Amazon’s annual “Prime Big Deal Days” event is set to take place on October 10-11, but it’s important to note that not all discounts are as good as they may seem. Before making any purchases, consider these 7 things to keep in mind, whether it’s before Black Friday or even after.
1. New smartphones, such as the iPhone 15 or Pixel 8, are best purchased during Black Friday for the best deals. Retailers like Walmart tend to offer significant discounts and gift cards towards the purchase of iPhones during this time.
2. While Amazon may heavily promote their Fire TV products during Prime Big Deal Days, it’s advised to wait until Black Friday for better deals. Retailers such as Best Buy, Newegg, and Walmart typically offer great deals on TVs, especially 65-inch sets.
3. Clothing and shoes, especially winter clothes, may have some discounts during Prime Day, but bigger sales can be found on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Additionally, winter clothes tend to be more expensive at this time, so it’s better to wait until the spring off-season for bigger savings.
4. Lego sets may see a discount during Prime Day, but Black Friday deals are likely to be better. Last year, Lego and Target offered up to 40% off Lego products on Black Friday.
5. Furniture is typically best purchased during Labor Day and Memorial Day promotional events, as they offer higher discounts. It’s also better to see and test furniture in person before making a purchase.
6. Unless you’re specifically interested in Amazon devices, it’s recommended to wait until Black Friday for electronics and small appliances. Black Friday sales offer more variety and better prices, especially for items like laptops, smartwatches, and tablets.
7. Gamers can find better deals on game consoles, controllers, and games on Black Friday. This is when retailers offer great game bundles and lowest prices, making it worth the wait.
It’s also wise to compare prices between different retailers and use price-tracking sites like Camelcamelcamel to check the price history of Amazon products. Additionally, consider the shipping cost and refund offers available on different sites to choose the best deal for you.
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By Charles Passy and Nicole Lyn Pesce
Amazon’s “Prime Big Deal Days” event will be held October 10-11, but not all discounts are as good as they seem. Here are 7 things to keep in mind before purchasing until Black Friday, or even after.
The next round of Prime Day deals might look tempting, but read this before you add anything to your cart.
Amazon ( AMZN ) is tempting shoppers to open their wallets with a second Prime Day 2023 event — dubbed “Prime Big Deal Days” — taking place Oct. 10-11. It follows a similar strategy to one attempted by the online retail giant last year, when it also doubled down on its traditional summer Prime Day promotion with a second two-day sales event in the fall.
But before you buy anything this week, stop and consider whether the savings are really as good as they seem. You might want to flip the script on your shopping list and go into this sale by thinking about what NOT to buy right now instead.
With that in mind, here are several items and product categories that industry experts and deal hunters say you might want to scroll through during Amazon’s “Prime Big Deal Days,” especially since better deals are likely just around the corner with the Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
The new iPhone 15 or Pixel 8 and other smartphones
Shoppers may want to postpone the pickup of new smartphones, and especially iPhones, during this Amazon event. “Apple (AAPL) and Google (GOOG) recently released the latest versions of their flagship headphones, but Black Friday is when we tend to see the best phone deals of the year,” says consumer analyst Katie Roberts by DealNews.com. “Walmart (WMT) is one of the best stores to look for iPhone bundles and gift cards on Black Friday. In fact, last year, Walmart offered shoppers up to $750 worth of gift cards towards the purchase and trading select iPhones. The then-latest iPhone 14 line was part of the deal, and with those devices you could get a $300 Walmart gift card. Additionally, some iPhone 13 models came with gift cards worth up to $500.”
Related: Google Pixel 8 vs. Apple iPhone 15
And: How Google’s Pixel Watch 2 compares to the Apple Watch 9 and Samsung Galaxy Watch6
televisions
Amazon will be heavily promoting their Fire TV products this week, and you may see some good prices there. But Kristin McGrath, shopping expert at BlackFriday.com, a site that compiles Black Friday discounts from around the web, urges you to wait until Black Friday. “That’s when all the retailers go all out,” she says. “You’ll have a wider range of deals on a wider range of high-quality, affordable sets during Black Friday sales from all retailers,” not just Amazon.
DealNews.com’s Roberts agrees. “Last year we saw a lot of deals on Black Friday, especially for 65-inch TVs,” he says. “Some of the best deals on 65-inch sets have come from Amazon, Best Buy (BBY), Newegg, and Walmart, so they’re worth checking out in November. Walmart, for example, was selling a 65-inch Roku TCL 4K” TV during on Black Friday last year it went to just $228.”
Clothing and shoes, especially winter clothes
Sure, you can find Prime Day discounts of 20% to 30% on plenty of wearables, says budget guru Andrea Woroch. But “you can typically get even bigger sales on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, especially from specific clothing stores that offer exclusive products for big savings,” he says.
BlackFriday.com’s McGrath notes that you can get great deals on clothing whenever the seasons change, so now, for example, might be a good time to find discounts on fall clothing as retailers make room for cold-weather clothing . However, avoid winter clothes at all costs right now unless you really need something ASAP. “Winter clothing is just starting to hit the shelves, so it’s more expensive,” he says. “If you can let your clothes from last winter stretch for one more year, you can save a lot of money” by purchasing winter clothes in the spring off-season instead.
