On Friday, November November 29, Black Friday deals will strike and people will line up early to run for the best steals. But, there has been a recent shift toward online shopping and a new emphasis on Cyber Monday. Popular items this year are predicted to be new phones and electronic devices, which will mostly be sold on Cyber Monday. 

Stores such as Best Buy, Target and Walmart will all be having sales, both online and in-store.

Individual store’s email lists will send out information to customers about upcoming deals including advertisements.

Black Friday traditionally marks the time of year when retailers are able to turn their profits from the “red” and into the “black,” in order to finish out the year with a profit.  The red indicates a financial loss and the black indicates profit. Some stores will open as early as Thanksgiving day, such as Best Buy, GameStop and Target. However, other stores such as PacSun, Under Armor and American Eagle are refusing to open until Black Friday so as not to intrude on family time during Thanksgiving. 

Sophomore Lexi Koffler said she believes “Thanksgiving is for family, and that shopping should start Black Friday.”

Cyber Monday began around 2005, and the term was first coined by the National Retail Federation (NRF). In theory, online shopping spiked on the Monday after Thanksgiving because adults found it easier to make purchases at work when their kids weren’t present. As a result, businesses took the opportunity to make more sales, and the “holiday” worked its way into the spotlight. Many students feel that online is the superior way to shop. According to the NRF, online sales are, on average, expected to be 25% higher than in previous years. 

Freshman Danny Towers says he feels it’s better to shop online, and that it’s a “waste of time” to shop in stores, because he does not like to wait in line.

Senior Tori Main also said she prefers online because she “doesn’t want to get run over by an angry mob.”

However, not all are on board with online shopping, such as Koffler, who said she “prefers to shop in stores” because she “likes to try things on and see them in person before buying them.”

For others, shopping in stores on Black Friday may be a tradition. Many people enjoy planning which stores to go to and scouting out what deals they can get. However, people may find it more convenient to shop in stores.