By: Brad Wilson, National Lifestyle Content Desk
In this week’s Q&A, Brad Wilson from Brad’s Deals answers questions on what shoppers can expect on Amazon Prime Day and how competing retailers will likely respond.
Q. Will other retailers try to compete with Prime Day?
Brad: For a number of years, we’ve seen that other retailers will try to capitalize on Prime Day shopping enthusiasm with sales of their own, and they’ll be doing it again this year. Following the September 27 announcement that Prime Day this year would be on October 13 and 14, many retailers changed their planned promotional calendars, and a number of them announced their sales as being very intentional in competing with Amazon’s big sale.
We’ve known for a while that retailers were going be kicking off their holiday sales early this year, and Prime Day is when things are going to switch into high gear. Expect to see big sales at most big box and department stores, including Walmart, Target, Best Buy, Kohl’s, Macy’s, and JC Penney.
Q: Should shoppers comparison shop?
Brad: While comparison shopping is always a good idea, the other retailers won’t just be trying to match or beat Amazon’s prices, they’ll be showcasing products and brands that Amazon doesn’t have access to, or are not able to discount as deeply. My message is: these sales are worth checking out for their own merits, in addition to comparison shopping.
Q. What should holiday shoppers consider buying on Prime Day – and what they should hold off on?
Brad: If you are in the market for an Amazon device, like and Echo speaker, or Fire tablet, Prime Day will undoubtedly have the best price of the year. And that also goes for the very popular Toshiba Fire TV Edition Smart TV, which is available in a range of screen sizes. Prime Day has historically been one of the best times to buy smart home devices made by other brands, so be on the lookout for some great deals on smart devices, including basics like bulbs and plugs.
In previous years, we’ve seen strong deals from Amazon’s apparel brands, as well as some strong name-brand offers. However, when looking at name-brand apparel and accessories, make sure you do some comparison shopping, because I’ve seen weak deals mixed in with great deals in the past.
Q: What other deals can we look out for?
Brad: I’ll also be on the lookout for some great small appliance deals from national brands Amazon. But a word of caution, Amazon tends to have a few featured products at big discounts, but not tons of options. They’ll have one great 14-cup coffee maker deal from a popular brand, not 10 deals from a variety of brands.
Q: What about toys?
Brad: We’ve seen some good toy and game options during previous Prime Days, and this close to the holidays, I think Amazon is going to ramp that up. Amazon pricing on toys is already very competitive, especially when taking into account free Prime shipping. I’m excited to see what they do this year.
Do you have a question for Brad? Send it to askbrad@bradsdeals.com
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