The holiday season in America kicks off with Thanksgiving and runs through New Year’s Eve. The second the turkey plates are piled in the sink, the race to secure the hottest Christmas and Hanukkah gifts is on. Apart from all the holidays and benefits of purchasing things at their lowest cost and celebrating the days and nights with your loved ones, the sale season, like Black Friday and Cyber Monday, has also been one of the reasons people can’t wait for the arrival of the end of the year.
We have heard enough of the extended sales week, but are you aware of Cyber Monday and Black Friday sales, or are you normal? Well, there’s no shame that most people mustn't know why every year the biggest sales week is celebrated worldwide. We are here to sort out the confusion for the exact reason.
Most retailers, both on the ground and in the cloud, depend on sales from the last 4-6 weeks of the year to make up most of their annual revenue; we all know that. But are you aware that holiday sales often decide the difference between ending the year in the red (in debt) or in the black (with profits)? It’s in their best interest to slash prices and offer deals to get customers in their doors or on their websites. Retailers will put their best sales forward on the biggest holiday shopping days of the year, Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Black Friday is the biggest brick-and-mortar shopping event on the day after Thanksgiving. The phrase Black Friday came out of Philadelphia in the 1950s and soon became a national phenomenon. Door-buster deals and early bird specials have people waking up in the wee hours of the morning and standing in long lines, sometimes overnight, to jump on the best deals on the season’s hottest gift ideas.
Suppose you enjoy the “thrill of the hunt” when shopping; there is no bigger challenge than Black Friday. The day's tone can be rather aggressive, with people fighting over items and rushing through the store to obtain everything on their list before items sell out.
Big box stores will offer huge savings on a selection of hot holiday items to entice hungry buyers into their shop, where they will presumably also buy many other items that are not on sale.
If the high-stakes adrenaline and early morning antics of Black Friday aren't your cup of tea, then Cyber Monday is here to save the day. Imagine this instead: You wake up at a reasonable hour, pour yourself some coffee, sit in front of your computer in your pajamas, and shop for amazing deals to complete your Christmas gift list in peace.
Cyber Monday always takes place on the first Monday after Thanksgiving. For the year 2023, that day is Monday, November 27. Since all major brand stores also have online shops, the lines between the two holidays are blurred into one week-long shopping event. Shopping online gives you greater access to multiple stores and find the best deals through comparative pricing.
Shopping online makes life easier, but there are still a few ways to improve it. Here is a short list of tips and hacks to save you even more time and money this year.
Cyber Monday deals are promoted well in advance. Take advantage of that fact by stalking your favorite brands on social media. Stores will discuss their upcoming deals on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. You can also sign up for the email list of your favorite stores on their websites and get deal alerts sent to your inbox.
Make sure to have your holiday gift-giving list made out and ready to roll. Group your items by which online shop you will most likely find them. You can also list them online deals you know are coming up. Google Sheets is a great place to store and organize your list for free, and you can access it easily from your computer, tablet, or phone.
If you want to save even more time on the big day, ensure you have a user account on all the websites you’ll be shopping at. Lag time is a huge pain point on Cyber Monday, so this will make sure you have a smoother transaction.
While you won’t need to wake up crazy early or spend the night sleeping outside your favorite store in a hold-out line, you need to get started reasonably early if you have any hot-ticket items on your list. Online stores have a larger capacity but eventually run out of stock on popular items. Hit the high-dollar items where you get the biggest savings first.
Get real-time price comparisons on your shop page to get the best deal. You can download free toolbars and apps that help you do this.
Many online sites allow you to stack your deals, meaning you can still use coupon codes at checkout, even on Cyber Monday. You can find coupon codes at sites like Wadav.
The coupon sites allow you to buy discounted gift cards for your favorite stores. Stack your deals like a pro by scoring a Cyber Monday deal, adding a coupon code at checkout, and then paying with a gift card you got for 30% off its face value.
Want even more savings or rewards for shopping on Cyber Monday? Use a credit card with a killer cashback or reward point system to complete your purchase. For security reasons, you should not use your debit card when making online purchases. Choose a credit card with a low interest rate and a great reward system. Ensure not to overspend because you’ll want to pay off that holiday balance as soon as the first bill arrives.
