Black Friday shopping or online shopping?
We ask New Yorkers which is the best way to shop: Black Friday shopping or online shopping.
Josmar Taveras, USA TODAY
Scroll, click, buy, and get back to work.
Millions of American workers are preparing to jump from their desks to deals on Cyber Monday, one of the busiest days of the holiday season.
More than half of employees (3 in 5 full-time employees) plan to scout Cyber Monday deals during their workday this year, according to a new national survey of 1,000 full-time workers shared exclusively with USA TODAY by CouponFollow.
For employees who switch between tabs, the dopamine rush of deal hunting can temporarily reduce productivity. Seven out of 10 employees say they don’t feel guilty because “everyone is doing it.”
Shoppers at work promote Cyber Monday sales
You can score some deals for a pick-me-up during the holidays, when many people are overwhelmed by the conflicting demands of family and work. Shopping 24 hours a day gives you a sense of accomplishment that you don’t get at work.
According to CouponFollow, these business shoppers plan to spend an average of $214 on Cyber Monday. Men expect to spend more than women.
The convenience and instant gratification of online shopping is likely responsible for the increase in online shopping during work hours. Laptops and cell phones are your gateway to the mall, aside from crowded parking lots and checkout lines.
Cyber Monday week was a blockbuster for retailers as Black Friday holiday shopping spilled over into the following week. According to Salesforce data, U.S. sales in 2024 will be $76 billion, more than four times as much as Black Friday.
“As consumers started engaging in weekday online shopping the week after Thanksgiving, retailers also started following them with special promotions and sales,” said Kirti Kalyanam, executive director of Santa Clara University’s Retail Management Institute.
How much time do workers spend shopping?
Now, retailers are banking on these cubicle deals, filling inboxes and social media feeds with fall Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, and getting shoppers ready to pull the trigger between or even during assignments, meetings, and more.
Retail experts say marketing emails often arrive during work hours. Another common lure? Lunch-limited products will be dropped.
Almost half (45%) of employees admit to shopping during work hours or waiting in line to buy these drop items, Coupon Follow’s survey found.
On average, full-time employees spend 2.4 hours shopping online during their workday each week. This amounts to 16 working days per year spent shopping.
Almost a third (31%) admit to shopping online during a work meeting.
Shopping online while at work can have negative effects. According to CouponFollow, one in four employees say they’ve been caught in the act by a co-worker or manager.
