Black Friday
A well known event known to all as Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving where consumers get their holiday shopping done. This marks the start of the holiday season. Retailers post sales on items to encourage more and more people to shop. This is a way for retailers to lure shoppers into stores by offering deep discounts on certain items that are popular gifts and hope that people buy those items and much more. Black Friday has grown over the years and has become an anticipated event. Crowds double in size as everyone is trying to score on deals. Although it is a well liked event, some find the crowds to be overstimulating with long lines and heavy traffic. This retail event is very influential when it comes to consumerism. Some people would even take it to the extent of waking up extremely early and camping outside of stores, trying to beat the rush of competitive consumers. Typically the items bought on Black Friday are electronics, kitchen appliances, furniture, and house decor.
Cyber Monday
Cyber Monday is a more recent development as the decades have moved on and evolved through technology. Stores will offer discounts on items that were not on sale on Black Friday, and consumers can shop those sales online the Monday after Thanksgiving. Many people rather shop online as they still get decent deals and don’t have to deal with long lines and large crowds. Over time Black Friday has seemed to have lost its value as more stores provide the same deals online. When consumers shop on Cyber Monday the top purchases are clothes, electronics, and home essentials. Cyber Monday is considered the more calm option as items can be bought from the comfort of one’s home. It all depends on what the consumer prefers when they decide what day to shop. Some like to shop on both while others usually pick one or the other.
Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday
It is debatable whether Black Friday or Cyber Monday is the better option, typically it depends on the shopper’s personal preference. When asked which day she prefers to shop on, Siley Caplan stated, “I think Black Friday is better just because it feels more fulfilling to spend my money in a store. I feel that it is even more rewarding to save up your money and spend it in stores on Black Friday”. When asked the same question, Lucia Rama commented, “I hate Black Friday, Cyber Monday is way better”. In the past, Black Friday and Cyber Monday had a clear separation as one was the day to shop in store and the other was to shop online. However, it seems that the two have blended together. Stores start discounting their items well before Black Friday and the discounts seem to last the entire month of December. These retail events are used by stores to compete against one another and win over consumers. It is a constant battle to be the best and to appeal the most to buyers. People tend to think that the sales on Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the same, however, retailers tend to differentiate their sales to convince shoppers to buy more. It is recommended that shoppers don’t wait for a certain day as the sales aren’t the same. These two days can be very different with their way of shopping and the sales provided. They can be very similar as well as they are both days that consumers buy the most.