If you’re a wiz at shopping for bargains, you’re well versed in the ways of Black Friday and its online cousin, Cyber Monday. But have you heard of Green Monday? It’s another sales day that fits in well at the end of the year and has typically been held on the second Monday of December. So what is Green Monday? It’s a great chance to pick up last minute holiday gifts.
Don’t confuse Green Monday with the Cypriot holiday by the same name though. This isn’t the celebration at the start of Lent, known in other countries as “Clean Monday.” This one’s all about buying and selling online.
You can take a look at our favorite Green Monday deals going on right now or read on for more information.
How long has Green Monday been running?
Online retailers have known for some time about the power of the second Monday in December, a point at which many people realize they don’t have long left before the holidays. It only became Green Monday in 2007, after either Shopping.com or parent company Ebay (depending on who you ask) noticed that it was their best sales day of the year. The “green” aspect is supposed to reference money — and the idea that online shopping is more environmentally friendly than doing so on the high street.
Although Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the rest of Cyber Week have proved to be more popular shopping days for consumers in the years since, Green Monday remains one of the biggest online shopping days of the year for many retailers. This has led to a number of outlets promoting it in the wake of Cyber Monday, in the hopes of drumming up more revenue as part of the holiday rush.
In 2015 it generated some $1.4 billion in revenue. Although that was down from a 2014 peak of $1.6 billion, it still represents one of the busiest online shopping days of the year.
When is Green Monday this year?
Green Monday is going on right now! Take a look at our favorite Green Monday deals to start saving.
How do I get the best deals on Green Monday?
As with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the best way to get the top deals on Green Monday is to be prepared. Stock of items with the best deals will likely sell out quickly, so being one of the first on a retailer’s website is a good start.
It’s a good idea to get a jump on sales at some sites before the deals arrive, potentially even bookmarking the relevant pages; many retailers like to put out adverts before Green Monday rolls around. If your preferred site doesn’t have any reference to it, you’ll probably just need to do a bit of digging. Walmart has its Green Monday page up and you can also check out our detailed Green Monday deals list for many different options.
Keeping an eye on websites that specifically track online deals during major sales is a good idea too. BlackFriday.com and CyberMonday.com are good places to start. We’d also recommend pre-making your shopping account on any sites you think you might use and have your addresses either pre-loaded onto the account, or kept to hand so you can input them quickly to beat the rush.
Just being the first to get the deal doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the ‘best’ deal though. Before you put your credit card details in to buy, consider doing a quick check to make sure that the deal you’re getting is as good as it looks. Discounts at some stores are better than others and not all price cuts are as hefty as they might initially seem. If you want a service to do the legwork for you, sites like PriceGrabber can do comparisons across a variety of sites in one go.
It’s also worth considering retailer-specific promotions to maximise your savings. Being an Amazon Prime member can give you an early start or exclusive access to some deals, while opting for its cashback scheme on its prepaid debit cards can save you a further few percent.
Before all of that Green Monday madness though, we have other sales to consider. Here’s how to get the best deals on Black Friday.
