What is Cyber Monday and How to Score the Best Deals in 2024

Cyber Monday is a prominent online shopping event that takes place after Black Friday, featuring substantial discounts across a wide range of product categories, including electronics, home goods, fashion, and more. In 2024, Cyber Monday is scheduled for December 2, but many retailers begin their promotions as early as the preceding weekend or even earlier in November.

When Does Cyber Monday Start?

While Cyber Monday officially occurs on December 2, numerous online retailers kick off their deals during the Thanksgiving weekend, effectively merging it with Black Friday sales. For example, Amazon will start its Cyber Monday promotions on Saturday, November 30, 2024, at 12:01 AM PST, continuing through Monday until 11:59 PM.

 

Where to Find the Best Deals on Cyber Monday?

• Amazon: Expect discounts on tech gadgets, including Amazon Fire devices and smart home products, as well as premium brands like JBL and Sony. Shoppers can save up to 50% on categories such as toys, beauty products, and kitchen appliances.
• Walmart: Look for deals on Apple products like AirPods and MacBooks, alongside gaming consoles such as the Xbox Series X.
• Best Buy: Renowned for significant discounts on electronics, including laptops (with some HP models up to 73% off) and smart home devices like Philips Hue bulbs.
• Target: Offers promotions on Nintendo Switch bundles, gaming accessories, and various small appliances.
• Kohl’s and Ulta: Discounts on beauty products from brands like Urban Decay and premium skincare items, as well as fitness apparel from Nike and Under Armour.

Shopping Tips for Cyber Monday

At los40 USA, we’ve shared valuable tips for Black Friday shopping that are equally applicable to Cyber Monday:

• Start Early: Many retailers provide early access to sales for loyalty program members or app users.
• Compare Prices: Utilize price comparison tools to ensure you secure the best deal.
• Monitor Deal Sites: Websites like BlackFriday.com and Business Insider frequently update lists of Cyber Monday offers.
• Set Alerts: Retailers such as Amazon allow users to set alerts for price drops on items in their wish lists.

Cyber Monday presents an excellent opportunity to save on holiday gifts and personal purchases, particularly for tech enthusiasts and home goods shoppers. Begin your planning now to take advantage of early deals and secure the best offers!

Labor Day Sale 2022

The majority of national retailers, including Target, Walmart, Kohl's, Macy's, Home Depot, Lowe's and more, are open Monday with holding Labor Day sales. Some grocery stores will have special holiday hours, and other retailers will operate with Sunday hours. Most pharmacies are closed Monday. Meanwhile, U.S. stock markets and banks are closed and the U.S. Postal Service will not deliver mail. Costco Wholesale clubs are closed for the federal holiday like they are for New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Monday also is National Cheese Pizza Day, one of the many pizza food holidays, and some pizzerias will serve up savings. Fall has already arrived at Starbucks and Dunkin’ with the return of pumpkin spice coffee and pastries. McDonald’s, Arby's, Popeyes, Taco Bell, Burger King, Papa John's, Pizza Hut, Domino's and more are open Monday. Subway's Footlong Pass started Sept. 1 for 10,000 Subway MyWay Rewards members who bought a $15 subscription for 50% off a sandwich a day.

 

Why we celebrate Labor Day and the meaning behind it? Labor Day was first celebrated unofficially by labor activists and individual states in the late 1800s, according to the US Department of Labor. New York was the first state to introduce a bill recognizing Labor Day, but Oregon was the first to actually codify it into law in 1887. Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York had followed suit by the end of 1887. Joshua Freeman, a labor historian and professor emeritus at the City University of New York, tells CNN that the holiday developed as unions were beginning to strengthen again after the 1870s recession. In New York City, two events converged that contributed to the formation of Labor Day, Freeman says. First, the now-defunct Central Labor Union was formed as a "umbrella body" for unions across trades and ethnic groups. Additionally, the Knights of Labor, then the largest national labor convention, held a convention in the city, complete with a large parade. But the parade fell on a Tuesday at the start of September and many workers were unable to attend. The convention was a huge success, and unions around the country started holding their own labor celebrations at the start of September, usually on the first Monday of the month. At the beginning, "it was a somewhat daring move to participate, because you could get yourself fired," Freedman said. But over time, states began to recognize the holiday, and it became more common for employers to give their employees the day off. It wasn't until June 28, 1894 that Congress passed an act naming the first day of September a legal holiday called Labor Day. Freeman says that earlier that year, President Grover Cleveland sent in the military to squash the Pullman railway strike. Cleveland pushed through legislation to recognize Labor Day just days after the strike ended, in a "gesture towards organized labor," Freeman said.

