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Black Friday is the name given to the Friday that immediately follows Thanksgiving Day in the US. It marks the start of the busy holiday shopping season, and is said to be the day that most consumers will start their Christmas shopping. Although the word “black” might give a feeling of negativity, in the retail world it refers to when a business begins to show a profit. Because many shops see a huge surge in business around this time of the year, it refers to the time when there books move out of the “red” into the “black.”

Cyber Monday is the online version of Black Friday. This is the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season online, and just mortar and brick retailers do on like Black Friday, online retailers offer many money-saving promotions and discounts on Cyber Monday to compete with the Black Friday savings at local shopping malls. Because shipping is sometimes an issue with online shopping, a large number of online retails also give free shipping along with the greatly discounted goods. Cyber Monday begins on the Monday following Thanksgiving, so therefore it falls three days after Black Friday.

In recent years, the term “Black” Friday has become more fitting as every year there are many incidents of violence and accidents occurring in shopper malls. Walmart seems to be the store that is most commonly involved, as shoppers riot to get their hands on the best Black Friday deals. In 2008, a Black Friday Walmart stampede left one person dead and a pregnant woman ended up in hospital. Aransas turned into what appeared to be a screaming herd of uncontrollable wild animals over some waffle makers that were on sale at $2 apiece. For this reason, and others, it is hardly surprising many shoppers are choosing to forego the Black Friday sales and are instead waiting until Cyber Monday to do their Christmas shopping in a peaceful and dignified manner.

Check out this video with important shopping tips:

Cyber Monday 2011 Statistics

Cyber Monday 2011 saw retail sales go up a whopping 22% over Cyber Monday in 2010. It is estimated that retail sales online reached a whopping $1.2 billion. As usual, the most popular items were tech gadgets with the iPhone, iPad and Android devices being the most sought-after. A survey conducted by the National retail Federation found that almost 10,000,000 American shoppers would purchase something online on the day of Cyber Monday 2011. Around half of them of them said they would shop from work during their lunch hour, and in the event that this would not be possible they planned to start their shopping immediately when they finished work. Continue reading “Cyber Monday Deals 2011 – What You Could Experience Last Year” »

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While Black Friday may have once been the popular day to look for bargains, Cyber Monday certainly offers some of the best online prices. The Monday after Black Friday, Cyber Monday has grown to gain global fame. Several online retailers, such as Amazon and BestBuy.com, offer online deals that cannot be found in stores.

Consumers take advantage of these Cyber Monday deals 2011 by shopping online instead of actually venturing to the store. This convenience prevents the need to wait in line and deal with undesirable crowds.

What’s more, most of the online retailers offer free shipping on this day. As a result, the trend is growing towards more shoppers seeking online deals rather than in-store prices.

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Magazines and critics have labeled Cyber Monday 2011 as “the biggest shopping day of the year.” Websites are dedicated to providing consumers with all of the information necessary for them to take advantage of the Cyber Monday 2011 deals. Analysts have even stated that in terms of sales, Cyber Monday is usually the highest spending day of the year.

Cyber Monday originated in 2005 when Shop.org came up with the term. Marketers immediately hopped on the bandwagon and began advertising deals that would become available on the Monday after Thanksgiving. Many were shocked at the response, as Black Friday crowds were nowhere near their normal levels.

Consumers then looked to take advantage of websites that published the Cyber Monday deals ahead of time. For instance, CyberMonday.com was set up so that consumers had a quick reference to any deals that were of relevant interest.

For the most part, the Cyber Monday deals are most notable on the large-ticket items. For example, televisions, laptops and digital cameras are just a few of the items that are marked down substantially.

Clothing is also priced remarkably lower than normal. Some of the most popular retailers offering significant Cyber Monday deals include Old Navy, Kohl’s, Target, Amazon.com, Walmart, BestBuy, Apple and Sears. Nowadays, all of these retailers release dedicated advertisements beforehand so that consumers are fully aware of the discounts that are available.

In addition, consumers can subscribe to e-mail lists and receive notifications immediately after new deal announcements are released to the general public.

Continue reading “Origin of Cyber Monday” »

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Black Friday Deals 2011

There is no doubt that Black Friday is a day that is anticipated with glee by both retailers and consumers alike. Consumers benefit because they are able to purchase a whole range of goods from electronics to house furnishings for ridiculously low prices. Retailers take advantage of disposing of unsold inventory and because they make a huge profit by the end of the day, simply by the volume of sales.

Black Friday always falls on the Friday after Thanksgiving, and it is thought by many to be the start of the holiday shopping season. Of all the days annually that you can go shopping, this will be the busiest by far. A store can get a good idea of the Christmas profits from the year just from Black Friday alone. Stores typically open extremely early, many of them as early as 4 AM, and some will even open at midnight on Thursday. Many stores do not close until 10 PM on Friday night, and any bargains that are left over will be sold in sales that are extended to Saturday and Sunday.

“Black Friday” is so-called because it marks the day that retailers typically begin to see a profit for the year, and their annual books begin to turn “black” after being in the “red” for the first time during the year.

It is also thought by some that the term was made up by the police department in Philadelphia in 1966. Because the downtown roads were packed with traffic and people due to shoppers searching for Christmas bargains, it appeared like a black mass was enveloping the city. In 1975 the name “Black Friday” became widely used after reporters from Philadelphia wrote about it in local newspapers.

Tips to survive Black Friday

Unfortunately, over the years there have been a number of people who have been hurt and even fatally, due to stampedes on Black Friday. A small number of shoppers make the event potentially dangerous because they are so keen to get their hands on bargains; they overlook the fact that their actions could hurt other shoppers.

When shopping on black Friday there are several things you should do to make sure you enjoy the experience and stay safe.

In the days leading up to Black Friday, browse through the sale adverts in local newspapers and online, so that you know where to find the best prices for the items on your list. If you are only planning on going to one local store, make sure you know where the items are usually located, as this will save you time having to fight your way through the madding crowds.

Many people arrive at the shop where they hope to grab the biggest bargain several hours before the doors open. If you also want to get your hands on a super deal, unfortunately you will have to join them, so do arrive to the venue early and make sure you have warm clothes, and some sort of entertainment to keep you occupied while you’re waiting.

If you see people are becoming frantic and pushing and shoving to get the best deals, do not get involved. Although it is a shame to pass up something that has been discounted by $100, no deal is worth getting hurt for!

• Black Friday Deals 2011 – Best Buy

According to a number of surveys, more than 50percent of shoppers reveal that they plan on spending their Black Friday cash on electronics. Videogames also feature highly on people’s shopping lists, which is good news for the electronics giant Best Buy who are one of the largest consumer electronic chains in the US and Canada. Many people will think of Best Buy first when they need all types of electronics such as laptops, smartphones, LCD TVs and other popular gadgets. Continue reading “Black Friday Deals 2011: The Ultimate List of Deals For 2011” »