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Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday: Which day is better for deal shopping?

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illustration of person overloaded with products on sale at 3 am

Once two distinct deal shopping days, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have basically merged into one enormous shopping extravaganza. The lines really began to blur when the world shut down in 2020 and brick-and-mortar stores hosted online sales in lieu of in-person Black Friday events. In 2023, those lines are practically nonexistent.

Black Friday vs. Cyber Monday — what’s the difference?

Way back in the age of MySpace and AIM — aka 2005 — the National Retail Federation debuted the term “Cyber Monday” after realizing that the Monday after Thanksgiving saw a flood of online sales. This was likely due to shoppers using their faster internet connections at work on Monday morning to snag deals, or at least that’s what they credited it to. That, of course, and the fact that online retailers wanted some of that holiday shopping bread, too. Thus, two distinct deal shopping days were born: Black Friday, for those who wanted to shop in stores the day after Thanksgiving, and Cyber Monday, for those who liked shopping from the comfort of their homes.

These days, there’s little — if any — real difference between the two due to the alleged “death of retail.” Everyone and everything is online, so why wouldn’t Black Friday be? Based on our years of experience covering both, we can truly say neither is a “better” day to shop. It really comes down to what you’re looking for and how much demand there is for it.

How long is Black Friday?

It’s honestly silly at this point to even call it Black Friday. It’s no longer just on Friday — it’s a full two-month affair. Major retailers like Walmart and Best Buy started dropping official Black Friday deals as early as October and will continue until the clock strikes midnight at the close of the Friday following Thanksgiving. At that point, it’s Cyber Monday (yes, even though it’s actually Saturday). We don’t make the rules. The deals won’t change too much, but the search terms and official site banners will.

When do Cyber Monday deals start?

Officially, Cyber Monday starts on Monday, Nov. 27 in 2023. Unofficially, you’ll see sales coined “Cyber Monday” as early as Saturday, Nov. 25. It’s all very confusing, but if you think of the Cyber Week language as interchangeable, it helps.

Cyber Monday sales will more than likely continue throughout the week. Like Black Friday, it’s more than just a single day of savings at this point.

Are there better deals on Black Friday or Cyber Monday?

If you see a solid deal, grab it, no matter which sale title it falls under. There’s not a tremendous amount of distinction anymore in terms of discounts on particular products as there has been in previous years. Historically, Black Friday was the day to buy a TV or a popular toy and Cyber Monday was the day to buy a laptop or PC. This is still a solid rule to follow, as TV deals tend to be more dramatic and widespread for Black Friday and laptop deals for Cyber Monday. But with the blurred lines of Cyber Week, many of these deals may cross over. As noted at BlackFriday.com, “Some TV deals will feature flashy discounts during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but they might not have the specs you’re after.” TL;DR: The deals will be great for both shopping days, but it all depends on what you’re after. Have your specs in mind and when you see a deal, grab it. You don’t want to run the risk of it selling out.

The best Black Friday deals so far: Mashable editors’ choice

If you’re searching for a massive list of Black Friday deals across all retail behemoths, check out our giant Black Friday deals post. We’ll be updating it throughout the weekend and into Cyber Monday to keep you in the know of all the best deals. Below, we’ve curated a list of the Mashable editors’ favorite Black Friday deals for 2023:

Best Black Friday Apple deal

gold iPad with white background

Credit: Apple

Our pick: iPad Air (WiFi, 64GB)

$ 499.99 at Amazon (save $ 99.01)

Why we like it

If you’re looking for the “sweet spot” of iPad models, you’ll find it in the iPad Air, according to Mashable’s Stan Schroeder. It has an M1 chip, which will power you through tasks like gaming and audio editing without a hitch — and it won’t cost you the $ 800-plus that an iPad Pro with the same chip would. This base model is slightly on the smaller side when it comes to storage, but luckily, the 256GB Air is also on sale for $ 99 off — which still puts it a good $ 150 below the 128GB iPad Pro. Basically, if you want something a bit less basic than the standard iPad but don’t want to shell out, the Air is your perfect in-between. And at $ 499.99, it’s back down to its lowest price ever — and the price we saw it sit at for the entirety of Prime Day.

Read our full review of the 2022 iPad Air.

More Black Friday Apple deals

AirPods

Apple Watches

iPads

Best Black Friday Dyson deal

Dyson V15 Detect Absolute

Credit: Dyson

Our pick: Dyson V15 Detect Absolute Vacuum

$ 549.99 at Walmart (save $ 200)

Why we like it

Sitting at $ 200 off at both Walmart and Dyson, the V15 Detect Absolute is one of our favorite vacuums. It’s right in the sweet spot of price and suction power and features the coveted laser technology that shows you how disgusting your floors really are. The “Absolute” in this model means that it comes with a full slew of accessories: the Fluffy Optic laser head, the Digital Motorbar cleaner head, the hair screw tool, and three others, in addition to a wall dock.

Read our full review of the Dyson V15 Detect vacuum.

More Black Friday Dyson deals

Vacuums

Best Black Friday Amazon device deal

Echo Show 5 and smart bulb

Credit: Amazon

Our pick: Echo Show 5 (3rd Gen, 2023 release) with TP-Link Kasa Smart Color Bulb

$ 39.99 at Amazon (save $ 73)

Why we like it

Amazon is notorious for putting out great Echo bundles on Black Friday, and this year is no exception. This bundle would normally cost you about $ 113, but was marked down to just $ 39.99 at the time of writing. You’ll score the 2023 version of the Echo Show 5 plus a Kasa Smart Color bulb. This bundle is the perfect budget-friendly way to test the smart home waters, but would also make an excellent white elephant gift.

SEE ALSO: Echo vs. Echo Dot: Which one should you buy on Black Friday?

More Black Friday Amazon device deals

Fire tablets

Echo devices

Fire TV sticks

Eero devices

Kindle

Best Black Friday robot vacuum deal

Roomba on self emptying dock with external water tank and smartphone with green iRobot screen

Credit: iRobot

Our pick: iRobot Roomba Combo j5+

$ 499 at Amazon (save $ 300.99)

Why we like it

You can bring home the triple threat that is automatic emptying, mopping, and small obstacle avoidance for less than $ 500 with this stellar deal on a mopping Roomba that just came out in September.

Compared to the Roomba j7+, the j5+’s obstacle detection cameras aren’t quite as precise, and still may require you to pick up things like towels or socks, or put a virtual barrier around pet bowls. But to be able to skip skimming the floor for rogue cords and enjoy automatic emptying for less than $ 400, you can probably deal with ensuring laundry gets into the basket. As for the mopping, this is one of iRobot’s new Swap and Mop models, which does require you to be home to physically click on the water tank when you want to mop.

More Black Friday robot vacuum deals

Standalone robot vacuums

Self-emptying robot vacuums

Self-emptying mopping robot vacuums

Best Black Friday headphones deal

white smoke bose qc 45 headphones

Credit: Bose

Our pick: Bose QuietComfort 45

$ 199 at Best Buy (save $ 130)

Why we like it

Narrowing down a headphones upgrade from so many on-sale options is less overwhelming when you’ve confirmed that you want to stick with a super premium, super reputable brand like Bose — but also that you want to stick to a budget. There’s only one pair of Bose over-ear headphones you can grab for just under $ 200, and that’s the QuietComfort 45s at a record low price of $ 199. This classic pair secures top-of-the-line ANC, 20 hours of battery life, and all-day comfort for less than half the price of the AirPods Max.

More headphone deals

Over-ear and on-ear headphones

Earbuds

Mashable

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