!