Online Shopping on the Job

by Caroline M.L. Potter

Move over, Black Friday. Cyber Monday is aiming to usurp your position as America's biggest shopping day of the year!
A recent study by BDO Seidman, LLP, predicts that online sales on the Monday after Thanksgiving will increase by 2.4 percent this year. According to the Purdue Retail Institute's 2008 retail holiday forecast, 35 million people will shop online that day, enticed by discounts on shipping and merchandise. Purdue University retail expert Richard Feinberg believes that noon to 4 p.m. will be the busiest time for shopping -- which means many folks will be shopping at work.

Should You Do It?
"Business is facing a dilemma," Feinberg says. "If they let shopping from work occur, they lose money and productivity. If business does not allow shopping from work, they may cause hostility and dissatisfaction in their work force, which also can lead to lost productivity, and other problems [such as absenteeism]. It may be that allowing workers to shop on the job actually increases productivity."
Online shopping expert Michelle Madhok agrees. "I think that today most people expect there to be a merger of personal and professional time, since most of us are basically on call for work 24/7 with our BlackBerries."
Nevertheless, workers should check their employers' policies regarding personal online activities during work. In many cases, you could be shopping at your own risk.
Deborah Brown-Volkman, a career coach and former human resources executive, admits, "It's a big day for shopping -- but find out what your company's policies are first. You don't necessarily need to go to HR for that. That information may be in a memo or you could just informally check with your coworkers."
She adds, "A company will almost never say that you can use their equipment on their time for your personal business, but you do get breaks and lunch hours, so if you're going to shop online, do it on your own time."

Online Buyers' Tips (at Work or Not)
Madhok, the founder of SheFinds.com, a popular online shopping blog, has some tips to help you make the most of your online holiday shopping without interfering with your job.

Keep It Personal
While she doesn't believe online shopping is verboten at the office, Madhok does recommend using your personal email address and personal phone number to track orders. "Even if your boss is OK with it, you don't want to start getting coupon codes and sample-sale invitations to your corporate email address."
If your employer frowns upon online shopping, you can try to use mobile sites on your iPhone or BlackBerry. And even if you are allowed to engage in the practice, make sure the sites you wish to shop on come up on your work computer. Certain sites could be blocked, which could foil your Cyber Monday plans.
Shop Early ... Before Work

"If afternoon is going to be the busiest period, you might want to shop in the morning -- also because a lot of sites restock first thing in the morning," says Madhok. "BlueFly.com, for example, puts out their new stock at 7 a.m. There are a lot of sample sale sites, such as Gilt.com, Ideeli.com, and Ruelala.com -- and most of their sales are timed." This will save you time as you'll know when the online sample sales are happening. Shopping in the morning hours before work will also ensure that you're not jeopardizing your job.

Use Alerts
Sales notification services can help you get the best prices in the least amount of time. Madhok recommends ShopIt2toMe.com and Shopstyle.com. "Depending on the site you're on, you can select brands and sizes and you'll be alerted by email when they go on sale." (Again, use your personal email address.)
You can also use alerts to help you minimize time winning auctions on eBay. "Alerts can do the search work for you," she says. SheFinds.com also has lists of must-have items that will be hard-to-get in 2009.

Bargain Shop
You can save time and money by shopping at sites such as Smartbargains.com and Overstock.com any day of the week. Says Madhok, "Those are two great sites. And if you want the deals, shop early in the season or know what the cutoff dates for the sites are so you know you'll get it when you need it."
The online shopping guru also recommends searching on Yahoo! for the phrase "coupon code" along with each online store's name to make sure you're getting the best deals available.

careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy