Like creeping Black Friday, Cyber Monday could stay awhile

While bricks-and-mortar retailers already are luring consumers with discounts and creeping Black Friday, which now starts around midnight on Thanksgiving, online retailers also are piling on discounts.

Even the National Retail Federation’s Shop.org has its CyberMonday.com portal running, connecting with many national retailers offering online specials.

But will those same specials go deeper before or after Cyber Monday?

“Cyber Monday already comes at midnight for some retailers. Given the convenience already offered for those shopping online, there’s little chance this day will creep into any days before it,” said Kathy Grannis, spokeswoman for the National Retail Federation.

Cyber Monday, when online retailers typically offer their deepest discounts and free delivery the Monday following Black Friday, could strongly influence the rest of the online selling season. And it appears that some online retailers are seeking to squeeze what they can.

Take JCPenney for example. It’s website plans to have 3 days surrounding Cyber Monday, Nov. 27-29, with deals partnered with free shipping for orders of $25 or more, said JCPenney spokeswoman Sarah Kelleher.

ATT.com will have a Cyber Monday-weekend, of sorts, with specials available on a rotating basis with devices selling as low as 1 penny from Black Friday through Cyber Monday. Friday, Nov. 25 offers touch-screen devices at discounted prices; Saturday, Nov. 26, offers Windows 7 and select Android devices for 1 cent. Sunday, Nov. 27, offers the BlackBerry 9860 for 1 cent and the HTC Red Inspire for $29.99. And Monday, Nov. 28, offers the Samsung Infuse, BlackBerry 9810, HTC Inspire and LG Thrill, all for 1 cent each.

Also, Hoffman Estates-based Sears is providing a special twist. It’s Sears.com will have consumers select the deals, a program called People’s Pick. This online feature allows customers to vote on what popular items should go on sale each week through Dec. 24, for both in the store and online.

So with the expected deals, about half of all adults nationwide plan to shop online on Cyber Monday, according to Chicago-based CouponCabin.com’s survey conducted by Harris Interactive. So will you be among them?

Ÿ Follow Anna Marie Kukec on LinkedIn and Facebook and as AMKukec on Twitter. Write to her at akukec@dailyherald.com.