Cyber Monday 2024: Everything you need to know to shop the best sales

(This story has been updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.)
Thanksgiving and Black Friday are still a few weeks away, but early holiday shoppers are already researching and prepping for the second biggest shopping event of the year: Cyber Monday.
Thanks to a love for online shopping, sales once reserved for a single day or the weekend after Thanksgiving have expanded not only into the proper Cyber Monday holiday, but both before and after. In some cases, sales last for an entire “Cyber Week,” giving consumers even more chances to shop.
Whether you’re looking to upgrade your own tech, get toys and games to gift the kids in your life, add some chef-worthy tools to your kitchen or finally splurge on that beauty product or trendy fashion piece, Cyber Monday sales at major retailers like Amazon, Target and Best Buy give shoppers yet another chance to stock up on everything they’ll need for the holidays.
Here is our guide to Cyber Monday prep, including when and where to shop popular deals.
Cyber Monday takes place the first Monday after Thanksgiving. This year, it will fall on Monday, Dec. 2.
Thanksgiving is on Thursday, Nov. 28 this year, followed by Black Friday on Friday. Nov. 29 and then Cyber Monday.
Cyber Monday is one of the biggest sales events of the year. It originated as something of a response or complement to Black Friday, eventually becoming equally as lucrative for retailers.
The official term was coined by the National Retail Federation in 2005, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. The organization noticed an influx in online shopping the Monday after Thanksgiving as people returned to work and used their, at the time, faster internet connections in the office versus at home to start on their holiday lists.
Like with Black Friday, retailers cashed in on this by making it a full-fledged sales event. As its name suggests, Cyber Monday is generally associated with online sales versus Black Friday’s traditionally brick-and-mortar deals, but as time has passed, both shopping holidays now tend to offer both digital and in-store options.
Like Black Friday, which has turned into something more akin to “Black November,” thanks to sales starting earlier and earlier, Cyber Monday has expanded its domain past a single day.
The biggest deals from retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Walmart are often reserved for Cyber Monday itself, but are also often available for at least two days, if not a full “Cyber Week.”
Amazon’s Cyber Monday event kicks off before the day proper, beginning on Friday, Nov. 29 and running through Monday, Dec. 2.
As usual, the sales run the gamut, including up to 50% off on tech including JBL headphones and Eufy security cameras, 55% off Zinus mattresses, 40% on select vacuums Bissell and Tineco and 20% of Stanley drinkware.
Best Buy’s biggest deals will be on Cyber Monday itself, though some will extend into “Cyber Week” sales. Best Buy also opens its Cyber Monday sales a day early, meaning customers can start to cash in on Sunday, Dec. 1 through Monday, Dec. 2.
Target’s Cyber Monday event usually begins the Sunday after Thanksgiving and extends into Cyber Monday, meaning this year it will likely begin on Sunday, Dec. 1 and lasting through Monday, Dec. 2.
Target’s sales include the Apple AirPods Pro 2 for $189.99, the Keurig K-Mini for $59.99, the Amazon Fire TV Stick 4k for $24.99 and the Apple Watch SE for as low as $199.99.
Walmart’s Cyber Monday deals will also begin a bit early on Sunday, Dec. 1.
Some of the steepest discounts are on new tech, like the RCA 32″ Smart TV for as low as $88, TCL 55″ Class 4K Roku TV for $188, and HP Stream 14″ Laptop for $129.
Ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Walmart is also offering 50% off its Walmart+ annual membership, which grants users early access to deals, free shipping and delivery, Paramount+ streaming, fuel discounts and more perks.
Over the years, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become comparable as far as the quality and quantity of sales. Retailers sometimes lean extra hard into the “cyber” part of Cyber Monday, offering specifically deep tech deals, but both holidays now offer extended sales that usually last longer than one day and that are available both online and in-store, if applicable.
This article contains affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.