Is Cyber Monday any better than Black Friday?

[greentea]

Cyber Monday doesn't seem to get the bad rap that Black Friday gets, maybe because you don't see the crowds fighting on video every year. At least that is what I get from my friends. They seem to say that Black Friday is stupid, but Cyber Monday is a time to find good deals. But in reality it seems to me that it's another day of pure consumerism. Do you feel it's OK to participate in Cyber Monday and if so, why is it any different that Black Friday?

[disneysteve]

I think the two are completely different experiences. I don't see anyone camping out in freezing cold temperatures in the middle of the night in order to get a deal on Amazon.com. I don't see people pushing and shoving and trampling each other in order to get a deal at BestBuy.com. I don't see fist fights breaking out, or a taser attack (happened on Friday at a mall outside of Philadelphia) by people looking for bargains at Macys.com.

Cyber Monday is certainly the more sedate, sophisticated version of holiday shopping.

There are certainly good deals to be had. If you can find a great deal on something you've been wanting and can afford, I think participating in Cyber Monday is perfectly fine. It sure beats freezing your butt off and risking life and limb on Black Friday.

[ua_guy]

I think the two are completely different experiences. I don't see anyone camping out in freezing cold temperatures in the middle of the night in order to get a deal on Amazon.com. I don't see people pushing and shoving and trampling each other in order to get a deal at BestBuy.com. I don't see fist fights breaking out, or a taser attack (happened on Friday at a mall outside of Philadelphia) by people looking for bargains at Macys.com.

Cyber Monday is certainly the more sedate, sophisticated version of holiday shopping.

There are certainly good deals to be had. If you can find a great deal on something you've been wanting and can afford, I think participating in Cyber Monday is perfectly fine. It sure beats freezing your butt off and risking life and limb on Black Friday.

Cyber Monday has its issues, though, namely white collar employees robbing their employers of productivity while shopping for deals using employer-owned resources.

I'm not a fan of Cyber Monday just as I'm not a fan of Black Friday. I don't understand the long-standing belief that we need to buy crap for each other just because Hallmark decided to make a "thing" out of Christmas.

[disneysteve]

I'm not a fan of Cyber Monday just as I'm not a fan of Black Friday. I don't understand the long-standing belief that we need to buy crap for each other

More often than not, when I'm jumping on a great sale, it is for us, not for others.

One thing I love this time of year is the deals so many restaurants do on their gift cards. It's usually something like buy $100 and get $20 free. We've been known to stock up on those. Saves us money dining out all year. I've also taken advantage of a similar deal from Marriott. One year I bought hundreds of dollars worth of gift cards to get the free cards that came along with the deal.

[rennigade]

Cheesecake factory were selling gift cards yesterday, but $25 gift card and get 2 free slices of cheesecake. I bought $50 in gift cards to get the 4 free slices. Other than that I didnt buy anything.

Washer/dryers always seems to be priced pretty well around BF/CM if you're in the market for some of those.

[cschin4]

I love cyber Monday! I love Amazon. My go to store.

[elessar78]

It's because Cyber Monday is just like any other day? I'm pretty specific with what I shop for so I rarely see something and "damn! I gotta buy that".

Sadly, Black Friday is a defacto American holiday—unlike other holidays where we celebrate values like gratitude, valor, love, faith, labor . . . this one's really about consumerism, pure and unadulterated, masking as generosity.

[kork13]

It's because Cyber Monday is just like any other day? I'm pretty specific with what I shop for so I rarely see something and "damn! I gotta buy that".

Sadly, Black Friday is a defacto American holiday—unlike other holidays where we celebrate values like gratitude, valor, love, faith, labor . . . this one's really about consumerism, pure and unadulterated, masking as generosity.

That's sort of my thinking (on both points, really)... I'm more okay with "Cyber Monday" because really, it's little different from any other day. I fire up my laptop, look for whatever I might be searching for, and see if I can find a deal on it. That's "Cyber Monday", all accomplished from my living room wearing pajamas with a cup of cocoa. But I totally agree, the madness & blatant consumerism of the entire season is a little disgusting.

I was actually surprised to discover Amazon ran one of their "Lightning sales" on a set of headphones I've been eyeing for about 2 months... So I happily pulled the trigger & ordered them (with a bonus 25% off). Woot -- consumerism accomplished, and I survived spending just $37.

[cschin4]

Btw what is wrong with pure consumerism?

[elessar78]

Do you believe that a person's main reason for existence is to simply buy and use goods?

Yes, even the most frugal of us buy and use goods the difference is that people who don't believe in it as a lifestyle use what they buy to accomplish other things in their life. A consumerist buys and accumulates for the sake of buying, not necessarily to accomplish anything.

For me, it's a mean and self-centered way of living. We live on an earth with finite resources yet we keep buying and buying. Why are yard sales and garage sales so popular?

My church runs this flea market in the summer. It's just every parishoner's second hand goods being sold for pennies on the dollar. IF as a church, we'd have just said "no" to this stuff in the first place and donated the money to the church in the first place—it would dwarf whatever we raise from this glorified yard sale.

[gogirlanime]

Just like black friday you'll know if you are getting ripped off or not by knowing what you are buying before black friday, how much is the item usually, how often does it go on sale, patience and research will make sure that you don't get burned. Make black friday and cyber monday not only for others but as a day for your family to save on your annual purchases as well. My boyfriend and I waited a few months to get a new TV so we could get one on black friday, saved us $300. To answer your question I think cyber monday is better than black friday.

[Rogerthat11]

Cyber Monday doesn't seem to get the bad rap that Black Friday gets, maybe because you don't see the crowds fighting on video every year. At least that is what I get from my friends. They seem to say that Black Friday is stupid, but Cyber Monday is a time to find good deals. But in reality it seems to me that it's another day of pure consumerism. Do you feel it's OK to participate in Cyber Monday and if so, why is it any different that Black Friday?

Way Better! You don't need to miss out on thanksgiving and wait in the cold for good deals. You wont get trampled by people who care more about possessions then their lives. And you have an extra three days. Plus online is usually cheaper than brick and mortar stores. I say yes Cyber Monday is better!.

[John213]

I see few online websites have better deal on Cyber Monday than Black Friday. IE. example.com has 15% on all items black friday, on cyber monday, discount went up to 20%