Difference between Black Friday and Cyber Monday
For bargain-savvy shoppers, two events stand out more than any other, and they are Black Friday and Cyber Monday. These are when some of the best deals are to be had in the retail industry, and every serious shopper knows to mark this down in his or her calendar. Here, we take a look at what makes these two shopping holidays so special.
Profile
Black Friday is a shopping holiday that is "celebrated" on the day after Thanksgiving. This day traditionally marks the beginning of Christmas shopping season. Black Friday was initially celebrated only in the United States, although the tradition has since spread to Canada and a few other countries. When Black Friday comes, participating stores open their doors to shoppers as early as 4 a.m., and they provide sales with considerable discounts as a way to start off the holiday shopping season. To date, Black Friday is the busiest shopping day of the year.
Cyber Monday on the other hand is the name for the online shopping holiday that comes on the Monday following Black Friday. The "holiday" (which, like Black Friday isn't a "real" holiday) was first introduced on November 28, 2005, when it was billed as “one of the biggest online shopping days of the year".
Origins
The name “Black Friday” as used for the shopping holiday was first heard in Philadelphia, in reference to the heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic that was typical of the day after Thanksgiving. The term was later explained as the period during which time the stores in the area would earn profits that would put them "in the black", hence Black Friday.
Cyber Monday was the invention of Shop.org, and was intended as a way to increase online retail sales on the Monday after Thanksgiving. The reasoning behind this holiday was that millions of people who had gone window shopping during Black Friday, would be more easily persuaded to part with their money on the Monday after, when they were back at work and shopping online.
Good Deals Compared
Getting great deals is certainly possible whether on Black Friday or Cyber Monday. However, the places where you get these deals will differ. On Black Friday, the best places to check out are the large chain stores such as Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Target. Cyber Mondays are better suited to smaller online retailers that want to avoid going up against those aforementioned retail giants. That being said, some of those retailers do offer deals on both days. Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Amazon.com for example typically offer discounted electronics on Cyber Monday for those who didn't make a purchase during Black Friday.
Similarities and Differences
Black Friday
- A shopping holiday that is “celebrated” on the day after Thanksgiving
- Was initially celebrated only in the United States, although the tradition has since spread to Canada and a few other countries
Cyber Monday
- Online shopping holiday that comes on the Monday following Black Friday
- Intended as a way to increase online retail sales on the Monday after Thanksgiving
