Cyber Monday: A look inside Amazon, best deals and how to shop safely
Nov 28, 2016, 5:47 AM
Last year, customers ordered more than 54 million items worldwide during Cyber Monday. (AP)
(AP)
Hundreds of people are working around the clock in DuPont, where workers could ship more than 50,000 packages on Cyber Monday.
KIRO 7 got a unique look inside one of the busiest retail buildings in the world – the Amazon fulfillment center.
The building is the size of 28 football fields, uses robots to help fulfill orders, and has 800 full-time employees.
Last year, customers ordered more than 54 million items worldwide – that’s 629 items every second.
Analysts expect online sales to hit at least $3.3 billion Monday. Amazon’s specials started at midnight.
The online retailer will roll out more than 75,000 sales, such as $40 off the Amazon Echo and $250 off a Dell laptop.
Amazon says so far this holiday season, the most-watched deal has been the mermaid tail blanket.
Cyber Monday is also a good day to find travel deals. Experts say slow summer travel sales should result in big airfare and hotel discounts.
Trips to the Caribbean and Europe are expected to come cheap.
But not everything on Cyber Monday is cheap.
Cyber security experts say be sure to take a good look before trying to score Cyber Monday deals using a smartphone.
Scammers are using fake retail sites and product apps that look just like a valid retailer but may have a letter missing in the name or some other small but telltale indication that it’s a fake.
Another issue is thieves scooping up packaged items ordered on Monday. Thieves may have their calendars marked for “package theft Wednesday.”
Nearly half of all holiday purchases are made online and it can take a few days for those items to arrive.
So more thieves are targeting the deliveries left at people’s front doors.
Experts say one possible solution is to have packages delivered straight to your work during business hours.
