Some Merchants Get Jump On Cyber Monday Deals

DETROIT (WWJ) - Last week we saw a premature start to the biggest shopping day of the year-- and it seems retailers are doing the same with the biggest online shopping day of the year.

Web deals have been available all weekend ahead of Cyber Monday --  and shoppers have been grabbing them up ... as Internet sales on Thanksgiving Day were up almost 40 percent from last year.

Still, U of D Mercy Marketing professor Mike Bernacchi says online sales will remain highest on the Monday after the holiday.

"It's a brand name shopping day so it's one of those days you look for - so there is no way it's going to be obsolete, (but) they have a higher bar to hop," said Bernacchi.

"It's like a poker hand, not everyone is going to show their cards, you're going to have some deals here and some deals there - some are going to go off and then come on, and the astute shopper just has to do his or her homework," said Bernacchi.

Bernacchi says more than 100 million people shopped Cyber Monday last year.