The best time for Christmas shopping has arrived and deals are rolling in! Thanksgiving weekend, in addition to being a time to spend with loved ones, is synonymous with incredible deals, sales, and specials—whether you’re shopping for a new console, TVs, shoes, purses, or other sought-after items. It’s a highly anticipated time of year. While Black Friday is widely known as a major shopping event focused on in-store deals, there’s another exciting day: Cyber Monday.
Cyber Monday takes place the Monday after Black Friday, offering exclusive online sales. Shoppers are already preparing for this year’s discounts. To learn more about these shopping events, their dates, and history, keep reading below.
When is Cyber Monday 2024?
Cyber Monday falls on Monday, December 2, 2024.
Why is it Called Cyber Monday?
The name “Cyber Monday” originated to highlight online-only deals and discounts, distinguishing it from Black Friday’s traditional in-store shopping focus. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, “The term Cyber Monday was first coined by the National Retail Federation in 2005 when they noticed that people would continue their holiday shopping online while at work on the Monday after Thanksgiving, because, at that time, many people had a faster Internet connection at work than at home.”
When is Black Friday 2024?
Black Friday is scheduled for Friday, November 29, 2024. The following day, Saturday, November 30, 2024, is known as Small Business Saturday, which encourages consumers to support local businesses.
Why is it Called Black Friday?
According to Britannica, the term “Black Friday” was first used in the 1960s by Philadelphia police to describe the chaotic day after Thanksgiving. It was marked by crowded streets, traffic jams, shoplifting incidents, and accidents as suburban shoppers flocked to stores and others attended football games.
Efforts were made to rebrand the day as “Big Friday” to make it sound more positive, but the name “Black Friday” stuck. By the late 1980s, retailers embraced the day as the start of the holiday shopping season, with massive sales drawing crowds nationwide.