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Cyber Shoppers Skip Chaos
By Julia Bauer
The Grand Rapids Press
November 24, 2006
GRAND RAPIDS -- While hordes of shoppers make their list and check it twice today, lots of people will wait until they're back at work Monday.
That's when they will fire up their computers to check prices or buy Christmas presents online.
The post-Black Friday surge in Internet shopping goes by several monikers: Cyber Monday and E-Day are two. The trend has emerged over the past few years as online shopping has picked up momentum.
Twenty percent of shoppers expect to buy holiday gifts online Monday and more than a quarter of those will do that on the job, according to Deloitte & Touche's annual holiday survey.
Still, it won't be the busiest cyber shopping day.
The heaviest online buying occurs closer to Christmas, based on last year's track record.
Twenty percent of online merchants reported Monday, Dec. 12, as their busiest sales day of the 2005 season.
If the trend holds, then the biggest online shopping day of 2006 should be Dec. 11. That week marks the deadline for many cyber merchants' offers of free shipping and guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve.
Although some company policies frown on workers who shop from their desk, other employers are less worried about the practice.
During lulls in the work day, employees at Gezon Motors at 3985 Plainfield Ave. NE are free to use the Internet to shop for Christmas, owner Mary Gezon Huizenga said.
"We try to keep people focused on the business, of course, but the Internet has become a tremendous tool," Huizenga said.
"If there is a little time, no one begrudges somebody checking things online. In our world, it's the idea of a test drive."
Gezon employee Allyssa Shanahan, 26, is especially grateful for the dealership's generous computer policy. She's seven months pregnant, hasn't started her holiday shopping and finds the mall scene a struggle this year.
"I work 40 hours, then after work or on my lunch time, finding time to run to the busy stores is hectic," Shanahan said. "The easiest way for me to shop is online. I do most of my researching here, and then I'll do the shopping at home."
She will be looking online for University of Michigan sports paraphernalia. Her husband, Tim, leans even more on Internet merchants.
"My husband is not a big store shopper at all," Shanahan said. "About 85 percent of his shopping is done online, or by me."
Browse then buy
Although some people rely on today's door-buster bargains to launch their holiday gift buying, others are plying the Web for price and product comparisons with local stores.
"Consumers spend the entire Thanksgiving weekend shopping and touching and feeling the products, but aren't necessarily inclined to wait in line at retail chains," said Sarath Samarasekera, chief executive officer of Shopster.com.
"Come Monday, they know what they want and are ready to complete their purchase.
"As e-tailers, we benefit from the in-store foot traffic over the weekend. That translates into Web purchases the following week," Samarasekera said.
For Gezon salesman Paul Jones, 32, the Internet is a good research tool, but he prefers to buy in person.
"Especially for products like electronics, I work in sales, and I know you can save $30 to $40 from one place to another," Jones said. He has "tons of nephews" who love video games.
"I'll typically look them up online," Jones said of those electronic goodies. "If someone has a good deal, I print it out and take it down to the store."
Usually, the merchant will match the Internet price, he said. But Jones is wary of using his credit card online. He tussled with a security breach involving his credit card number.
His advice?
"Definitely don't go on any sites by taking a link to them. Type that site in, rather than actually clicking on the link," Jones said.
Other advice: purchase items only from secure Web sites; use a designated credit card for online purchases; never provide your Social Security number; beware of high shipping fees; and print out receipts for your records.
As trends go, cyber shopping is growing more trouble-free. Among those who purchased gifts online during the 2005 Christmas season, 96 percent said they were somewhat or very satisfied with the experience.
"The world does its Christmas shopping online," Huizenga said. "I love the Internet, and it gives people options. Ten years ago, who would have believed it?"
