Experts Worry Earlier Black Friday Will Cut Into Cyber Monday Sales
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Black Friday is over and shoppers have their credit cards ready to take part in a round of online shopping for Cyber Monday.
Most retailers expect their online holiday sales to jump at least 15 percent compared to last year according to a survey by Shop.org. The average shopper, according to the National Retail Federation, is planning to do about 36 percent of his or her holiday shopping online.
However, some experts warn online shopping may take a hit because this year, Black Friday started on Thursday.
"Cyber Monday traditionally has been an important holiday for online retail," said retail expert Marshal Cohen. "This year all the rules have changed as the retailer opened earlier to compete with online, online opened their deals earlier."
Nevertheless, consumers tell CBS 2's Ann Mercogliano that the day is all about the three c's: cost, comfort and convenience.
"You don't have to leave the apartment or fight the crowds" said Jeff Schrager of the West Side.
"Shopping online is fabulous," Yahoo's Vera Chan says. "If there are no glitches on Black Friday, there won't be any glitches on Cyber Monday."
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The deals are endless. Amazon.com, Macy's, Walmart, and other sites are all promoting Cyber Monday sales.
On Amazon, a Kindle DX is on sale for $259, down from $379.
Macy's is offering 50 percent discount on women's coats, and it's an "online only" special.
If you're looking for a computer, experts say now could be the best time to buy.
"You'll see the biggest discounts for computers right now and later on they won't be able to discount as much," said Matthew Cheng of ECoupons.com.
Electronics and toys are the most popular buys for this shopping event and stores are expecting the day to be busier than last year.
"Best Buy by far number one. It's got like 157 percent more searches than the number two story which is Walmart," Chan says. "The other ones are Amazon, Target, Toys R Us, Sears, Ikea, Apple, Dell and K-Mart."
But there are a few precautions shoppers should take, Chan says.
"Make sure you read the details of the return policies," she says. "There are always shipping costs associated. Can you return it to the store if it's a big boxed item?"
Are you looking forward to Cyber Monday? Sound off in our comments section below...
