Reasons Why Cyber Monday Is Better Than Black Friday

Katie Katie Parsons is the creator of Mumbling Mommy and is a freelance writer, editor and communications specialist. She works from her home office on the east coast of Florida. Most often she writes about life in a combined family of five children and what it's like being a full time work-from-home parent. Feel free to pitch guest post ideas or just drop her a line at [email protected].

Happy Monday all! I trust that you had a relaxing holiday weekend with your families and had more than your fill of food and fun. I had a wonderful first Thanksgiving being married and living in Florida, that included a long run in the morning and a nap in the afternoon. We hosted the event at our house but my mother-in-law did most of the cooking, which was so very nice.

There’s just one problem. Now that Thanksgiving has passed, it is officially the Christmas shopping season and I am already behind. I skipped Black Friday, in part because I think the whole day has gotten a little out of control and ridiculous, but mostly because I did not have my act together. No list of people to buy for. No way to cross reference ads with what was needed on my (non existant) list. No budget in mind. So yeah, I skipped Black Friday.

Luckily for me, today is Cyber Monday. I adore Cyber Monday. We are friends. Here are a few reasons that Cyber Monday is a better time to shop than Black Friday.

1. Organization. On Cyber Monday, you can sit down at your desk with your list of names and compare prices on several sites before making a final selection. No standing in line. No driving anywhere in the middle of the night. Just you, a Christmas music playlist, a cup of hot cocoa, your list and successful check marks. The impulse to overspend is lessened when you have no flashy in-store displays to distract you.

2. Shop from work. Am I not supposed to say this one out loud? At the risk of hurting my chances for my next in-office job, I will say that one of the great things about Cyber Monday is that you can cross people off your nice list without clocking out. If you feel unethical about this, do it on your lunch break. It still beats braving an actual store.

3. Cyber Monday is good for small businesses. With respect to Target and Wal-mart, opening at 10 p.m. on a federal holiday is a cheap way to make an extra buck. I realize that these stores would not open if people did not show up to shop and it is a sound business move that rakes in the dough. But how can a small business owner really compete? Cyber Monday levels the playing field a bit. Though handcrafted items will always cost more than mass produced goods, small businesses can get in the game by offering things like free shipping or percentages off. This is a win for consumers too, who can take advantage of small business deals and get some really great gifts.

True stories from the front lines of parenting.

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