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Clear your cache and grab your coffee: Amazon Prime Day 2017 will arrive at 9PM EST on July 10th. The 30-hour sale will run through 2:59AM EST on Wednesday July 12th.
In addition to the main event, Lead-Up Deals will be launching every day beginning on July 5th. Shoppers with Alexa devices will be able to snag their deals even earlier, starting at 7PM EST on Monday July 10th. Some early Prime Day deals are live now!
Prime Day is a one-day only event that, as you may have guessed, is exclusive to Amazon Prime members. It's lauded as an early Black Friday by some shoppers, and criticized as a warehouse liquidation event by others. Either way, it is sure to be the most talked-about sale in the coming weeks. We're here to tell you what to expect and how to stay savvy when the deals arrive.
The best and worst thing about Amazon Prime Day is that deals are kept secret until they go live. Prime Day deals arrive in the form of Lightning Deals, much like Amazon's Daily Deals or Black Friday sale. New deals can start as often as every five minutes. They span all sorts of categories, from fashion to beauty to TVs to home electronics and everywhere in between. In short, it's a shopping frenzy, and we recommend being as prepared as possible.
First thing's first: if you want to shop this sale, you'll need an Amazon Prime membership. You can click here for a free 30-day trial! Students with a .edu email address can get a free 6-month Amazon Prime trial. Otherwise, you can purchase a membership for $10.99 per month or $99 per year.
Once you have your Prime Membership, make sure that your cache is clear, that you have Amazon's app downloaded, and that your payment methods are updated in your account settings. For more tips and tricks, check out our Prime Day Primer!
So are the Prime Day deals worth shopping? It's hard to say. Sometimes the deals are hot enough to make every BFAds employee reach for their wallet at the same time. Other times a deal is so bad that it goes viral. Last year people complained about Amazon Prime Day's "lack of deals", but it is worth noting that despite some negative reviews, Prime Day 2016 was the biggest day in the history of Amazon.
This is Amazon's third Prime Day. The events have slowly improved over the years, and we think this year will be the best yet. There are several new features for Prime Day 2017. They'll have deals organized by over 20 different popular categories, so you can find what you're looking for with ease. They'll also have TV deals -- a ton of them. To quote their press release, "Amazon is planning one of its largest total volume TV deals in history with a record level of inventory."
We recommend treating Prime Day the same way you'll be treating Black Friday 2017. Be prepared to shop quickly, but not so quickly that you forgo all rational thought. Just like with Black Friday doorbusters, give yourself a few moments to think: do you really need a new toaster? Is the price truly a historic low? Find detailed advice on how to navigate the deals in our Prime Day Primer!
Even if Amazon fails to impress, we have dozens of competitor sales to look forward to. In 2015 and 2016, Amazon's competitor sales combined with ultra-hot Lightning Deals felt like a little Black Friday in July. We hope to see more of the same this year.
Make sure you get your Amazon Prime membership and read our Prime Day Primer! We'll be working (and shopping) hard on July 11th, and our deal hunters will be rounding up the hottest of the hot deals & competitor sales right here on our front page. Who knows? Maybe we'll even see a Nintendo SNES Mini Classic Edition pre-order! (Hey, a website can dream, right?)
Today, Amazon announced that they'll be offering a 45% discount on monthly Amazon Prime memberships to shoppers in the U.S. receiving government assistance. Anyone with an EBT (Electronics Benefits Transfer) card is eligible for the price cut. EBT is used for programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) and TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families). Amazon has plans to eventually extend this discount to programs that don't use EBT. Head over here if you are interested in signing up or getting a free 30-day trial.
Eligible customers can receive Amazon Prime memberships for $5.99 per month. That's 45% off the monthly rate, and almost 25% off the cost of a yearly membership. Customers will receive all of the normal Amazon Prime benefits: free 2-day shipping, exclusive discounts and deals, Prime Photo & Video access, and more. EBT cards cannot be used to pay for Prime memberships. Customers can qualify once per year for up to 4 years, with no annual commitment or cancellation penalty.
