Why I Hate Cyber Monday Shopping

Many businesses are holding online sales in honor of the online shopping holiday coined "Cyber Monday".

This morning I surfed around the internet and didn't see anything that was such a great deal I had to buy it. In fact, I kind of felt like Black Friday was a bust this year as well. It felt like a lot of cheap things on sale I wouldn't normally buy if it wasn't advertised so low.

I'm not sure when I became the shopping Grinch. I used to love Black Friday shopping, but I'll admit I hate what it has become. I hate that shopping has overtaken Thanksgiving. I hate that buying 'stuff and things' lasts an entire weekend and now lives online through Monday.

I miss the tradition of getting up early on the true Black Friday, with my family, standing in long lines outside of the store at 4 a.m. with a hot chocolate in-hand and hunting for deals until 9 a.m. It was more about the camaraderie. Now, online shopping has made it a solo sport that's all about the stuff. It feels gross.

It's always the same things on sale for the same price each year. I mean, you can only buy so many cheap TVs and blankets before you drive yourself crazy and end up broke.

There have been several people on my Facebook feed who have complained that they've had issues. One woman said she was shopping at a retail outlet and was charged three times for the same item she bought. Numerous people commented on her post saying they also had the same issue with that retailer and one other.

Last year my husband bought a bunch of clothes on cyber Monday, only to find weeks later, the store was out of stock and he had to be refunded his money. It took a full 3 weeks to get his money refunded to him.

This is why I support shopping local and keeping your dollars in your community. Local businesses support spending time with family. They give their employees Thanksgiving Day off. They refund your cash immediately, not three weeks down the road. I feel like there's more thought put into a gift you had to get off your couch and battle the crowd for.