• by Maria Bailey , Columnist, November 18, 2016

As we approach Thanksgiving week, I’m gearing up for my annual Black Friday shopping excursion. Yes, I admit it. I am one of those Black Friday shoppers, out the door before sunrise with holiday gift list in hand to shop for my family, friends and team. I knock out the rest of the list on Cyber Monday. I’m calling myself a hybrid shopper, and you’ll read why below.

With the enormous growth of Cyber Monday, expected to be the largest online shopping day in history at $91.6 billion this year, per Forbes.com, I was curious how moms are shopping this year. I launched an unofficial poll on my Facebook page and found interesting and clear preferences for moms, whom we know are the primary shoppers in the household, especially at the holidays. 

Are moms moving away from Black Friday shopping and staying home to shop in their pajamas? Is Black Friday the preferred day to shop, and why? How do moms feel about retailers opening on Thanksgiving night? The comments to my unofficial poll reveal the expected strong opinion, which I’ve narrowed down to shoppers in three categories: the traditional, frugal and hybrid.

Traditions Rule

• Traditions for moms are no surprise. Moms focus on family time on Thanksgiving Day and over the long weekend. These moms, and most in the Facebook poll, showed a strong preference for Cyber Monday shopping, where they don’t have to battle crowds and chaos in stores and get the same or better deals online. Jenn Greene of Maryland sums it up, “LOVE Cyber Monday because shopping in PJ's is perfection.”

• When it comes to early store openings on Thanksgiving Day, tradition rules again in favor of family time. Many moms posted comments against retailers that open on Thanksgiving night, even posting links to Facebook groups like “Boycott Black Friday”. New York mom Ellen Gerstein said, “I really resent retailers who open at all on Thanksgiving. Call me old fashioned, but I don't see the need.” 

• Another tradition to mention is the moms who make Black Friday shopping an annual bonding ritual with family and friends. Dawn, a mom of two from New Jersey, commented, “It has become a tradition to go shopping on Black Friday with my sister-in-law, but it's more for fun girl time.”

Frugal Moms Save The Day

• By the time Black Friday rolls around, price-conscious or frugal moms have already checked and compared prices online, finished most of their shopping and will only venture to stores if the sale prices are worth the trip. Free shipping is expected. These moms are shopping like ElizaBeth Wilson, mom of twins from Florida, “I check the deals online on Friday-Monday. I won't step foot in a store, but if there are actual good sales online, and not just free shipping offers, I'll be making some purchases!”

• Frugal moms aren’t waiting for Black Friday or Cyber Monday. They are shopping seasonal sales throughout the year, snapping up deals online and in stores before Black Friday, when sales prices are there anyway.

Hybrid Moms Shopping All The Time

• Whether it’s a tradition, good sales or both, hybrid moms are flexible and willing to shop on both Black Friday and Cyber Monday. About 60% of moms echoed the comments of Texas mom-of-two Erica Pena-Vest, “I do both (Friday & Monday) but refuse to shop on Thanksgiving just out of principle.” 

The anecdotal evidence from my Facebook poll supports more shopping on Cyber Monday for busy moms, ringing true for the Forbes.com estimates of a record-breaking online sales day on Nov. 28.  

Finally, there was one comment that I had to include, in what may be the true motivation for early shopping on Thanksgiving. Lily Ashley, a mom of six children from Long Island posted, “I will be shopping on both days, and I do appreciate the businesses that open on Thanksgiving because not everyone wants to sit with in-laws all day.”

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!