Amazon is also currently participating in a USDA pilot program along with six other companies. The two-year program, slated to launch this summer, will test out accepting food stamps to pay for online grocery orders. It is meant to help those in food deserts have better access to fresh, healthy food -- and relieve the social stigma that surrounds those receiving government assistance. While we're unsure whether or not food stamp recipients would also get a discount on AmazonFresh, which normally costs $14.99 per year, it is clear that Amazon is trying to reach a new market.
This is yet another calculated move by Amazon in their war with Walmart. Amazon already has Walmart beat on other aspects like free shipping thresholds, but Walmart knows what they're doing when it comes to food: groceries make up about 56% of the retail giant's revenue. When you consider the fact that online shopping could amount to 20% of grocery spending by 2025, it's clear that both stores need to step their strategies up. Walmart will need to develop a way for customers to shop for food online both easily and affordably, and Amazon will need to find a way to get their goods to every customer regardless of their yearly salary.
Amazon making their services more accessible to low-income customers can help breach the gap that comes from their lack of brick-and-mortar stores. Walmart doesn't have an in-house fresh grocery delivery service, but they do have Jet.com up their sleeve -- and Jet's bulk discount paired with their JetFresh grocery program could mean huge savings for someone working on a very tight budget. However, if Amazon becomes more competitive with Prime Pantry, they could give Jet & Walmart a run for their money.
We'll be sure to keep you updated on how this all unfolds. What do you think? Any predictions? Let us know in the comments below!
If you're following us on Facebook, you may have already seen that Amazon quietly dropped their free shipping threshold to $25! From now on, shoppers will get Free Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Prime One-Day Delivery will still be eligible on orders over $35.
No doubt this is just the next chapter in the war between Amazon and Walmart. After Walmart introduced their in-store pickup discount, they've consistently had the better final price on items Amazon tried to match. By lowering their free shipping threshold, Amazon has pulled the tug-of-war rope back over to their side. Especially when considering Black Friday 2017, free shipping is a huge factor. Saving time during the holidays is often more valuable to a shopper than saving a dollar or two.
For now, the question is up to the consumers. Would you rather shop at Walmart, potentially getting an in-store pickup discount, and go to the store to get your item? Or would you rather potentially pay a little more at Amazon to get free shipping to your home?
Normally we would include Target in our speculation of the shopping world, but considering the fact that they just raised their free shipping threshold to $35, our only point is this: make sure you have a Target REDcard. Read more about that here.
We're positive that this isn't the last we've seen of the battle between Amazon and Walmart. Will Jet.com get involved? Will Amazon open more brick-and-mortar locations or lower the price of their Prime memberships? Will Walmart finally introduce a program that can compete with Amazon Prime? We'll be sure to keep you updated. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Our sister site FatWallet is having another giveaway. With the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) going on they are giving away a Hyperkin RetroN 5 Bundle!
The bundle includes a Hyperkin RetroN 5 gaming console. It plays Game Boy, Game Boy Color, Game Boy Advance, Famicom, Super Famicom, NES, Super NES, Sega Genesis, and Mega Drive cartridges. The winner will also receive an extra controller and a $25 GameStop gift card.
Enter using our Rafflecopter widget by 5PM CT on June 19th! Good luck!
On May 7th, Target will be raising their free shipping threshold from $25 to $35. This puts them on par with Amazon and Walmart, although Target's shipping threshold is moving in the opposite direction as their competitors'. Are you bummed? Not so fast!
In case you haven't heard, Target has this great thing called the REDcard. The Target REdcard comes in two different options: a credit card, and a free debit card that links directly to your bank account. Having a Target REDcard gets you free shipping no minimum when you order online, plus you'll get 5% off your purchases when you use it! Did we mention it's free?
But wait -- there's more! Starting Sunday May 7th, Target will offer a coupon for 10% off your shopping trip when you sign up for a new REDcard! It will be valid on almost everything -- the only exclusions are gift cards, prepaid cards, LEGO, Vitamix, Weber, Dyson, DSLR cameras and lenses, Google products, Apple, Sonos, Bose, GoPro, alcohol, Tylenol, CVS pharmacy, clinic, Target Optical, Portrait Studio and Target Mobile purchases. Remember, if you're interested in the coupon, make sure you wait til Sunday to sign up! The promotion for new REDcard customers will run through May 20th.
