November 26, 2007
Albany - - Sixty-eight point five million. That's the number of Americans one survey estimates will shop for Christmas presents online from their work computers. Many of you did that Monday. The Monday after Thanksgiving is the biggest online shopping day of the year.
Stores are targeting many of their products toward web surfers. It all started a few years ago when a marketing group named the Monday after Thanksgiving Cyber Monday. The idea was that people come back to work and get online to shop. Well now, retailers are taking Cyber Monday quite seriously.
Black Friday is over, but at Circuit City the sales are still coming in.
"I was here. I was here at four in the morning Friday," Jennifer Bullington said.
But she's back at Circuit City again doing more shopping today for her grandchildren.
"I'm one of those that like to get it right then but if I cant get it in the store, then I will order it online and wait," she says.
But the wait is over according to managers here. Online shopping has worked so well for Circuit City that they now have a policy where you don't have to deal with shipping charges. All you have to do is go on the Internet and shop, find what you want, yo pay for it, then you get a confirmation number.
"If they've already got their confirmation number, they come in, go to that one lane, and they're out," says Manager Brian Davila.
No wait, no long lines, and you can order right at home. Monday is the day retailers all over cashed in on the success of the Internet.
"A few times a month, usually about once a week or so," says shopper Matt Faircloth about how often he logs on to shop.
"I live out in the country near Camilla and to get gifts, it's a lot easier to do it at home," he says.
Managers say they're seeing more and more people taking advantage of their dot com offerings. And since it's the holiday season, avoiding the rush of in-store shoppers is quite easy to do.
"It's funny Cyber Monday would come right after Black Friday, so we really cant tell the difference. It's just one big rush anyway," Davila said.
The National Retail Federation says Cyber Monday has become so popular, 72 % of online retailers offered discounts and special deals.
If you plan to shop online, there are some safety precautions to take. One Consumer Watch Group suggests you only shop on web sites that have the "secure" shopping symbol. Also, read the site's privacy and security policies. Never give out your social security number online or give out your password to others. When you finish shopping, you should also print a copy of your order.
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