CHICAGO — DePaul University faculty experts are available to provide insight and commentary on the consumer holidays of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Experts are available to comment on consumer behavior, business marketing plans and procrastination with holiday shopping. They also can answer questions about Internet security breaches including retailers having their credit card databases hacked. Will consumers be spending less money on Cyber Monday because of security breaches? Why do consumers act the way they do on Black Friday? What new marketing or advertising techniques are being incorporated during the month of November? Ask our scholarly experts:

Jacob Furst, professor, College of Computing and Digital Media. Furst, an expert in computer security, is director of the DePaul Information Assurance Center. He also teaches courses in information security, secure electronic commerce, and networking and security. “Buying online is risky, but so is life. Every moment of every day, we are called on to balance risk and reward — unfortunately we typically have flawed or incomplete information and have to make an educated guess,” said Furst. “It is also a very individual decision. For me the rewards of shopping online outweigh the risks, and I will continue to shop online. We can’t do much more to protect ourselves than the credit card industry and our legal system has already done,” said Furst. “The credit card industry has good fraud detection and prevention mechanisms in place and there are laws in place to protect consumers.” He can be reached at jfurst@cdm.depaul.edu or 312-362-5158.

James Mourey, assistant professor, Driehaus College of Business. Mourey is a consumer scientist who can discuss how holidays and shopping experiences often lead consumers to engage in irrational behavior. “Experiences like Black Friday often result in 'misattribution of arousal,' in which the hype and excitement of an experience influences shopping decisions, often resulting in poor choices and lowered satisfaction,” said Mourey. “Although companies and consumers ‘complain’ about store hours extending into the Thanksgiving holiday, the crowds will still show up. Just as people say they fear identity theft but still use their debit and credit cards regularly, people complain about Black Friday yet also line up like cattle waiting for the stampede,” said Mourey. “It's a blend of competitiveness, social influence and entertainment — when else do people shop like they're running from bulls in Pamplona?" He can be reached at jmourey@depaul.edu or 312-362-7663.

Ken Krimstein, visiting lecturer, College of Communication. Krimstein is an award-winning creative director and marketing strategist with extensive experience in national and global brands, including American Express, Coca-Cola, Lands' End and General Motors. "I still remember when the day after Thanksgiving was just that, the day after Thanksgiving. Now, with K-Mart and Sears opening at 7:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning, Black Friday keeps migrating to an earlier time. Add to that the fears of credit card breaches suffered by Target and Home Depot, as well as the online retailing onslaught and the advertising and marketing forces seem to be braced for a very, very tough holiday opening gambit indeed,” said Krimstein. “In fact, Kmart has already shown a certain amount of bad-boy fearlessness, starting with 'Ship My Pants' and their notorious ‘Jingle Bells’ spots of last season, and carrying on with the spoof ‘not a Christmas ad’ layaway commercial,” said Krimstein. He can be reached at kkrimste@depaul.edu or 646-327-3403.

Joe Ferrari, professor, College of Science and Health. Ferrari, a psychologist and an expert in chronic procrastination, can speak about the mental effects of waiting to do holiday shopping at the last minute. “People should be starting their shopping much earlier than Black Friday to avoid the stress of buying around Thanksgiving,” said Ferrari. “There is a myth that you get the best deals on Black Friday, but the deals get better as you get closer to Christmas. Retailers are encouraging us to shop later; they are rewarding us when we procrastinate.  People tend to generate more excuses when they are under deadline, like getting all your Christmas shopping done before Dec. 25. Procrastinators are great excuse makers who don’t assume responsibility for their behaviors. It is never their fault it is always somebody else.” He can be reached at jferrari@depaul.edu or 773-325-4244.

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