Cyber Monday to test limits of retailers' websites as shoppers scour deals

Cyber Monday was on track to bring in a record 7.8 billion U.S. dollars in U.S. online sales, as millions of shoppers scoured for steep discounts on everything from Lego sets to big-screen TVs.

Amazon.com Inc. packages sit in front of a FedEx Corp. delivery truck in New York, U.S., on Monday, Nov. 26, 2018. [Photo: VCG]

Amazon Spokesperson Lori Torgerson says the company has higher expectations for this year's shopping day.

"Yes, so it's Cyber Monday. In 2017, Cyber Monday was the single biggest shopping day of the year for Amazon and we expect this year will be even bigger. Last year, Amazon customers ordered more than 83 million items worldwide, which is 961 items per second. Today, at Cyber Monday, we are offering thousands of deals on toys, fashion, home and so much more."

Amazon and brands like Target were pulling out all the stops by offering free delivery with no minimum order requirement and bombarding shoppers with promotional emails.

Shares of Amazon were up 5 percent in afternoon trading. Macy's, Kohl's and Target shares rose as well.

Amazon says 75 fulfillment centers in the United States have employed more than 125-thousand full-time Amazon employees.