Cyber Monday - Beat the Crowds, Shop Safely at Home

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The day after Thanksgiving is popularly known as “Black Friday,” the biggest shopping day and so named because it’s usually the first day that retailers’ sales figures come into the black.

But as anyone who has ever attempted to go out to the stores on the day after Thanksgiving can tell you, you have to battle with large crowds, long lines and painfully early hours to chase those good deals. Not only that, but there’s no guarantee of even getting what you came for, because most stores only stock a small quantity of the hot advertised items.

Fortunately, you can use your computer to score equally good deals from the comfort of your home instead on the Monday after Thanksgiving, also known as Cyber Monday. One of the biggest temptations if you go out into traditional brick-and-mortar stores on Black Friday is spending more money than you intended. You can easily go over your budget in just a short matter of time because you get caught up in the frenzy of the crowds and the lure of great deals.

If quantities are limited, you might even feel like you can’t take a moment to think about your purchases. Theft is unfortunately another big problem when you shop in traditional stores on Black Friday. When stores are extremely crowded, consumer protection is more difficult. It can be all too easy for robbers to snatch your purse or the bags containing items you already purchased. Losing your hard-earned money to theft is rough at any time of the year, but even more so at the holidays.

Because Cyber Monday allows you to shop at home, you can still obtain great bargains without the rush and frenzy that goes along with it. You don’t have to hurry through your purchases to get good deals and can take a little bit more time to plan your spending.

Even retailers that have brick-and-mortar stores still offer great discounts on their websites on Cyber Monday. Most popular stores offer good enough deals online that you don’t have to brave the crowds on Black Friday to find a good price. Some items commonly discounted include televisions, computers, MP3 players, video games, cell phones and toys.

Prepaid cards work particularly well for holiday spending, especially online.

With prepaid cards, you reduce the security risks of using your personal debit card information instead, do not have to have access to a credit card and can control your spending much more easily.

With a prepaid card, your spending is limited to the amount already pre-loaded on the card, so you don’t risk overspending. As you see, you can still get the same great deals on the items on your holiday shopping list, without ever having to leave the warm comfort of your home. Wouldn’t you rather sit on your couch with a laptop and get your shopping done than battle the crowds in stores before dawn?