Closing the deal Online holiday sales gain popularity in recent years Lily Thomas
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tores swarm with customers as lines grow longer and longer. Big, bold letters display deals upon deals as people race for the best one, fighting one another for the last flat screen TV. A sight like this is commonplace on Black Friday, which is the Friday after Thanksgiving Day, when stores have discounts that signify the start of the holiday shopping season. Prior to the pandemic, many stores began opening on Thanksgiving Day to start their deals rather than Black Friday, with some opening as early as 2 p.m. in 2019, according to a CBS News article. This year, however, USA Today reported that retail stores such as Walmart, Target, Best Buy and others will refrain from opening on Thanksgiving Day. For senior Lauren Whetsel, who had a tradition of going Black Friday shopping with friends and family for four years, the announcement that many stores will remain closed on Thanksgiving Day is not ideal. “I love using it as an excuse to shop,” Whetsel said. “We usually go [shopping] on Thanksgiving night. I will be working on actual Black Friday, so I won’t be able to go if they aren’t open on Thanksgiving.” With most stores remaining closed on Thanksgiving Day for the past two years, Cyber Monday refers to the Monday after Thanksgiving when stores have online deals, and has gained popularity. Comscore, an analytics company, reported that Cyber Monday beat Black Friday in digital spending by $2.4 billion in 2020. Some students, like senior Anna Millar, prefer to
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skip the lines on Black Friday and opt for deals online during Cyber Monday. “I like Cyber Monday more than Black Friday because I think it is a lot easier and more convenient,” Millar said. “You don’t have to deal with the in-person crowds that occur on Black Friday and you can see everything from home without having to wait in lines and drive to different stores in the cold and snow.” Some of Millar’s favorite Cyber Monday deals include shoes, technology and new clothes. According to a Business Insider article, Black Friday deals have begun to overlap, but traditionally, bigger items like laptops and TVs are discounted more during Black Friday, while smart gadgets and home goods are discounted more during Cyber Monday. In 2020, Adobe Analytics reported that Cyber Monday was the biggest online shopping day in U.S. history. “I think that online deals have become way more important than Black Friday because of the pandemic,” Millar said. “Last year, I know a lot of people could not go shopping because of quarantine, so more people, including myself, realized the convenience of online shopping and have become more acquainted to that.” Alternatively, some students skip Black Friday and Cyber Monday altogether. Instead, senior Ben Crowe prefers to look for small businesses to support. “Compared to a big business,
where products are made on a production line and Graphic illustrations of defects are brushed off, small businesses want to make the best Cyber Monday sales by Lily Thomas. product possible,” Crowe said. Small Business Saturday, which was started by American Express in 2010, takes place on the Saturday following Thanksgiving and encourages people to shop locally. Senior Lauren Burger believes it provides an opportunity to find alternatives to corporations. “It’s so easy to discover the core values of most small businesses and to shop at the ones that align with yours so that you’re making sure that you’re shopping responsibly and ethically,” Burger said. ”But also, I know that sometimes it’s hard to shop small, so while I prefer to shop small, it’s not always possible and that’s okay.” No matter which shopping option someone prefers, there are opportunities for everyone to enjoy a holiday sale this year.
According to Comscore, Cyber Monday beat Black Friday in digital spending by $2.4 billion in 2020.
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