Cyber Monday Deals and Tips

After millions of people across the nation lined-up for Black Friday, millions more will plop down at their computers for Cyber Monday, Nov. 26.

According to BusinessWeek, digital specialists at the National Retail Foundation created Cyber Monday in 2005. The shopping holiday was meant to entice office employees who were still riding the high of Black Friday and were able to shop from their work computers.

It has since become the centerpiece of online holiday shopping.

In 2005, shoppers spent a total of $484 million nationwide, comScore reports. In 2011, they spent $1.25 billion, making it the biggest online spending day in history.

Retailers like Wal-Mart are going one step further, advertising Cyber Monday bargains on Saturday, Nov. 24 and keeping them open on their site until Sunday, Dec. 2. The retailer’s biggest deals will still take place on Nov. 26, but shoppers will get all sorts of discounts throughout “Cyber Week.”

A shop.org survey suggests that other retailers are following suit. Approximately 97 percent of online retailers will offer deals during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, up from about 90 percent in 2011.

And 85 percent of retailers will offer deals on Cyber Monday, up from 78 percent last year.

Some officials, like those in Fairfax County, are attempting to educate residents on how to best take advantage of Cyber Monday deals.  They've posted a number of shopping tips on the county website.

“Shop around for deals online, in the mall and by mail,” said Verda Johnson, a representative from the Fairfax County Consumer Affairs Branch, during an online chat about safe holiday shopping Tuesday. Other tips:

• Compare prices
• Use coupons
• Look for price-matching offers
• Read and understand refund and return policies and warranties before buying -- be sure to read the fine print
• Give gift receipts so everyone will have happy returns

Shoppers are encouraged to use websites like cybermonday.com, which compile deals from more than 800 retailers.