First things first. Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for those of you who’ve stuck with me all these years, and those of you who’ve come back in the past year.
And the times are changing. I think there used to be something to Cyber Monday. But we’re rapidly approaching Cyber Thursday, if we aren’t already there.
The thinking used to be that people would come to work on Monday and use their fast Internet connections to buy a bunch of stuff they didn’t buy over the long Thanksgiving weekend, either because they ran out of time, or didn’t want to fight Black Friday crowds. And I think that was true at some point. Especially when fast Internet connections at home weren’t ubiquitous.
But today, fast Internet connections in homes are common. Not as common or as cheap as they should be, but if you live in or near a major city and have a halfway decent job, you can get one and you can afford it. Not only that, lots of people have wireless connections so they can share that fast Internet connection, and laptops and smartphones are cheap and common enough that relatives can bring their devices over.
I imagine people spending time they used to spend watching TV hunched over laptops and tablets and smartphones shopping, dividing up web sites and competing (or cooperating) to get the best deals.
And it’s nothing on the online retailers. They’re taking orders on Thanksgiving anyway. The question is what days they run their sales. Is it Thursday, or Monday? And I’m pretty sure those who run them on Thursday will do better than those who don’t cut prices until Monday.
I’ve spent almost $200 today, and I’m not certain I’m done. I have time today. Monday looks to be a busy day at the office. And besides, I think the Internet connection here is faster than the one at work anyway.
David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.