Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday: Which Will You Pick?
The most important day of shopping is almost upon us! BLACK FRIDAY! Throughout history there have been many Black Fridays (as in 1945, Hollywood Black Friday was named after a riot broke out at the gates of the Warner Bros. Studios!) but the one we all know, and maybe love, is happening this month on November 29th.
I have participated in one Black Friday and I personally do not understand the hype. Why spend a wonderful holiday with family and friends stuffing your faces, dozing on the couch, and reminiscing about that one time Grandpa caught his pants on fire, just to end it all to head over to your favorite local store or mall to sit outside and freeeeeze for hours? Now I know some people live for Black Friday; they’ve got it down to an art. They have all the right camping gear, a planned out schedule of what stores to hit and when. Statistically, more people do their shopping on Black Friday than any other day of the year. The amount spent on this momentous day has been steadily climbing over the years.
Check it out:
2007 – $34.6 Billion 2010 – $45 Billion
2008 – $41 Billion 2011 – $52.5 Billion
2009 – $41.2 Billion 2012 – %59.1 Billion
That’s a lot of billions! So yes, I get it. It’s a big deal. But what about Cyber Monday? Now that sounds like more my style! I can stay home, in my pajamas, and snuggled up to my laptop and shop til my fingers bleed! There’s not an official date of the first Cyber Monday, but instead it’s been a trend that retailers have noticed an increase in sales on the Monday after Thanksgiving. (According to Wikipedia, “’The term made its debut on November 28, 2005 in a Shop.org press release entitled ‘Cyber Monday Quickly Becoming One of the Biggest Online Shopping Days of the Year’”.) So why the sales are not as high as those of Black Friday, the popularity is increasing nonetheless.
Check it:
2007 – $733 Million 2010 – $1.028 Billion
2008 – $846 Million 2011 – $1.25 Billion
2009 – $887 Million 2012 – $1.46 Billion
By the way, all my numbers came from Wikipedia as well. Anyway, I think this year I’m going to give Cyber Monday a go. And just think, the more popular the day gets, the more sales and discounts retailers will offer us! So enjoy your Black Friday, but save some of that dough for Cyber Monday!