If you don't want a free Target REDcard, you can still shop online and choose free in-store pickup for orders under $35. However, we highly recommend it. That extra 5% discount can add up to some great savings, especially when you're purchasing big-ticket items like Black Friday TV doorbusters.
How does this affect Target's Black Friday 2017 plans? They've offered free shipping no minimum during the holidays for the pastthreeyears, so we have a feeling that we'll see that again this holiday season. We'll be sure to keep you updated!
Beginning April 19th, Walmart will be offering discounts on select in-store pickup orders. The new Pickup Discount will start out with 10,000 items, and they plan on extending it to over 1,000,000 popular products by the end of June. The discount will only be applied to eligible online-only items, and the discount amount varies by item.
You may have noticed that our front page has been a little quiet. With the end of the holiday shopping season, we wanted to give you a heads-up on where you can find your favorite BFAds content!
In order to provide the best year-round experience we can, our deal hunters are still posting Hot Deals every day over at our sister site FatWallet.com, both on the front page and in the forums. The FatWallet community is full of savvy shoppers and we hope you'll join us!
In case you haven't seen it, we have a snazzy new email management system.
Are you interested in receiving a no-frills, no-fuss list of hand-picked deals every day? We've got you covered. We narrow down the best of the best deals from all sorts of categories and send them out around lunchtime every day of the year. Just sign up for our Daily Hot Deals email and we'll take care of the rest.
If you like contests, giveaways, and special promotions, sign up for our Contests & News emails. We'll send you flash sales, breaking news, and more as they occur.
Finally, if you're a Black Friday purist, don't miss out on our Black Friday Newsletter. Subscribe to this list to make sure you know when Black Friday ads leak and to get our expert analysis of Black Friday deals straight to your inbox.
Head over here to manage your email subscriptions so we can send you more of what you want -- and less of what you don't.
Black Friday 2017 is on November 24th! Can't wait? Us either. We'll be sure to cover relevant shopping news as well as early Black Friday sales and comparable doorbuster deals. Plan ahead by checking out the best Black Friday 2016 deals, Black Friday 2016 store hours, and Black Friday ad scans dating back to 2009. Wondering when we'll get our first leaked ad? Here are all of the timelines from 2013 til now to give you a better idea of when you'll see your first Black Friday 2017 doorbuster! Are you a complete and total Black Friday newbie? Welcome! Read our Black Friday 101 article to get started.
Finally, be sure to check us out on Facebook and Twitter for hot deal alerts, fun videos, and more. We'll keep holding contests year-round, and updating this site with all Black Friday news and sales. In the meantime, be sure to come find us at the places we mentioned above so we can stay in contact. See you there!
Theeeey're baaaack! That's right, BFAds fans, our Hot Deals are back to the classic view that so many of you know and love.
To celebrate, we're even giving away two $100 Amazon gift cards! Make sure you enter for your chance to win by 5PM CT on May 31st!
Need a refresher? At the top of our website you'll see a handy-dandy little "Today's Hot Deals" button. Click it to be taken to a list of the hottest deals on the Internet! Our team of deal hunters work around the clock to constantly bring you trending coupons, discounts, and sales.
Once per day, around lunchtime, we also send out a daily list of the hottest deals via our Hot Deals newsletter. Subscribe for free to start receiving an easy-to-read digest straight to your inbox!
Nothing means more to us than our readers. Thank you to everyone that took the time to reach out to us with your feedback, comments, concerns, and suggestions. We're nothing without our members and we appreciate every single one of you (even those of you that yelled at us)!
We're always striving to be the best that we can be, which means that there are even more updates to come. We're already working behind-the-scenes to bring you the best Black Friday experience yet this fall. We'll keep you in the loop as new features are added. The future is looking bright, and we're glad you're here with us!
We're partnering with our sister site, BFAds, to bring you the best Black Friday content on the web!
BFAds is the “wikileaks” of Black Friday. With over a decade of experience, BFAds is the definitive source for Black Friday news, early ad scan leaks, Black Friday buying guides, doorbuster roundups, and informative articles. In fact, this team has been powering your Black Friday ad scans for over a year. Now we’re letting them take the spotlight.
We work very closely with BFAds — like, in the same building close — and they’re excited to be able to improve your Black Friday experience.
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