Top 5 Tips to Finish All Your Holiday Shopping on Cyber Monday
Let’s face it: nobody likes Black Friday. Sure, the sales are great, but you’re not in the spirit of the holiday season if you’re among a bargain-crazed horde willing to trample their fellow man to get the last digital camera or Barbi doll at a slightly discounted price. For those of us who prefer not to treat the holidays like a UFC match and instead opt for the serenity of shopping online, there’s Cyber Monday — a day of deals just as good as Black Friday that doesn’t require you to leave your family on Thanksgiving night and act like you’re auditioning to be on Broken Skull Challenge in the middle of a retail store.
The lone issue with Cyber Monday is the sheer vastness of the internet. Sure, you’re getting a good deal, but are you getting the best deal? There’s always that lingering thought that maybe you should check another site and another, and then Cyber Monday becomes Christmas Eve. You no longer have to worry about gifts because you haven’t seen your family or friends in over a month.
So, how do you rock Cyber Monday and finish all your holiday shopping in one shot? Here are the Top 5 ways to make the task a heck of a lot easier.
Before we start, here’s a list of the Top 5 Cyber Monday stores so you know where to start! Amazon, Best Buy, Footlocker and Gap.
5. Sign Up For Email Lists
Yeah, we all hate spam, but this wouldn’t be spam; this would be getting emails from the places where you plan on shopping on Cyber Monday.
Why sign up for the email list when you know you’re going to the site anyway? Easy: many websites give a discount to first-time email list subscribers. For some, it’s a percentage off; for others, it’s a dollar amount. Either way, it’s an entirely painless way of potentially saving quite a bit on your Cyber Monday purchases.
4. Search For Coupon Codes
This one can be tough. Do you know how they say you must kiss many frogs before finding your prince? Or, if you’re Mario of Super Mario Bros. fame, you’ll have to go through many castles before you find the Princess. It’s kind of like that with online coupon codes.
That said, it can be well worth the effort. Googling the store name where you plan to shop + “coupon code” will give you many sites with potential discount offers.
Some offers will have expired, and some won’t work, but when you get one that does work, what it can do to the total in your online shopping cart is pretty amazing.
Pro Tip: Many sites will tell how many people a specific coupon code worked for. Pay attention to that number!
3. Know Your Free Shipping Minimum
A deal isn’t a deal if all the money you saved goes to shipping fees.
Confusing matters, not every site’s free shipping minimum is the same, and even worse, that number can fluctuate. So, a place that featured free shipping at $25 a month ago may randomly decide tomorrow to change that number to $49.
Once you know a site’s free shipping minimum, start seeing how much of your Cyber Monday shopping you can accomplish there. If you’re only looking for one or two things for a person, it may make sense to find a less specialized site and combine a few people’s gift lists.
2. Don’t be Tied Down to a Singular Gift Idea
Nothing can sidetrack your Cyber Monday shopping quicker than a gift you’re looking to buy no longer being available. Some folks have long lists for each person they’re shopping for; if one item isn’t there, they look for the following item. While that’s all good, don’t be afraid to be a little creative and embrace the unknown.
If that rare album, first edition book, trendy sweater, or cordless drill isn’t available, a DVD of one of that particular artist’s concerts, an anthology of that specific author’s work, something nice that would go with clothing your friend already owns, or a different power tool your friend could use, are easy alternate options.
Suppose you’d like to go beyond the box on sites like Amazon. In that case, every item has suggestions attached to it under “Frequently bought together,” “Customers who bought this item also bought,” and “Customers who viewed this item also viewed.” Dive into those sections, even after you’ve found the gift you plan on buying.
Speaking from experience, I have stumbled upon some fantastic movies by clicking around those sections. I’m talking about movies I didn’t even know existed. What will you find? Hey, you won’t know until you go!
1. Budget, Then Bargain Hunt
While having a list of potential gifts for each person you’re shopping for is nice, consider having a specific budget.
A budget can make you more creative, especially if you know how to shop. What do we mean by “know how to shop?” This isn’t about extending your credit cards to their limit; it’s about extending your dollar for the maximum possible giftage.
Once you have a budget, dive into your favorite sites’ clearance sections. There’s a good chance you’ll find something on a sale so good it will allow you to pick up a second gift for that person or pay one of your bills (don’t forget you have those!).
Just last month, I went to one of my favorite clothing sites – Bob’s Stores – and when I combined shopping in their clearance section with a coupon code they’d sent me for being on their email list and two rewards certificates, I ended up picking up $120 worth of clothing for $6.80 before shipping.
That, my friends, is how it’s done!
Have more Cyber Monday shopping tips? Let us know in the comments below!
