Cyber Monday 2011 Deals: Is Today the Best Day to Shop?

If you’re feeling a bit pressured to spend, spend spend as the Cyber Monday deals filter across your Facebook and Twitter feeds, today is not the only day to save on your biggest Christmas and holiday purchases.

Sure, there are some great Cyber Monday deals in 2011, but they’re not always or even often the lowest prices you’ll see all season. Of course, it’s difficult to tell exactly when prices will drop to their absolute lowest, leaving you more money in your budget for stocking stuffers and post-mall cocktails. But while Cyber Monday deals are hot, there will be more deal hotness to come. The New York Times consulted with computer science professor and artificial intelligence expert Oren Etzioni, who- the paper points out- spent Black Friday scuba diving in Bali rather than hunting for deals. (To which we respectfully point out that if you can afford a Thanksgiving trip to Bali you probably don’t need to be punching people at Walmart for a $2 waffle maker.) Etzioni said that better prices can and often do come after Cyber Monday deals are cleared away for the year. He explains:

“The bottom line is, Black Friday is for the retailers to go from the red into the black… It’s not really for people to get great deals on the most popular products.”

Etzioni said toys especially “have a short shelf life,” and that as Christmas (and the end of December) draws nearer, retailers are likely to “slash” prices in an effort to unload excess stock before the new year rolls around. Have you found some Cyber Monday 2011 deals you can’t pass up, or are you rolling the dice and waiting a bit longer in hopes of further cuts?