With Thanksgiving done and dusted, you're probably getting ready to hit the stores for Black Friday, the major retail event that kicks off the Holiday shopping bonanza. The one-day extravaganza always promises some tempting discounts, but some analysts are saying that it isn't worth braving the long lines and hordes of people.
Howard Dvorkin of Debt.com told Business Insider earlier this week,
"Black Friday doesn't represent the kickoff to Christmas shopping anymore. More shoppers are skipping the long lines outside retailers on Friday morning because many Black Friday deals start on Thanksgiving night with many stores with openings around 6 p.m."
According to him, the significance of heading out on Friday itself has been diminished because most deals last all throughout the weekend, sometimes bleeding in to the month of December as well.
Enter Cyber Monday. The latest shopping event has been touted by some as the perfect answer to Black Friday craziness. USA Today writes:
"you save so much time. Rather than hopping back in the car or walking across the mall, you can get to the next store on the Internet in mere seconds. Cyber Monday sales also tend to be store-wide rather than product-specific, which can be a good thing if you're not looking for a particular make or model of a product."
They do note that there are still some downsides to Cyber Monday such as the lack of in-store exclusives and doorbuster deals.
Some even suggest skipping these big marketing gimmicks all together, and instead just shopping at your own leisure throughout the holiday period.
This comprehensive survey from NerdWallet shows how some Black Friday deals aren't what they seem.
According to their analysis, 95% of the retailers examined are repeating products and deals from last year. Some even offered products at even lower prices before Black Friday itself.
