Is Cyber Monday a myth? Experts say it’s more like a season than a day

BOSTON — On Monday morning, many of us woke up to find “Cyber Monday” deals plastered across our phones and computer screens. But to some, it did not reflect real life. 

“I’m an in-store shopper,” said Alisa Bradley when WBZ asked shoppers if they think Cyber Monday is real. 

“Not for me,” answered Joan Weaver. 

“I’ve already got my stuff,” said Christine Prince.

“The history of Cyber Monday, it’s been around for a couple of decades,” explained Jon Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts. 

“It was created before we had these contraptions,” he said holding up his cell phone. “There were no smartphones. A lot of us really didn’t have high-speed internet at home, you know we maybe had AOL dial-up.”

So why are we still hearing so much about Cyber Monday even though we can now do our online shopping at any time and any place? 

“Alexa actually notified me that they would be cheaper,” said Maria Rodriguez from Framingham. “Yesterday I was looking…and it was like, things in your cart are going to be less in “x” amount of hours later, so I waited, and then I bought them today.”

“The marketers are still going to try to tap into that history,” said Hurst. “You know, that habit of shopping on Monday, whether it’s on Cyber Monday or any other day.”

When WBZ visited Amazon’s warehouse in Fall River on Cyber Monday, it was buzzing. “This is not a three-day event,” said Katin Miller, the fulfillment center’s general manager. “This is a month-long event, a marathon that feels a lot like a sprint,” she said.

Online shopping has not totally replaced in-person shopping. “I went to the different stores around the plaza,” said Gabrielle Aguiar, who was pushing a cart full of bags through the parking lot at Shoppers World in Framingham Monday. “And then when I get home, I’ll check online and see.” 

Experts say deliveries from online shopping will generate about a quarter of our collective holiday haul this year. Your computer might call it Cyber Monday, but the truth is, it’s more like a season than a day.