What Labor Day means? At the time Labor Day was formed, unions were fighting for "very specific improvements in their working conditions," Freeman said. Workers were fighting hard for the eight-hour work day most workers enjoy today. And Labor Day was an opportunity for them to come together to discuss their priorities -- and for the country to acknowledge the contributions workers make to society. But there was also a more radical political thread to the Labor Day celebration, Freeman says. The Knights of Labor were exploring the idea that "what we call the capitalist or industrial system was fundamentally exploitative," he said. "It introduced kind of inequities and inequalities, not just in wealth, but also in power. So they wanted a greater say in society for working people." "Back when Labor Day began, there were a lot of voices that were fundamentally challenging this emerging system," Freeman added. Labor leaders at the time advocated for alternatives to the "capitalist wage system," like collective ownership of corporations or socialism.

Xbox Series X And PS5 Are Now Available at Walmart

Walmart’s latest PS5 and Xbox Series X restocking event is back for a second day, following up yesterday’s replenishment of all these consoles. Today at 4PM ET / 1PM PT, Walmart will be selling the disc-based PlayStation 5, the disc-less Digital Edition, and the Xbox Series X. It’s the kind of big restock event that’s becoming increasingly rare as we get closer to the holidays. Like yesterday, expect to see Walmart’s new queueing system. If you load one of these pages, you’ll get a place in line, and you can keep browsing Walmart’s site as a timer runs down to let you purchase a console, assuming there’s still stock left. This should remove the urgency from having to add or update your billing and shipping info in a flash, but you should do that as you wait. Anything you can do ahead of time to reduce the friction and decrease the times it takes at checkout is worth considering. Starting first with the consoles.

PlayStation 5

• $500

Sony’s flagship next-gen console, which includes a disc drive, allows you to play both digital and physical games for the PS4 and PS5.

• $500 at Sony

PlayStation 5 Digital Edition

• $400

The PS5 Digital Edition costs $400. Compared to the PS5, this console is $100 less and does not include a Blu-ray disc drive.

• $400 at Sony

Microsoft Xbox Series X

• $500

The Xbox Series X is Microsoft’s flagship console, serving as its most powerful (and biggest) option. While the Series S is aimed at smooth 1440p performance and takes a disc-less aproach, the $500 Series X is focused on fast, 4K gameplay.

• $500 at Walmart

The consoles may be the main course, but don’t forget to order some extra sides for when you have company over. Here are a few accessories to consider for both consoles.

For PlayStation

Cosmic red DualSense PS5 controller

• $74

Like the original DualSense controller, the cosmic red model features adaptive triggers and haptic feedback but with a vibrant red-and-black design.

• $74 at Amazon
• $75 at Best Buy

Sony Pulse 3D headset

• $99

Sony’s Pulse 3D wireless gaming headset is worth the roughly $100 price tag if you want a wireless model that can let the audio in some PS5-exclusive games shine. It sounds fantastic with launch titles like Spider-Man: Miles Morales and Demon’s Souls, as well as more recent hits like Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. Like the console, this headset has been a little tough to find, but it’s coming back in stock more frequently these days. Sony is also releasing a midnight black version of the headset for $100 on October 22nd, which you can preorder now from Sony.

• $99 at Walmart
• $100 at Best Buy

PlayStation Plus (annual subscription)

• $42
• $60
• 30% off

A membership to PlayStation Plus allows PS4 and PS5 owners to play games online, download free titles every month, and take advantage of discounts on the PS Store. Currently, Eneba is offering Verge readers a 12-month subscription for around $36 with the promo code 365DAYS.

• $42 at Eneba

For Xbox

Xbox Wireless Controller

• $49
• $60
• 18% off

Microsoft’s latest Xbox controller features a Share button and a USB-C charging port if you use the optional rechargeable battery.

• $49 at Walmart

Xbox Wireless Headset

• $89
• $100
• 12% off

You don’t have to miss a call while you game thanks to Microsoft’s Xbox Wireless Headset, which is selling for $89 instead of $100 at Best Buy and GameStop. In our review, we found it to be a comfortable, intuitively designed headset that’s well worth its cost. In addition to working well with Xbox consoles, it can connect to another device simultaneously via Bluetooth.

• $89 at Best Buy
• $89 at GameStop

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate (three-months)

• $26
• $45
• 43% off

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate offers access to more than 100 games, including Doom, Gears 5, and the soon-to-be-released Halo Infinite, which you’ll be able to play on multiple devices. Right now, Eneba is offering a three-month subscription to the service for $26 when you use code 90DAYS.

• $26 at Eneba