So if you’re looking for deals on cold-weather gear, like coats and boots, wait until after the holidays, Woroch agrees. This is when retailers are really looking to move inventory on such items and you can get savings of 60% or more.
Lego sets
Many Prime Day shoppers will be looking for toys to get ahead with their holiday shopping. Amazon said in its Prime Big Deal Days preview that shoppers will be able to save up to 30% on Legos during the event, notes DealNews.com’s Roberts. But you may still want to wait.
“Black Friday deals will most likely beat this discount,” he predicts. “For Black Friday last year, Lego itself and Target (TGT) both discounted up to 40% on Lego products, so it’s worth checking out during the shopping holiday.”
Furniture
Are you looking to buy a lounge chair to watch all those football games this season? (And maybe catch a glimpse of Taylor Swift in the process?) Prime Day isn’t typically the ideal time to shop for furniture, says Nicole Leinbach, co-founder of the Independent Retailer Conference. “Furniture typically offers higher discounts at Labor Day and Memorial Day promotional events,” she says.
Woroch also points out a reality that many buyers choose to ignore: that furniture is often something “better to see and test in person” than rolling the dice online. And furniture stores sometimes do 0% financing deals, he notes.
Electronics and small appliances, such as robotic vacuum cleaners
Unless you’re looking to buy an Amazon device, since the best Prime Day deals are generally on Amazon electronics, like Kindle e-readers and Echo smart speakers, this is another category to consider skipping until Black Friday. Melissa Cid, consumer expert at MySavings.com, says, “Black Friday sales have more variety and better prices,” pointing to popular items like laptops, smartwatches and tablets.
BlackFriday.com’s McGrath adds that floor care and robotic vacuums, in particular, could go either way. “You might see some really good deals, but they might come right back for Black Friday, so you don’t need to get them now unless you absolutely need to replace them,” he says. “There are better things to spend time and money on during this second Prime Day sale than thinking, ‘I have to buy the Roomba now, or I’ll never put it on sale.’” It will go on sale again.
Video game consoles, controllers and games
Gamers can get much better deals on game consoles, video game titles, and accessories like pro controllers if they wait until Black Friday. “That’s when retailers really ramp up business, because they know people are looking to buy them for the holidays,” says BlackFriday.com’s McGrath. “And that’s when you find really good game bundles: buy a console and get extras like gift cards, controllers and games included in the price of that console.”
Plus, now that consoles like the Sony (SONY) PlayStation 5 or Nintendo (NTDOY) Switch are several years old, they aren’t as hard to find as they were in recent years. “It’s no longer a case of consoles selling out massively, so you have to grab them as soon as you see them,” McGrath says.
Cid from MySavings.com agrees. Black Friday has “the lowest prices every year for all popular games, including new releases,” he says. “As a mom of two teenage boys, I can’t stress this enough.”
Other tips for making the most of Prime Day:
Here are some extra savvy tricks to make sure you don’t waste your time and money, especially with those Amazon “flash deals” designed to trigger impulse purchases.
Compare prices between retailers and price-tracking sites like Camelcamelcamel: “I always compare prices between merchants,” says McGrath of BlackFriday.com, “and even though this is Amazon’s big party, Walmart is throwing us a sale, and so are Kohl’s KSS and Best Buy.” So you may find a better offer on another site. And then Camelcamelcamel allows you to check the price history of Amazon products. “If this is actually the lowest price a product has ever been offered at… you can feel more confident in picking it up,” McGrath adds. He considers the shipping cost and refund offers to choose from offers on different sites: Free shipping is standard for Amazon Prime members. “So if I have to pay shipping, [a deal elsewhere] it’s usually not worth it unless the price is much lower,” says McGrath. Or, if an Amazon offer is nearly identical to an offer elsewhere, see if the other retailer offers promo codes for a discount 20%, or maybe 5% cash back on an item, which could make it a better deal than Amazon.Be wary of brands you’ve never heard of: Even if you can find something on sale, that doesn’t mean it’s from a brand you can trust. Andy Friedland, a former Amazon executive and now chief revenue officer at Swiftly, a retail technology provider, says consumers are often drawn to products on Amazon through sponsored ads, but he warns that many of these items come from low-quality brands and manufacturers. And it’s not a good deal if the item itself isn’t good. Wait for anything you won’t need or use soon. Of course, it’s tempting to buy a beautiful dress at a great price. But if it’s an item of clothing you don’t plan on wearing until next spring or summer, then you might be getting ahead of yourself, says Jen Reed, the influencer and shopping expert behind the popular Instagram channel @TheSisterStudioIG. “I’m planning to stock up on items I’ll need in the coming months, like holiday gifts, supplies of my favorite products, and essentials,” she says. Make a list and stick to it. BlackFriday.com’s McGrath says he spends a day or two before any Prime Day-style event taking inventory of what’s missing or needs replacing in his home. “Prime Day is really chaotic, so make a list. Add these [needed items] to your Amazon wishlist or set alerts on the Amazon app. It saves you a lot of money on impulse purchases,” she says.
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