Amazon Prime Day(s) Primer
Bottom Line: Kudos to Amazon for creating a phenomenon out of nothing. It truly speaks to their power as the world’s leading retailer that they were able to take a generally slow sales time in mid-summer and turn it into one of the top retail sales events of the year. And the reason it’s worked is because the deals really are that good. Here are some of the keys for you to be able to save on Prime Day.
First, don’t be confused into thinking you have to buy an annual Prime membership to participate. It now costs $119 and if you just want to participate in the deals without having to lay out a cool buck twenty before doing so – know this...
- Amazon allows one free 30-day trial every twelve months for Prime
So, yes, you can sign up for free as long as it’s been at least a year since you’ve done it previously.
- Don’t assume Amazon’s deals are the best prices
One of Amazon’s wicked smart tactics is to lure people into Prime who then feel the need to “use” their membership to get value out of it. Are some, perhaps many, of Amazon’s Prime deals likely to be the best prices on specific items? Yes. Will it be for all of them? Likely no. Routinely Wal-Mart's Jet.com and Walmart.com have pricing that’s better than Amazon’s pricing on items. Three years running on the 30 mostly commonly purchased items, Wal-Mart has beaten Amazon on price. And with many retailers looking to participate in the coattails of Amazon’s Prime Day, running a quick online search of the item(s) you’re thinking of buying makes sense before pulling the trigger.
- Don’t forget Whole Foods
Unless you’re already an Amazon acolyte, you probably don’t think of Amazon immediately when thinking of Whole Foods. You also might not think of groceries on Prime Day. I’m not sure what exactly Amazon’s deals for Whole Foods will look like but they’re going to happen. Last year was the first year Whole Foods was owned by Amazon on Prime Day and this year, it’s a priority for Amazon to push people towards Whole Foods.
- Remember it’s two days
Prime Day has become days. The deals take place Monday and Tuesday.
Happy shopping!