THE SELMA TIMES-JOURNAL

Monday marked the kickoff for the online holiday shopping season as &8220;Cyber Monday,&8221; one of the busiest online shopping days of the year.

The term, coined by the National Retail Federation in 2005, is no techno-geek phrase for the computer-savvy elite.

For the online crowd, &8220;Cyber Monday&8221; is kin to Black Friday for sales. On many Web sites retailers offer special promotions and free shipping.

Donnarose Buchanan of Selma took advantage of Cyber Monday, browsing websites for deals.

She shops for bedding and for her children. She likes to compare prices and catch sales. She frequents JCPenney’s, Wal-Mart’s, and The Pottery Barn’s sites.

Misty Blevins, who works at the Alltel store on Highland Avenue, often shops Ebay and The Children’s Place online.

She uses the live chat function some stores offer, and has found that online customer service representatives

have been more informed about their products.

Holly Adams, who also works at the Alltel store, is calle d the online shopping guru by her coworkers.

Adams’ list of favorite sites includes Piperlime by Gap, L.L. Bean, Bath and Body Works and Ebay, among others.

Sears, Best Buy, Victoria’s Secret, and E.B. Games.

Adams even purchased a wedding band recently online, from Australia.

For all her online shopping, Adams said she has never had any trouble with shipping. The one time she had trouble, she said, was with an overnight package from Victoria’s Secret. When the package did not arrive on time, Adams said the company paid her entire bill, over $200.

Ashley Evans said she finds great deals online, and shops American Eagle, L.L. Bean, and Hollister. On Old Navy’s website recently, she found four shirts for $9.99. Unlike in-store clearance racks, she can usually find her exact size online.