For those who don't like to camp out at their favorite store or don't like braving the crowds on Black Friday, the best alternative that still allows shoppers to capture similar deals is Cyber Monday. Cyber Monday is the day when people flock to their computers in order to start their Holiday shopping, purchase something that they have been wanting all year or to purchase the items that were already sold out on Black Friday.

Cyber Monday began as a marketing scheme by Shop.org which is a part of the National Trade Association to drum up more interest in the eCommerce world and it worked. In 2006, online retail business rose 25% from 2005. Since then, shoppers who prefer to skip Black Friday and enjoy their Thanksgiving weekend at home, shop on Cyber Monday from the comfort of their computers.

Retailers will release tidbits and enough information to entice shoppers to shop on Cyber Monday. Make no mistake; the goal of retailers is to get you to shop. Most online businesses will offer free shipping. Retailers understand that with free shipping, consumers are more likely to purchase more big tickets items since you don't have to worry about how to get the item home.

The same strategies that apply to saving while shopping during Black Friday still apply to Cyber Monday. It may be easier to go over budget during Cyber Monday, so it's a good idea to plan ahead. Make a list of items you plan to purchase and how much you plan to spend overall. Once you have your list, check the print Black Friday ads to get an idea of what prices are looking like this year, then do some comparison shopping online. There are a few reliable apps that can be used which pull up the price of an item at various stores online and in-store so that you can compare. Just using Google will give you a good start.

As it gets closer to Cyber Monday, the deals released will get better. Not everything goes on sale though. Expect for big ticket items in Electronics to drop by as much as 20-30%. Toys are the other category where there will be significant price drops. The best websites to start shopping at are those that specialize in online business such as Amazon. From there visit your favorite brick and mortars site as many times they have deals that can only be found online.

Cyber Monday is a great way to take advantage of similar sales as Black Friday without having to deal with the crowds. Staying organized and doing something comparison shopping will allow for maximum savings.

Laura Hopkins holds a B.A in Literature and currently writes for AccessRx.com, a safe online facilitator for consumers who buy Viagra online and other safe FDA-approved medications such as Levitra. Laura uses her research scientist skills to cover health and wellness and uncover big pharma news she shares on the AccessRx Blog