Picture of Black Friday lines: Non copyright image via lowestrates.com taken by Robert F. Burakaty

Has black Friday lost its importance because of online shopping? Cyber Monday is user friendly and offers similar, if not better deals than Black Friday and comes without the wait. When you think of Black Friday, you think of people buying big appliances like TVs, but that’s not always the case for online shopping on Cyber Monday. Especially due to Covid-19, more and more shoppers have tended to shop online since it’s “easy.” The black Friday lines are well known throughout the U.S, and although there are great deals, the common question is always: Are the deals worth the wait? Obviously, anyone will opt to save some money on a gift or whatever it is you are buying. But who wants to wait in those dreadful lines during the cold winter. It is also worth noting that many shoppers start lining up on the night of Thanksgiving for the early morning store openings. 

”I do not think the Black Friday lines are worth the wait unless it can only be purchased in person. Cyber Monday is much easier than Black Friday,” said  Sophomore Scott Sanczyk. Many nowadays prefer to stay home and shop online since it isn’t as time consuming. On the other hand, “If anything, waiting in long lines is just normalized because products are labeled as good deals,” said Sophomore Nick Maksimov. It has become more common for people to have to wait in long lines to purchase whatever they desire. 

According to a study conducted in 2020, nearly 186 million people shopped in stores on Black Friday (statistics via National Retail Federation). That’s more than half of the U.S that is getting in on these great deals that only come around once every so often. Cyber Monday has really taken off in the last couple of years as well. Websites have come to a realization that many people opt to stay home and shop on their phone or computer instead of shopping in stores. And for the first time ever, in 2020, Cyber Monday surpassed Black Friday in sales. 

Both Black Friday and Cyber Monday are days when people love to take advantage of the great deals being offered on products. Both of these days will continue to serve as a day for people to get some holiday shopping done for many years to come.