Seasonal & Holidays
Cyber Monday: Shop From Comfort Of Home
The National Retail Federation says126.9 million people will do their holiday shopping on their laptops and smart phones.

TAMPA, FL - When it comes to holiday gift buying, Cyber Monday may soon outpace Black Friday as the busiest shopping day of the year.
According to the National Retail Federation,126.9 million people will boot up this year and do their holiday shopping on their laptops and smart phones. That’s down slightly from the 131.6 million shoppers who participated in Cyber Monday last year. But it’s still 52 percent of all holiday shoppers.
The NRF coined the phrase “Cyber Monday” in 2005 when it launched its website, CyberMonday.com, to promote holiday shopping at its members’ online stores. Since then, the Monday after Thanksgiving is traditionally reserved for the best online deals of the holiday season.
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Andrew Lipsman, senior vice president of marketing and insights for the website Comscore.com, said holiday e-commerce shopping is so popular because it’s as simple as hitting the “Submit Payment” button. There’s no need to tromp through countless retail stores searching for an item and then standing in a long line to pay for it.
The beauty of Cyber Monday, Lipsman said, is shoppers can complete their holiday gift checklist on their lunch hour.
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That’s why Bradenton resident Scott Rupp said he waits until the Monday after Thanksgiving to do his holiday shopping.
“There is simply no need to go to brick-and-mortar retail when the cyber deals are as good or better,” said Rupp. “I don’t have to face lines, no stress on the road and I finally get to spend a relaxing weekend home after all the stress of Thanksgiving planning.”
Brandon resident Lynne Walther said she’s able to combine savings from reward cards with holiday sales to purchase items online for even lower prices.
“I just did some shopping on Kohls.com and used a bunch of offers and my rewards,” she said.
“I don’t like long lines and I hate traffic,” Valrico resident Rose Hope said. “So it’s a no-brainer to shop online.”
“No traffic, parking, lines, and there are better deals online delivered to my door,” Brandon resident Laura Frazier said. “I use Amazon for 99 percent of Christmas presents and a couple of other sites for hard-to-find or specialty items not available on Amazon.”
So, what deals will shoppers discover when they go online Monday?
Here’s a sampling from the biggest online retailers:
Amazon Echo Dot—regular price $49.99, on sale for $29.99
Fire TV Stick with Alexa Voice Remote—regular price $39.99, on sale for $24.99
Samsun 12.3-inch Chromebook Plus—regular price $449, on sale for $349
Amazon Echo Show—regular price $229.99, on sale for $179.99
Samsung 50-inch Class FHD Smart LED TV—regular price $599.99, on sale for $377.99
Dyson Bagless Cordless Hand Vacuum—regular price $169, on sale for $99
Google Home—regular price $129, on sale for $79
Apple Watch Series I—regular price $249.99, on sale for $179.99
Beats EP Headphones—regular price $129.99, on sale for $99.99
Lego Star Wars BB-8—regular price $99.99, on sale for $79.99
Sky Viper v2900PRO Remote Control Streaming Video Drone—regular price $249.99, on sale for $149.99.
Image via Pixabay
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