Is there still something special about going to the mall at 11 p.m. and getting in a fistfight over a TV? Or is it more favorable to just order the TV online? With Cyber Monday taking over Black Friday, the holiday shopping experience is changing forever.

The convenience of getting gifts and presents with the click of a button is putting the late night and early morning Black Friday shopping out of business. Black Friday has been around since 1869 and Cyber Monday first started on November 28th, 2005. Cyber Monday’s initial purpose was an attempt to get people to shop online instead of in stores, but it quickly grew into a large “Black-Friday-like” online sale. With the new and insanely fast shipping offered by online companies, shopping online makes a simple alternative to Black Friday shopping.

“Cyber Monday shopping is great because it keeps me away from huge crowds and problems with shopping at stores at midnight,” said senior Mia Dancel.

A game changer with Cyber Monday shopping is the increased availability of products. In stores on Black Friday, if a product is sold out it can take multiple days to restock the product. On the other hand, in online stores there can be larger quantities of products available because companies can continue to produce products based on the amount of purchases. This factor guarantees online companies having their products available at all times, eliminating the chance of buyers making a trek to a store and the product not being in stock.

Although online shopping may sound like a better choice, there are still a few downsides. The first, and probably most important problem is not knowing exactly what a company’s product may look like in real life compared to online. When it comes down to it, some items do not have a display online that justifies its actual features or conditions.Take a car for example, it may look perfect online but in real life it may not meet the consumer’s exact wants. This could be due to unaddressed damages, features not shown on images given of the car, and more. However, Cyber Monday allows shoppers to be able to view products in an easier fashion. For instance, if a person in search of a car wants to see what it has to offer, then they can simply look at the photos given online. This is an advantage over Black Friday as consumers do not have to go through the hassle of traveling to a store just to see what a product looks like.

Whether it be Cyber Monday or Black Friday, these mega shopping days are great for getting electronics, toys, and gifts for a bargain. However, it is up to a buyer’s personal preference on whether they want to push and shove people at midnight for a half-priced, flat screen TV, or chill on a couch in a snuggie and peacefully order it from the comfort of their own home.