When it comes to shopping, people search stores for deals and steals, but since COVID struck, the ways of shopping have changed throughout the nation. 

For decades, Black Friday was the ultimate day for bargain shopping. But in the past few years, Cyber Monday has come to replace it for the title of being the biggest shopping event in the U.S. The deals are great and all but is it even worth it to go out in the madness?

These two days are looked forward to by many shoppers across the nation. This year Black Friday falls on Nov. 26 with cyber Monday following on Nov. 29.

Black Friday is one day of the year and falls on the day after Thanksgiving. It’s a day where many stores offer high discounts and sales in their stores. Black Friday has been an attraction to many across the nation, flooding the malls and stores. Cyber Monday falls three days after Black Friday and it’s just like Black Friday except strictly for online shopping. Some stores choose to participate in just one of these shopping events, some do both.

“I prefer Black Friday because I like to shop in person so I can try things on, and see things better instead of ordering something online and it not looking good,” said freshman Giuliana Janow. “I also think it’s just more fun and gets you out of the house. One thing I don’t like though is waiting in all the lines, but I like seeing all the people shopping.”

In 2020, Cyber Monday surpassed Black Friday in terms of spending. According to Adobe Analytics, U.S shoppers spent $9 billion on Black Friday and $10.8 billion on Cyber Monday last year. One of the biggest reasons for this change is because of COVID. During the COVID season many people have resorted to shopping online instead of going into stores. This year, there were 900 million more online buyers than in 2020. 

So many people come out for Black Friday but are the amazing deals really not so amazing? Depending on what kind of offers a certain store has, the deal may not even be that special. Some stores such as Bath and Body Works or Old Navy are almost always having some sort of sale. So lots of these Black Friday offers may just be available in normal time. 

“I prefer Black Friday because it’s a lot of fun and it’s a great day to get clothes and early Christmas gifts,” said freshman Marissa Wilkins. “The mall does get very crazy which can sometimes be funny, but usually I will go to smaller places like the Village of Rochester Hills and they have just as good of sales with less chaos. I don’t think it’s worth it to go to a store on Black Friday if they have the same sales online for Cyber Monday because it’s easier to get it online.”

So before going out into all the madness of Black Friday, consider your other options of shopping for this holiday season.