Black Friday and Cyber Monday – to shop or not to shop?

Wonder what will be under your tree this Christmas?

The holiday season is upon us, and with the American Thanksgiving weekend approaching so are two of the most popular shopping days of the year in the US – Black Friday and Cyber Monday.  According to a story released by Canada Newswire on November 15th (full story) which talks about a survey conducted  on behalf of Visa Canada, more Canadians will take advantage of the discounts offered by American online shopping sites this year than ever before.  The numbers indicate that 44% of Canadian shoppers will purchase items during this upcoming weekend, with Ontarians leading the way provincially.

I have to interject a little comment here.  I love infographics.  I think they are a great way to get a bunch of information in a quick and easy format and I found a few great infographics related to Black Friday and Cyber Monday that I thought I would share.  Here is a great one from Voucher Codes which shows some interesting stats and facts about these huge savings events.

Source: Voucher Codes

If you look at the very bottom of the graphic, last year 18% of Canadians headed across the border to take advantage of Black Friday deals, and 48% of Canadians take advantage of Cyber Monday to shop for items not available here in Canada.  Oh, and interestingly more men participate in the shopping frenzy than women.  Hmmm….

With the huge volume of people out there trying to sniff out the best deals, sadly this is also a prime opportunity for hackers and scammers to take advantage.   Here is an infographic by Coupon Audit which outlines some of the hacks/scams involved in online shopping, and also gives you some ideas of ways to protect yourself – especially on these popular shopping days.

An infographic by the team at CouponAudit

A few key tips

• shop sites that you know
• make sure that your software (especially virus software) is up to date
• avoid using public wifi if possible
• use caution when clicking on deal links sent via email
• if looks too good to be true, it probably is!

Of course we all want to get the best deals possible during this purchase-intense time of the year.  What are the best days to shop?  I have one more infographic to share with you about the best times to shop for different types of gifts that you might be buying during the holiday season.  Keep in mind this is an American source, but similar trends probably apply here in Canada, right?

Presented by Savings.com

So, while Black Friday and Cyber Monday are best days to purchase certain items, that is not true right across the board.  Be a smart shopper!

Where does that leave us here in Canada you might ask?  If you are not the type to head across the border and shop Black Friday, or sit down with a cup of java Cyber Monday to hit the online sales you are not completely out of luck.  Many Canadian retailers are jumping on the bandwagon and offering promotions, sales and extended shopping hours to try and keep consumers shopping locally.

Will you be shopping this Black Friday and/or Cyber Monday?  Leave me a comment and let me know!

photo by Anita Woo.