Did someone say Black Friday or I Feel Fat Friday? I know why the Friday after Thanksgiving is the biggest retail-shopping day of the year. I think most people are trying to “shop off” all the turkey, stuffing and pumpkin pie they consumed the day before. I call it retail exercise or shop-o-cizing.

For me, the impetus to brave crazy (often rude) shoppers and the inevitably overcrowded parking lots is about several things: I’m anxious to get my body moving after a day of nothing but eating and watching football games (oh yeah, and giving thanks); I’m also driven by the hope of snagging an amazing bargain; plus, it’s simply a huge thrill to know that my favorite stores are open at the crack of dawn since I am an extremely early riser on a daily basis.

My desire to participate in Black Friday perplexes those who know me. Three hundred and sixty four days a year, I work extra hard to avoid throngs people or anything where I have to deal with large crowds. I don’t have some weird fear of crowds, just less patience (and sometimes manners) than is typically required in those situations. So, if everyone is going to a parade, I’m headed out of town. If everyone is expected to be on the road for a long weekend getaway, I’m sticking close to home. If there’s a must-see free concert in the park, I’m thinking that’s the time to head to the mall or movie theater.

Now researchers are saying that Black Friday is still likely to bring out the crowds, but that most will be window shopping and not spending. Instead, “Cyber Monday,” the Monday after Thanksgiving, is when many will choose to actually make purchases.

The theory goes like this: people head out the retail stores on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving check out the items they are interested in, then go into work on Monday search for the items online and buy via the Net. Sounds good to me.

Cyber Monday used to be the twelfth busiest shopping day online, but it is quickly becoming one of the biggest online shopping days of the year.

According to the Shop.org/BizRate Research 2005 eHoliday Mood Study, 77 percent of online retailers said that their sales increased substantially last year on the Monday after Thanksgiving, a trend that is driving serious online discounts and promotions on Cyber Monday this year.

That means that on Friday while I’m still trying to zip up my jeans and moaning about how I really should have avoided that second heaping, helping of mashed potatoes, while pushing my way towards that on sale cashmere sweater, many online marketers will be working overtime to get ready for the Cyber Monday onslaught.

It will be interesting when the actual data for online retailers for Monday, November 28, 2005 comes in. However, I also can’t wait to see the correlation to worker productivity for that day.

Happy shopping and happy selling!! lisap@revenuetoday.com