Green Monday is annually celebrated on every second Monday of December in the United States. This means this year it falls on December 12th!
This day is all about holiday shopping like Black Friday and Cyber Monday which comes during the Thanksgiving weekend. Whereas during this period people often engage in at the end of the calendar year before the major events of Christmas and New Year.
Although it might sound like a day that is meant to celebrate the environment, that's not exactly the definition of "green" for this day. As it is purely a holiday dedicated for shopping before the Christmas season officially begins.
| Event | Green Monday |
|---|---|
| Date | December 12, 2022 |
| Day | Monday |
| Significance | The day is all about holiday shopping |
| Observed by | United States |
Green Monday History:
Traditionally, sales were exclusive to the Friday after Thanksgiving. Now some large retailers offer sales before Thanksgiving and for several days after including Small Business Saturday. Retailers offer discounts online and in-store on Black Friday. Many open their doors during the predawn hours on Black Friday. To keep up with the competition, some retailers keep their operations going on the Thanksgiving holiday, while others begin offering deals earlier during November. Thus in similar trend as Black Friday days like Cyber Monday and then Green Monday was established to take advantage of shopping season.
Only 12 years old, this young retail holiday was coined by eBay in 2007 to describe the biggest online sales day in December. It's called Green Monday because the second Monday of December tends to be the busiest sales day of the month, due to looming holiday shopping deadlines. It's also, specifically, the last Monday with at least 10 days prior to Christmas — which is important if the gift you bought needs at least 10 business days to arrive. Stores tend to offer some great deals on Green Monday, with prices that can go head to head with Cyber Monday and Black Friday.
In the early days, Green Monday was more of a descriptive term than a major sales event. And very few retailers actually used the term, instead promoting early December sales as "Cyber Monday" sequels. It was in the year 2010 when Green Monday starts solidifying in the retail lexicon. Oracle tracks an uptick of email marketing around Green Monday, making it the sixth busiest email marketing day of 2010. From next year on started getting major media attention. By 2012 Green Monday was officially established, with retailers including Sears, Levi’s and Walmart throwing sales, many of them using some form of the term "Green Monday" in their promo codes and advertising.
Each store posts its Green Monday sales deals on either their own Green Monday or Cyber Monday websites. Look to your favorite retailers to see if they are holding Green Monday specials. For example, in 2019, Shoes.com offered up to 60% off—plus an extra 35% off—its Green Monday Madness sale. Some stores black out their price matching policy during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but quietly reinstate it for Green Monday. Green Monday is a great time to look for free Christmas shipping promotions. Retailers know you need to get it shipped in time for the holiday, and may offer free, speedy shipping.
Green Monday Significance:
The "Green" in Green Monday refers to money, which shoppers are more willing to spend with less than two weeks remaining until Christmas. Green Monday comes with a sense of urgency, which translates into online sales as people rush to complete their holiday shopping lists. The day has never been as promoted or organized as Black Friday or Cyber Monday, but plenty of retailers have gotten in on the holiday dash action by offering can't-miss deals. So as a shopping day now this day is taken seriously by shoppers.
The popularity of online holiday shopping should come as no surprise. Half of all online shoppers say that free shipping was the most important deciding factor in making an online purchase.4 In fact, even while in-store, many consumers choose an online experience: 45% of Americans used their cell phones in a store to search for a better price online, while another 12% used their phone to pay for an item while in a store. The holiday shopping season is critical to businesses because one-fifth of annual retail sales occur between Black Friday and Christmas.
Green Monday is utilized by top stores like Walmart, Target, Amazon and almost everyone today. By participating, they're able to extend the excitement around Black Friday and the holiday shopping season. Discounts can be substantial — some consider it Cyber Monday part 2 as it's the second biggest day for online shopping. Its online aspect is most popular with Millennials and Gen X, as the majority of Baby Boomers prefer to shop in-store. In the minutiae of everyday life, we tend to lose track of time. Tuesdays feel like Thursdays and this week feels like last week. Green Monday grounds us in time so it doesn't feel like Christmas is jumping out of nowhere.
Looking for the perfect gift is difficult. So difficult, that we'd rather do it tomorrow. But at some point, tomorrow become "only a few days left until Christmas", and we're wondering where the time went! Green Monday gives us the chance to redeem ourselves by saving money on items that would have been way more expensive if we'd done our shopping earlier. It all works out! In this way it also saves us from getting anxious while shopping during the busy Christmas schedule. Through this we can also plan wisely for our Christmas shopping.
Green Monday Activities:
The main goal for this day is to make sure to finish filling all of the requests on the Christmas lists of kids, friends, and other family members through shopping. When online shopping came into play a few decades ago, it certainly changed the way that last minute shopping happens. Now, everything can be delivered right to the doorstep. That is, of course, if it is ordered in time to arrive by Christmas. And that typically means getting those gift purchases made by Green Monday.
To avoid running into the same problems next year, perhaps this would be a good time to do some planning ahead! Spend some time on Green Monday working on that gift list for the holidays that are coming up the following year. Have those items ready and then be better prepared for the future! Thus this day serves as an awesome opportunity for you to shop first only while making good shopping decisions.
If you've already completed your Christmas shopping then it's time to get yourself a little treat. We can't always rely on our friends and family to get us exactly what we wanted, so why not utilizes this day to buy yourself the Christmas present you really want. A little bit of extra shopping is definitely not a huge deal so use this opportunity to get something for yourself this festive season.
Most Searched FAQs on Green Monday:
1. When is Green Monday celebrated?
Green Monday is annually celebrated on every second Monday of December.
2. What is the meaning of Green Monday?
Green Monday refers to one of the retail industry's busiest shopping days, occurring on the second Monday in December. Green Monday represents the day many shoppers rush to purchase last-minute holiday gifts and take advantage of deals.
3. What time does Green Monday start?
Green Monday sales start at midnight on popular retailers' websites.