Perhaps I should just turn off my computer. Day after day, the stock market, economic news and world events have made it hard for me to get out of bed with a positive attitude. So I put my laptop aside on Thanksgiving and after a good night’s rest ventured out to see how the local economy was handling Black Friday.

We hit a few stores, were tossed around in the crowds and then stood in loooooong lines to pay. I had plenty of time to talk to fellow shoppers. We chatted about their 4:00 a.m. wakeup (yes, there actually are people who shop at 4:00 a.m.), what they were looking for, whether or not they were finding it, and where they were headed.

What I heard made me realize none of us — despite the news we read online every day — is going to be tossing aside our laptops. Time and again I heard shoppers who’d logged in a good six hours of shopping by 10 a.m. saying they were headed home to do their ‘real’ shopping —online. Why? They were limited to buying what was in the store, they were tired of battling others to get a simple Barbie doll, they were uncertain whether they were really getting a deal, and they were sick of the long lines at the check out. Add to that the cost of driving around town and lunch and, well, quite frankly they wondered how much money they were really saving.

The Internet, on the other hand, allows you to shop 24/7. Right now, free shipping is standard (and if it’s not, then you need to try another site). You can easily price compare and your choices are virtually unlimited. Type in “Power Rangers” on Amazon.com and you’ll see what I mean.

Over the past decade, online shopping has been growing about 20 percent annually. It’s all about convenience and the 3-click rule — if you can’t find it in 3 clicks, you leave the site. Think about that the next time you design your website. Whether or not you’re selling goods online, you are selling your brand. If you want people to know who you are and what you can do for them — do it on the homepage and never bury anything beyond 3 clicks.

My thought? Sleep in on Black Friday. Enjoy a nice hot cup of coffee and open up your laptop. While the stock market will jump or plummet today based on the sales of Black Friday, I’m going to keep my eye on what I call Cyber Monday. Or Cyber Tuesday. Heck – Cyber 365/24/7.