Black Friday or Cyber Monday? Which is better?
Halloween was fun but now is officially gone for 2017 and guess what – Mariah Carey is coming out of hibernation and Christmas carols are about to take over the world for the next two months. The weather is getting colder and wet, days are shorter but lose no faith, the festive period is coming sooner than later – Thanksgiving is just around the corner!
There are always so many great deals around Black Friday that this year nearly half of the US population is expected to go out there looking for bargains during the Thanksgiving long weekend.
This is the time when people’s Christmas-shopping instinct usually kicks off. While going out in the cold bargain-hunting may sound appealing to many, more and more people are opting out from fighting the Black Friday crowds and are going to do the shopping online from the comfort of their home, or workplace on Monday. Last year’s Cyber Monday was by far the biggest online sales day in the US history – Americans spent nearly $3.5 billion.
There are various reasons why more and more people are choosing to stay at home and do the Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping from the comfort of their home or workplace. Even though buyers cannot get the dreamed purchase right away, online shopping may have a positive impact on your wallet. As we all know, when looking to make a purchase, there is a high chance you may find it cheaper online when compared to retail.
Paying sales tax does not have much of an effect on your wallet when purchasing everyday goods, but it can make a huge difference when you want to buy expensive consumer electronics such as a TV, DSLR or your next laptop. Online shopping sometimes comes with the perks of not having to pay sales tax which can save you between 2%-10%. As long as you are careful and patient, online shopping can be a great experience and save you some cash.
When should you make a purchase – Black Friday or Cyber Monday?
There are so many great deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday that sometimes this time of the year feels like Christmas came early. However, very often you don’t know when is the right time to make a purchase. Sometimes you end up buying something on Black Friday only to find out there is a better deal on Cyber Monday. Deciding which day will give you a bigger bang for your buck is a tough question, and there is no definitive answer, but there are a few things that you can keep in mind.
If you are a deal-hunter and savings is all you crave, you may want to make a purchase on Black Friday and monitor the market until Monday. If the price on Cyber Monday is more favorable than the one on Black Friday, you may just return or cancel the purchase you made on Friday. However, always be aware of the cancellation process and if there are restocking fees. Luckily, many retailers and online shops start their promos on Black Friday and keep the same deals going until the end of Cyber Monday – they do that probably because they do not want to deal with returns either. We advise you to also listen to your gut, if you are ready to pay something and you are happy with the price, just do it and don’t look again. Don’t ruin your holiday-time stressing on a $5 savings you could have had.
Keep your devices safe
No matter what your choice is, if you are planning on doing the majority of your shopping online, be vigilant and purchase goods only from websites that you trust. The festive period is the time when hackers want to take advantage of your eagerness to strike a fantastic deal and are known to be active.
Be vigilant, be protected, and remember that if something looks too good to be true, it probably isn’t.
Panda Security specializes in the development of endpoint security products and is part of the WatchGuard portfolio of IT security solutions. Initially focused on the development of antivirus software, the company has since expanded its line of business to advanced cyber-security services with technology for preventing cyber-crime.
