The holiday season of 2023 is quickly approaching and now is the perfect time to save some money on gifts for your loved ones (and yourself). With the best Black Friday sales already live for every major retailers, there are discounts on just about everything anyone could ever need going on right now.
What of Cyber Monday this year, though? The well-known online shopping holiday always kicks off after Black Friday and tends to offer similar discounts from major retailers. If you're wondering whether or not you should wait for Cyber Monday sales to make a purchase, the answer is usually no. The differences between Black Friday and Cyber Monday are almost non-existent these days and if you find a great deal today, there's really no reason to hesitate. That being said, let's dive into some of the subtle differences between the sales.
Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday Deals
Historically, Cyber Monday sales have been better for online shoppers. This was largely due to Black Friday being somewhat of a brick-and-mortar event in the earlier times of the shopping holiday. The days of the best discounts only being reserved for folks that camp out overnight are pretty much over, however, and almost all major retailers have all of their discounts online starting on Thanksgiving. Because of this, the difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals have pretty much become negligible.
Although these two retail holidays have pretty much become intertwined, there are still reasons to choose one over the other.
Shipping Differences
Black Friday deals started very early this year as retailers have been encouraging folks to make purchases earlier than ever. This is most likely due to some lingering supply chain issues that continue to make shipping some products difficult. Although you should be able to get most things delivered in time for Christmas even if you make a purchase on Cyber Monday, buying earlier pretty much ensures you'll have time to send it back and get a refund in time if needed. For that reason, it can be practical to do most of your shopping now rather than later.
Limited Stock
Another thing to keep in mind is that some discounts will be a associated with a certain amount of stock available. Although you can buy a PS5 pretty much everywhere, there are still things like the PS5 Slim bundle that likely won't last forever. Some of the biggest discounts on Black Friday on big ticket items like consoles, iPads, TVs, and gaming laptops may not last forever. A lot of the better Apple Black Friday deals are on older generations of the devices and can sell out quickly at a low enough price. Because of this, waiting for Cyber Monday could cost you the ability to grab some of the hottest deals.
Convenience
One of the biggest advantages of shopping Cyber Monday deals instead of Black Friday deals is that they aren't usually happening right in the middle of family time. With most of the Cyber Monday sales beginning over the weekend, it may be a lot more relaxing to do your shopping then rather than just after you eat Thanksgiving dinner. Being able to wait until things have calmed down to actually do your holiday shopping can make the whole experience less stressful.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday Terms Explained
Black Friday
The term "Black Friday" has origins stretching all the way back to 1869, but the most recent interpretation of the term comes from the 1980s. It was during this time that retailers would see an increased profit around this time of year, which would be indicated by the use of black ink (rather than red ink). After this, the window between Thanksgiving day an the weekend started becoming well-known in the media as Black Friday. These days, Black Friday seemingly refers to most of November as retailers start offering discounts the day after Halloween.
Cyber Monday
The term "Cyber Monday" is a fairly recent one in comparison to Black Friday. It was a marketing term used to describe a boost in e-commerce transactions that occured the Monday after Thanksgiving in the United States. The term itself was coined in 2005 and was made main stream thanks to a press release from Shop.org. Although it was originally used to encourage more people do do their shopping online, it has since become one of the biggest shopping days of the year.
Looking for more shopping info? Take a look at our tips for shopping Black Friday sales for more.
