ST. LOUIS – On this Cyber Monday, businesses are hoping shoppers take advantage of online sales as the holiday season kicks into high gear. Whether it’s a big box store or an online purchase, some folks we talked to today say they’re taking advantage of those Cyber Monday deals.

According to the National Retail Federation and Proper Insights & Analytics, a record number of 196.7 million Americans shopped in stores and online during the five-day holiday shopping period from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday. That number is up by nearly 17 million from 2021.

With inflation felt by many this year, consumers everywhere are trying to stretch their dollars.

Retailers saw more than 122 million people step into brick-and-mortar stores; online, more than 130 million did their shopping via the internet.

And with hours still left on this Monday, the cyber clock is ticking.