The Friday after Thanksgiving kicks off the official start to the holiday shopping season. Black Friday, as it’s called, is the day when a number of brick and mortar retailers open their doors early and draw crowds of people to their stores by offering the best deals and discounts of the year. However, a lesser known shopping holiday is Cyber Monday, the biggest online shopping day of the year. Cyber Monday falls on the first Monday after Thanksgiving and retailers once again offer great deals, this time at their online stores.

Despite the recent economic crisis, both Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales are expected to grow 1.2% and 2.4%, respectively, according to a new study conducted by BDO Seidman, LLP. While this growth is not as large as the last few years, consumers will be looking for the best deals both in-the-store and online to try to cut their holiday expenditures while still fulfilling their holiday wish lists.

While every shopper’s needs differ, the National Retail Federation predicts personal and practical gifts will top holiday shopping lists, including clothing, accessories, books, CDs, DVDs and video games. Other popular categories include toys, electronics, jewelry and gift cards.

Consumers looking for great deals and an easy way to avoid the crowds and long lines will surely take advantage of Cyber Monday offerings. Savvy online shoppers will take their savings a step further by using coupon sites. CouponChief.com offers online discount codes that can help save additional money on top of Cyber Monday discounts. To make Black Friday and Cyber Monday deal searching easier, CouponChief.com has created special sections of its site to showcase relevant coupons for each day:

Black Friday: http://www.couponchief.com/tags/black_friday
Cyber Monday: http://www.couponchief.com/tags/cyber_monday

Be sure to check out CouponChief.com before making any online purchases this holiday season to keep on budget while buying all the things to make this holiday special. Users can search the site to find deals on a variety of items including apparel, toys, furniture, home décor, and much more.

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