Holiday shopping deals, Black Friday and beyond

T.G.I.B.F.

Translation: Thank God it's Black Friday.

Or how about Black Month? Or, better yet, Black Months, as in November and December.

Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, which has traditionally opened the holiday shopping season and moved merchants from the red-ink column to the black-ink side of the ledger, isn't what it used to be.

Anyone reading a newspaper, watching television, checking e-mail or sorting snail mail has probably noticed that Black Friday deals started weeks ago and will continue well into December.

"With the economy being what it is, Black Friday is not what it's meant in the past," said Giles Cassels, seasonal shopping expert for PayPal, a company enabling online transactions.

The extended shopping season is spread even wider online. Cyber Monday, the first workday after the Thanksgiving weekend, has also lost some if its punch. So merchants are grasping for shoppers earlier and will stretch the season longer this year.

"We do anticipate a high volume of sales on Black Friday, as well," he said. "But the line between Black Friday and Cyber Monday is getting more blurred."

Toss in Green Monday -- the busiest online payment volume day of the year -- which this year is Dec. 14, and the great Internet marketplace looks like one place that will see growth over last year, Cassels said.

Simply put, there are more deals to be found online.

"Free shipping at the holidays has always been an important offer," he said. "It's an advantage of shopping online, where you can typically find better values. Factor in free shipping, and it gets more attractive."

Cassels said the busiest time of the week for online shopping during the holiday season is between noon and 5 p.m. Mondays.

"The second Monday in December is typically the highest payment day," Cassels said. "It's also when merchants transition from free shipping to (paid) expedited shipping.

Cassels said people can create a PayPal account and learn more about the holiday season at paypal.com/holidays. There are links to PayPal partner merchants and discount offers.

PayPal is also active on Twitter, with these handles: @paypal, @paypalshopping and @paypalservice.

Share your Internet story with me at agibes@ reviewjournal.com.