• Reuters, Wednesday, November 22, 2006 11 AM

Yes, yes "Cyber Monday" is next week, and there'll be several stories leading up to it and after it, but in reality, "Cyber Monday" is to the online shopping season what "Flag Day" is to holidays: Most people don't notice.

Named, of course, after the "Black Friday" that comes after Thanksgiving--its imaginary retail holiday cousin--"Cyber Monday"--ranked as the ninth most-active online shipping day last year, according to a MasterCard report. The busiest day was Dec. 5, for no particular reason,

Black Friday, by the way, isn't as big a deal as the media would have you believe, according to the report. Last year, it was the sixth busiest shopping day; Friday, Dec. 23, was the busiest, and the same day is expected to top the sales chart this year, too.

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