Get Ready for Cyber Monday Specials

Let the Cyber Monday Specials Begin! 7 Days Away and Counting

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Can you feel it? Holiday music blasts through every store. Shoppers scurry from place to place in search of the perfect gift. Soon, Santa will take his throne again at your local mall. Once he sits his wide bottom down, you can’t deny it anymore: the holiday season is here. Since Cyber Monday is only 7 days away, we’re dissecting it down into 7 easy-to-understand parts. So if you didn’t read our previous blogs (ahem), get the full Cyber Monday summary and the deets on some very special Cyber Monday specials.

1. How Cyber Monday Got its Name

As you know, Cyber Monday is the online equivalent to Black Friday. The term was coined during 2005 when retail analysts noticed a spike in online shopping the Monday after Thanksgiving. At first, they wanted to call it Black Monday, but then realized the name lacked originality. Shop.org toyed with Blue Monday (too sad), green Monday (too environmental) and Black Monday (duh) before settling on Cyber Monday.

2. Black Friday’s Dirty Secret

Black Friday has been around since the 1960′s. But most of us don’t know about Black Friday’s double meaning. According to the article, “The Secret Meaning of Black Friday Revealed,” Black Friday is “the day plumbers nationwide receive the most service calls out of the entire year. Whether it’s clogged sinks or toilets from eating too much on Thanksgiving, many families need a little extra help on Black Friday.” Yep. On Black Friday if your sink or toilet (ew) clogs, expect difficulty finding a plumber.

This Black Friday article by Wikipedia has a different take on the origins of Black Friday. The article states, “The term “Black Friday” originated in Philadelphia in reference to the heavy traffic on that day. More recently, merchants and the media have used it instead to refer to the beginning of the period in which retailers are in the black (i.e., turning a profit).” Good to know Black Friday isn’t all about toilets.

3. Cyber Monday Specials Leaks

Who leaked their Cyber Monday specials early (shame)? Cyber Monday is 7 days away, but most retailers spill the beans early. A leak takes away the magic of Cyber Monday, but knowing about the deals ahead of time makes shopping for Cyber Monday specials easy. So, this year who couldn’t keep their sales a secret? Walmart unveiled their entire Black Friday/Cyber Monday plan about a week ago and it looks promising with HDTVs, camcorders, and video games marked way down. ToysRus also leaked their Black Friday sales and offers free shipping on orders over $49.00. Some articles allude to a secret sale on the Toys R Us website at midnight on November 27 but we’ll keep you posted on whether that’s true. And at Amazon, every day is packed with deals. Today’s deals from Amazon: electronics!

4. Newsletters, the Best Way to Shop for Cyber Monday Specials

If you want to find the best Cyber Monday specials and Black Friday deals without searching through endless banner ads, read on. Most consumers learn about Cyber Monday deals via the Internet (shocking) and 48% of online shoppers hear about Cyber Monday specials from e-mail newsletters. Every shopper has a list of favorite websites. If you want to hear about special offers, sign up for their e-mail newsletters. Otherwise, you’ll have to forge through the Cyber Monday jungle and might get distracted shopping for yourself (guilty).

5. Want the Best Cyber Monday Specials? Bookmark these Aggregator Sites

We will keep you informed as the holiday sales roll out. But there are many other Cyber Monday aggregator sites that feature tons of Cyber Monday sales: gottadeal.com, couponmountain.com, dealtaker.com, and bizrate.com to name a few.

6. Cyber Monday Newbie? Read All About It

Even with the dwindling economy, most predict that Cyber Monday will have a big year. If you’re going to shop on Cyber Monday, you’ll have to compete with the masses. Learn how to protect yourself from Cyber Monday Scams and how to shop for Cyber Monday specials at work. And for fun, read my predictions for Cyber Monday specials 2008 and see if they come true.

7. The Cyber Monday Special Most In Demand

What is the Cyber Monday special everyone wants this season? Hint: it’s not a coupon for the Wii Fit (although that would be nice. ) It is…drum roll please….. free shipping! Seriously, is online shopping worth it without free shipping? If you are shopping on Cyber Monday, don’t click buy without getting free shipping. Most online retailers offer free shipping with some caveats during the holiday season and if they don’t, go to a competitor’s site.