Whether it’s an in person visit to stores on Black Friday or online shopping on Cyber Monday companies across the United States offer deals unlike any other given throughout the year. A recent poll conducted by @LibertyWingspan on Twitter revealed that out of eighty-three votes, fifty-eight percent of voters prefer Cyber Monday over Black Friday.

“We decided to get a head start and do a sale that lasted from last Monday through the whole week and ended Cyber Monday,” Tumbleweed TexStyles co-owner Brian Wysong said. “We offered forty percent off all apparel, hats, and gear. The reason we started early is so that we could get a jump start ahead of the competition. We figured people had money at the beginning of the week, and last Monday we did better sales than last year’s whole week combined. The reason why we do it is because we know people are looking for deals so instead of maximizing our dollar we’re trying to go for quantity and sell as much as we can to get our product out there.”

Some students that went Black Friday shopping this year were shocked to discover disappointing deals for their favorite brands and items.

“Most of the stores I went to were big stores and didn’t offer great deals,” senior Cameron Kurak said. “It’s a little disappointing that they advertise it as a big sale day and it’s not. I don’t really shop online so Cyber Monday isn’t a big deal to me.”

Black Friday traditionally benefits both companies and consumers in accomplishing their respective goals of making profits and scoring deals. However, the practice of Black Friday can take a toll on those working retail.

“Years ago, I worked for Office Depot. I’ll never forget, the first year I worked there they had Black Friday,” bookroom attendant Ken Budz said. “I got there at three in the morning, and there were so many people standing out front at that point I couldn’t even get into work. We were given a list of items by our boss that were to be on sale that day for the Black Friday event. When they opened the doors at four in the morning, the crazies almost ran me over. They came in like cattle. Here’s the bottom line. We opened the doors at four o’clock. By five, every computer was gone. By six, every sale item was sold out. Unbelievable. I worked from three in the morning to three in the afternoon and I’m telling you, when I left work I could barely walk.”

Many of the discounts and deals available in stores are still available online. With the popularity of online shopping on the rise, as indicated by this Cyber Monday’s results and @LibertyWingspan’s poll, the retail store chaos associated with Black Friday may one day be a thing of the past.

“It’s almost like the United States has created a culture of the desire to buy on Black Friday,” Wysong said. “It’s a great opportunity for consumers to get great deals for companies can get their end of the year stock out. As a business owner, it’s a great way to end a quarter making the most money that we can. I think more consumers do Black Friday for the experience, waking up early, standing in line, to say that they accomplished something, while Cyber Monday is purely about the deals and buying something. So eventually, when you look especially at the middle and upper class, Cyber Monday will win out. I know this past Cyber Monday broke records.”