Many shoppers are hoping to save some big money the next few days by shopping Amazon Prime Day, July 11th and 12th, 2023.
But you need to do a little prep work, or you may not find the best deals, and you risk overspending.
Cathy Bunker is one of those shoppers who loves finding a deal, like the Igloo cooler she was loading up in her minivan outside Walmart.
"It was just $15," she said. "On clearance."
So she hopes to find more deals like this online this coming week, during Prime Day, or at competing sales at other retailers.
"I'll take a look and see what they have, and if the deals are worth it I will probably buy something," she said.
Prime day items with the biggest markdowns
For the best deals this Prime Day, Julie Ramhold with DealNews.com says zero in on categories with the deepest discounts, starting with (what else) Amazon branded devices.
"That's everything from their Fire TV's to their Echo devices, to Kindles," she said.
Amazon may also sprinkle in deals on its services like Prime Video, Amazon Music and Audible.
Ramhold says home and garden categories also dominate.
"For instance," she said, "outdoor games or patio pieces."
Other retailers offer competing sales
But don't assume Amazon will have the lowest prices on everything, as other retailers typically have competing sales at the same time.
- Walmart is holding Walmart Plus Week.
- Target holds Circle Week.
- Best Buy hosts Black Friday in July.
So be sure to compare prices online before you buy.
As for Amazon, it does not advertise most Prime Day deals in advance, so you need to check frequently for new deals, or set alerts.
So Ramhold says start browsing deals now, and use the app to set alerts for deals on items that interest you.
"When they go live or shortly before they go live, you'll receive a notification, and you can jump on it, see if it's something that you want to buy," she said.
And don't miss out on lightning deals, by adding items to your cart: you then have 15 minutes to make a final decision.
However, there may be items worth skipping this Prime Day, according to DealNews.
"For gaming consoles, there are bound to be some deals around Prime Day," Ramhold said, "but we'll probably see far more bundles around Black Friday."
In addition, you will typically find more deals on big screen 4K TV's on Black Friday, as manufacturers typically produce thousands of them just for that day.
So plan ahead, watch for lightning deals, and compare prices with other major retailers, and that way you don't waste your money.
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