Use to be, back in the good ol’ days, that Black Friday was the only big shopping day around the winter holidays.  Now, those who have a web site are all psyched about Cyber Monday.  Many big box stores are running Cyber Monday specials that you cannot necessarily get at their brick and mortar locations.

My sister sent me gift cards to purchase a gift from her to my daughter for Christmas.  I was not going to brave the Black Friday crowds since the particular item was not on sale but I did want to get the purchase taken care of as soon as possible.  Since Cyber Monday was suppose to be a big online shopping day, I headed to our local Best Buy to get my daughter’s gift.  First snag in the road, the store did not yet carry this newest model.  Then came the second snag.  The sales associate checked the Best Buy web site and the model is there and on sale ($50 off).  Ordering from the store is down today due to Cyber Monday so I would have to come home and order on my own.  I am not adverse to ordering items online.  If I had been smart, I would have just ordered it to start with and not gone to the store – which was mobbed.  I did come home and order the item and had no issues with order at all.

Now, let me tell you about a PR genius.  Lands’ End – one of my favorite catalog “stores” who does sell some items through Sears locations – is having a Cyber Monday retweet and giveaway on Twitter.  Questions are being asked and specials being promoted about various holiday decor and warm weather items.  Those retweeting the initial items are being entered in a drawing for free goods.  Who would have thought?  I hadn’t planned on purchasing from Lands’ End this holiday season but now have seen some items that will help fill out my gift list.

Did you partake in the physical madness that was Black Friday?  What about Cyber Monday?  If you did some Cyber Monday shopping online, did the purchase(s) go smoothly?