Black Friday has become an obsession, in fact more people may turn out that morning than to watch the next Superbowl. I’ve made it out exactly two times in my life on Black Friday, and I have been severely disappointed each time. Once the item was already sold out, and the other time I found it way cheaper after Christmas. Yep, as it turns out Black Friday isn’t always the cheapest deal, it just happens to be the cheapest time to buy a Christmas gift if you have proscratinated in doing so until Black Friday. This day has never gotten an endorsement from me and it never will.
Cyber Monday is a bit different, as it tends to cater to online retailers rather than the brick and mortar ones. First of all, I prefer that in and of itself. Online retailers tend to have lower overhead costs and thus the savings is passed on to the consumer. Second, you don’t have to wake up at the butt crack of dawn to get the deals, you simply have to wake up sometime that day and turn on the computer. I prefer anything that allows me to accomplish it from the comfort of my own home. So not only do I get to purchase it from my house, it also gets delivered to my doorstep as well. I’ve now avoided having to wake up early on a vacation day, I’ve avoided long lines and swarms of ruthless shoppers, and I’m probably getting a better deal than I would have if I had purchased that television set from the store down the street. Cyber Monday is notorious for offering free shipping on top of the discounts, so you get to enjoy all of those conveniences without paying anything extra. I see more emphasis being placed on Cyber Monday over the coming years as consumers begin to wise up a bit. Though that might actually cause retailers to start really discounting items on Black Friday since that day accounts for a large chunk of change for them.