Don't believe these 5 Cyber Monday myths
Think you've got the Internet's biggest shopping day all figured out? Think again. Here are some common misconceptions about everyone's favorite Monday.
You get an extra 15 percent on Target.com starting early Monday morning.
Black Friday gets all the attention. And why not? It's all about the "leaked ads," the doorbusters, the crazy-good deals and the inevitable bad shopper behavior that seems to make the news every year.
So where does that leave Cyber Monday ? Let's take a look at some of the common misconceptions regarding the day after the day after the day after Black Friday.
Cyber Monday has always been a big deal
Believe it or not, prior to 2005, there was no Cyber Monday. And as recently as 2006, the online ying to Black Friday's retail yang barely registered in stores', well, registers.
Cyber Monday is only for online deals
It definitely started out that way, but let's face it: Once Black Friday is over, every retail store will start advertising its Cyber Monday (and "Cyber Week") sales. Yes, those will be online sales, but rest assured many of those same deals will be available in-store.
Online stores save their best deals for Cyber Monday
Amazon , Groupon, Monoprice, Newegg, Zappos -- stores like these exist only in cyberspace, so they offer their biggest discounts on Cyber Monday, right? Definitely not: They work to take advantage of Black Friday just like brick-and-mortar stores.
Amazon, for example, will offer big price cuts on its Echo, Fire and Kindle lines -- starting on Friday. And Monoprice will be offering the same 20-percent-off sitewide discount on Friday that it's offering on Monday. Obviously different stores will take different tacks with their deals, but rest assured the online-only crowd is not overlooking BF.
It's your last chance of the year to score the biggest savings
Ha! No. In my neck of the woods (meaning the Internet), every day is Cyber Monday. Specifically, in my capacity as The Cheapskate, I find (and share) killer deals all year. Yes, you may see a lot more of them on CM, but I guarantee that for any particular item, there's another deal just around the corner -- especially with the holidays approaching.
For example, Target will be offering 15 percent off sitewide on Monday, but following that up with a weeklong series of digital daily deals. Expect lots of other stores to do likewise.
Black Friday has the best deals because it generates more revenue
Wrong again. In 2016, Cyber Monday edged out Black Friday, with sales totaling $3.45 billion -- a new record and just ahead of BF's $3.34 billion. Will it be the same in 2017? It doesn't matter; the point is that stores now treat Cyber Monday the same way they do Black Friday, meaning the deals are frequently just as good.
You should wait for Cyber Monday to buy a laptop
This one's a little tricky. Although Black Friday tends to offer dirt-cheap doorbuster prices on low-end laptops (especially Chromebooks), Cyber Monday tends to have more laptop deals overall. That's according to deal-aggregator DealNews, which in 2016 found more Editors' Choice-worthy laptop buys on Monday than Friday.
That said, if you spot a laptop on Friday that meets your needs and fits your budget, by all means grab it. It's very unlikely you'd see a lower price on Monday; again, you're simply more likely to see more choices.
Okay, those are your Cyber Monday myths -- busted! Go forth and shop, but be sure to come back and share your best Cyber Monday finds.
Black Friday deals: See every Black Friday 2017 deal we've found so far
Holiday Gift Guide: CNET's full gift guide, including dozens of products priced under $25, $50 and $100