Are Black Friday, Cyber Monday Outdated? Yes, Say Retail Experts

According to some of the nation's leading marketing and business experts, the idea of 'Black Friday' for in-store shopping, and 'Cyber Monday' for online shopping as the biggest of the year is outdated and no longer exists. And, according to data from last year, it seems to be true.

Sure. millions will still get up at 0-dark :30 to shop retail stores, while as many will sit in their robes in front of a computer or laptop or on their cellphone and buy online.

But according to Greg Sterling of the website marketingland.com,  the idea that stores should still separate the two is outdated and fading fast. Sterling reports that actual Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales slipped from 2013 to 2014, and are expected to drop anywhere from another 3-5 percent this year.

But it's not a slugging economy, but rather stores expanding sales and consumers spreading out their shopping into the Thanksgiving holiday itself and before.  Sterling says millions more people spent part of Thanksgiving day shopping online, and the day before. Many retail TV ads this week have urged consumers to visit their websites on Thanksgiving, a way to utilize down time during the day.

Many retailers are now trying to take advantage of the free time consumers have on the holiday by offering specials online. Walmart kicked off it's Cyber Monday specials on November 23rd.

So, rather than people spending less, the Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales numbers are being spread out.  Sterling believes the days of record store or online sales numbers area thing of the past, and perhaps in the next decade, the ideas of Black Friday and Cyber Monday will be something people talk about as past history.