Cyber Monday is the online shopping equivalent of Black Friday. Since I am not a fan of crowds and early morning wake ups and there’s nothing I absolutely must have, I did not feel any urge to go shopping on Black Friday.
But of course I wanted to check out the deals offered from my favorite retailers on Cyber Monday from the comfort of my computer. I was bombarded with emails promising big savings and my Facebook feed was overloaded by retailers trying to entice me to check out their wares.
I only checked out stores I like but even then there’s bound to be some winners and some losers. Here’s my recap.
Winners 🙂
This amazing travel store offered an amazing deal. If you spend over $50, you get free shipping. If you spend over $100, get 20% off your total purchase. I had no problem spending $100. In my excitement, I goofed and ordered two things in the same color. Instead of calling and editing with a person who would probably be overwhelmed, I just redid the order, called customer service and asked them to cancel the first, which they happily did, and since I did it quickly, my card doesn’t even get charged twice.
A+
Long a favorite online site of mine, Stash had a very small discount on a tea set I have had my eye on for a while. It wasn’t the greatest ‘deal’ but I got suckered in by the site and also added a full price item to my order. You dangled free shipping, and voila, an order was placed.
A
Another favorite of mine and a customer service superstar. The PacSafe I had been eyeing was discounted 25% with free shipping. I must have been so excited that I accidentally clicked ‘place order’ twice. One simple phone call, not a long wait, and just one PacSafe is en route.
A+
Losers 😦
Ann Taylor Loft
Oh Loft. Poor poor Loft. Your site went down…on Cyber Monday. In fact your site goes down every.single.time. there is a sale. You kept adding fuel to the fire by posting images of clothes (that people couldn’t buy) on Facebook, which only enraged your customers.
Your day was like a train wreck and I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. I was so intrigued that I monitored your Facebook feed throughout the day and boy, are people passionate about their clothes.
Your online shopping site is normally annoying because you can only click on one item at a time instead of opening different pages to shop more easily. It was especially annoying on Cyber Monday because the site was slow and at some times failing to load properly.
Also, the way you manage your online inventory is problematic because you are usually only left with sizes 0, 2, 16 and 18, which leaves out the rest of us who fall somewhere in the middle.
On my way home I even stopped at your store in Times Square (G-d help me) because I wanted to pick up another pair of your Marisa petite black pants that I love. The store was insane (probably filled with the people who couldn’t get online) and I get easily frustrated with shopping anyway so I gave up and left empty handed.
I also realized that even with your 50% off sale, the pants were still a whopping $20 more than I paid when I paid ‘full price’ and a 20% coupon a mere month ago. Raising your prices to ‘discount’ them? Fail.
You need a new server, a new social media team and a new e-tailer strategy. And know that your customers are smarter than you think.
Loft, I will continue to shop with you because your petite pants fit me perfectly without a visit to the tailor but I will not waste any more of my time on your website.
F (and I still don’t have a second pair of the Marisa pant)
Converse
Oh Converse, I’m already a huge fan with my off-white high-top and grey low-top Chucks. I wanted (note: not needed) another pair of low-tops and a pair of slip-ons. I think you may have raised your prices, to say that there was a sale. I don’t recall Chucks being $55.
So if you were raising prices to discount them, that’s a no no. Your free shipping offer was nice but I think you normally have free shipping offers on regular shopping days so I declined to place an order.
Like I said, I don’t need another two pairs of Converse, I merely wanted them. And if you’re upping the price so you can reduce it to still more than the normal price, well I can wait.
D
Pottery Barn
You and your no coupon policy annoys the crap out of me. The item I want, two of them actually, are $79 each. I was willing to spend the money had you offered me a coupon so I could feel like I wasn’t paying your inflated full price.
I commend you because you FINALLY offered free shipping (because this item is only available online) but I can wait you out Pottery Barn. I’ve had my eye on this for months. I’m sure it will be discontinued soon. But I will take my chances and I will wait.
D
Recap — To my winners, you rock and I will always be loyal. To my losers, I still love your products, but you failed on Cyber Monday, in my opinion. I have not received anything yet, so hopefully my three orders (from the winners) will arrive on time and intact. I am hopeful.
For the record, free shipping is the cost of entry for Cyber Monday so that should be a given.
Readers — Did you encounter any winners and losers in your shopping excursions on either Black Friday or Cyber Monday or in the weekend between? Share your story in the comments below.
simply three cents 
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