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§ While Black Friday, the day when E 3 3 many retailers drastically reduce their prices in recognition of the first official day of the holiday shopping season. remains wildly popular among holiday shoppers, in recent years has gotten some competition in the way of Cyber Monday. Cyber Monday is the Monday after American Thanksgiving when many retailers, in particular those that are onllneâ€"only, offer heavy discounts via their websites. in- stead of Black Friday traditions like waiting outside stores in the wee hours of the morning, holiday shoppers who can wait until Cyber Monday to start buying gifts can do so from the comforts of their homes or offices. Many Cyber Monday discounts are already set in stone. But savvy shoppers can employ a few ad- ditional strategies to make sure they’re saving as much money as possible. - Be ready to buy. In the days leadâ€" Get ready to save online this Cyber Monday ing up to Cyber Monday, make a _- "I" list of what you want and, if pos- sible, which retailers will have the best deals on those items (retailers may or may not adver- tise their Cyber Monday deals in advance). Some retailers only ofâ€" fer Cyber Monday deals during a relatively small window of time, so you don't want to waste time comparing prices with other re- tailers and risk missing out on a great deal. Make sure such legâ€" work is completed before the arâ€" rival of Cyber Monday. Knowing what you want also increases the likelihood that you will get what you want on Cyber Monâ€" day, which may enable you to take advantage of free shipping deals that won't be available later in the season. Buy smart. When shopping on Cyber Monday, it's easy to be overwhelmed by sticker prices. But even the most heavily dis- counted items may be subject to substantial fees. negating the savings and, in certain instances, costing you more money than JUQT IN "HI m mum at»: figur‘flx; s~ «1. MHMIM mmmm _ RUNWAY m $4799 * FREIGHIJ’AX s. we i LACK FBI ' if you were to simply buy the item inâ€"store. Before making any purchases on Cyber Monâ€" day, determine the shipping and handling fees and any other additional costs that may offset the deal you think you‘re getting. if a deal is simply too tempting to resist, see if there is an in-store pickup option to save you the cost of shipping and handling. Know the rules. Just because you won’t be waiting in line outside a store in the middle of the night on Black Friday does not necessarily mean you won't have to get up early to take full advantage of Cyber Monday deals. In the course of doing your Cyber Monday homework. you may find certain items that you simply must have. When you find these deals. read the fine print so you know the rules regarding each Specific deal. Some may say "while supplies last” or "limited supply." In such instances, determine when the sale starts and be ready to go the moment the Item goes on Resist temptation. Cyber Mon- day deals are often hard to resist. but holiday shoppers should stay disciplined and buy only those gifts they need and not heavily discounted items they are unlikely to use. Buying items 3 YEAR CONSUMER WARRANTY 3 YEAR CONSUMER WARRANTY you don't need can stretch your hohday budget and distract you from the shopping you need to do. Stack 'em up. Stacking is a term used to describe the use of mul- tiple coupons or discount codes on a smg|e purchase. Many reâ€" tailers do not allow customers to stack discounts. but some do. 3 YEAR CONSUMER WARRANTY Hand WW8 Take advantage of those that do. Cyber Monday has grown in popularity as more and more con sumers do their holiday ShOpplng online. But shoppers can save even more money If they employ a few saving strategies this Cyber Mon day. w M5