Consumers will flock to retailer websites to get deep discounts.
Spending actually was down over the holiday weekend this year, to $57 billion from $59 billion last year, according to Shopper Track. Cyber Monday sales, however, are expected to reach a record $2 billion.
Chicago's CareerBuilder.com conducts an annual Cyber Monday study that show 54 percent of workers will shop online at work during the holiday season, affecting working productivity.
"I already have my wish list ready," said Irish Silvester, online shopper.
From shopping on the Mag Mile on Black Friday, to shopping from behind the office computer on Cyber Monday, millions of Americans are spending time behind their monitors in search of the best deals, as well as convenience.
"You can always return things if they don't fit correctly as opposed to going in to the store on Black Friday when it's super packed and fighting over things," said Pari Manikas, online shopper.
Consumers are expected to spend more than 2 billion dollars on Monday, a 20 percent increase over last year. And it's not just electronics where the best deals are to be had. Apparel stores are also now increasingly on board. To help folks sort through it all, websites like couponcabin.com do the legwork by directing people to the best deals by category.
"There are a lot of coupons out there and deals today that its Cyber Monday. It's important to have a list and stick to it. You don't just want to spend money to save money," said Jackie Warrick, Couponcabin.com.
Consumers warned of Cyber Monday scams
Wiith the explosion in online sales, comes an equal increase in the number of scams, especially on Cyber Monday. The Better Business Bureau warns people to be on the lookout for fraudulent websites that sell counterfeit merchandise, especially of designer items that usually don't go on sale. Ugg boots, for example, are one item that rarely go on sale, yet this Australian-based website is offering them for up to 55% off today. And while many times the websites look legitimate, upon close inspection of this one, we found several typos and grammatical errors.
"The design looks the same, sometimes the colors are the same. Consumers need to go to the company directly and type the URL yourself and look and see if they have any warnings on it," said Steve Bernas, Better Business Bureau.
The Better Business Bureau is warning consumers to:
-Only go to trustworthy sites
-Make sure those sites have a privacy policy that states they won't share your personal information
-Be skeptical and do your homework on deals that sound way too good to be true
- Use a credit card instead of a check card, in case you need to dispute a charge or make a return
So if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Another warning for consumers: Don't think because you're going through a trusted website like Amazon everything is on board. It the merchandise is being shipped from a third party retailer, it's important to check them out as well, before hitting that purchase button.
FedEx sees busiest shipping day of season
The e-commerce means big business for shipping companies. Fedex, for example, says Monday will be its busiest shipping day of the season. More than 22 million packages will be shipped worldwide. Thousands of those packages will pass through the Fedex facility on Division, the largest of its kind in the Chicago area.
The boost in shopping Monday means Fedex workers will be busy all week. One employee says it might be hard work but it's also her favorite time of the year.
"It's even better now because it seems like people ...their spirits change. People are more friendly. They are more happy. So, it's much easier, and a lot people work out of the home. So, it is really nice. This is a good time to deliver," said Fedex courier Runetta Stewart.
"This is Cyber Monday. So, people will start shipping, a lot of catalog shippers, Amazon, LL Bean and stuff like that. So, a lot of these packages will come in throughout the week, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. We're already really ramping up. Twenty-two million [packages] and 85 million for the whole week, which is a record for Fedex. That's up 11 percent," said Mike Cabansk, Fedex operations manager.
