Will Sales Tax Influence Your Cyber Monday Shopping?

What comes after Black Friday and Small Business Saturday? Cyber Monday, when internet retailers go all out to lure holiday buyers. But this year, there's a new wrinkle: sales tax.

Since Sept. 15, California online shoppers have had to pay sales tax on their internet purchases from retailers like Amazon.

Now that the playing field is a bit more level, do you plan to shift any of your holiday shopping from online to in-person? Tell us in the comments.

Any online retailer registered to sell in the State of California will need to collect sales tax from buyers of their goods, even on Cyber Monday. According to the state Board of Equalization, there is no 'blackout' period on that day, in which the sales tax can be waived.

Many online retailers are offering free shipping this year with certain dollar minimums, and in fact, many were offering Cyber Monday deals beginning on Friday, following the same marketing plan the Black Friday retailers put into place this year as some decided to open on Thanksgiving Eve.

But shopping locally, whether at a big box store, shopping centers or one of our smaller businesses, allows the customer to see the merchandise, touch it, and decide if it's right for him or her. Returns are generally easier than for the online experience, where one has to repackage, resend, and wait for the credit.

What do you think? With prices similar between local stores and online retailers, where will you shop? Is it better to keep money in our community, and support our stores? Small businesses always appreciate the support.

And even at big box stores, where the cash is going to a corporate tower that's often a long way away, local workers have jobs at those stores, trying to support families.

Or are the deals on the internet just too good to be passed over? Tell us in the comments.