Amazon Prime Day: What Is (and Isn’t) a Bargain
Prime Day 2022 is here! Amazon’s annual shopping event falls on July 12 and 13 with epic deals on top brands available exclusively for Prime members.
GOBankingRates spoke with Trae Bodge, smart shopping expert at TrueTrae, and Julie Ramhold, consumer analyst with DealNews.com, to learn more about this year’s hottest Prime Day deals.
Deals To Watch For on Prime Day
There will be deals from thousands of brands on Prime Day, but Bodge said the most exciting deals will be on Amazon brands. This includes discounts on Echo, Fire, Ring and Amazon Essentials.
Shoppers should be on the lookout for major discounts in the following categories:
- Beauty: Select beauty products will be discounted up to 50% off. “Brands like boscia, Oribe and Sunday Riley will have items with the biggest discounts, but brands like Drybar and KORA Organics will have select products for up to 30% off as well,” Ramhold said.
- Headphones: Ramold said select items from Beats, Sony and JBL will be up to 50% off.
- Small Kitchen Appliances: Look for major discounts on select appliances including 50% off select items from Keurig, up to 40% off products from SodaStream and up to 30% off select Vitamix blenders.
- Fitness Equipment: In an article with Synchrony Bank, Bodge said it’s worth revisiting the fitness category on Prime Day for even more discounts. Shoppers can expect to see major discounts in Fitbits and Apple Watches, folding and walking treadmills and workout gear.
What Are Prime Day’s Most Exclusive Deals?
Two words: Fire TV. This Prime Day deal is almost too good to pass up no matter what TV size you need.
“The 50″ Fire TV for $99.99 is an excellent deal for that size of smart TV,” Ramhold said. “Even the smaller 32″ smart set for $49.99 is great, especially if you need a smaller set to send with a kid off to college.”
Other exclusive deals shoppers will be adding to cart include the Fire TV Stick Lite. Ramhold said this device will be $11.99. Normally, it goes for about $30 and the lowest price shoppers have seen it drop to, so far, is $18.99.
‘If it drops to that reported price of $11.99, that’s the best deal we’ve seen on it,” Ramhold said.
Another exclusive deal will be the Kindle Oasis.
*The Kindle Oasis will hit $174.99 for Prime Day, which is the same price we saw last Black Friday but we haven’t seen that kind of drop since,” Ramhold said. “If you want a fancy new Kindle, it’ll be a good time to grab it at 30% off.”
Deals Shoppers Can Skip This Year
Back to school and college shopping is underway and Amazon will be participating with Prime Day deals up to 45% off on dorm room essentials, 30% off select backpacks, 30% off select school supplies and 25% off select electronics.
While there may be some winning deals in some of these areas for Prime Day shoppers, Ramhold said the odds are good you can find better deals elsewhere.
“Stores like Target have already begun their back to school offers as well, and some school supplies are already dropping below $1 each,” Ramhold said.
Prime Day Shopping Tips for Bigger Savings
In order to get the most bang for your buck while shopping on Prime Day, Bodge recommends following these shopping tips.
Visit Your Favorite Deal Websites
Head to your favorite deal sites to find extra deals that can be stacked on top of Amazon Prime Day deals.
“I’m hearing about special bonuses from CouponCabin if you show a copy of your Amazon receipt, or that you can get a $200 Amazon gift card if you click through an offer on Slickdeals to sign up for the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa card (which is a card I recommend for frequent Amazon shoppers),” Bodge said.
Check Out With Affirm
Bodge said if you check out with Affirm on your Prime Day order for over $100, shoppers may receive a $25 Amazon credit. This credit will be live July 12.
Price Compare Before Checking Out
Before you click “buy” even on exclusive Prime Day deals, Bodge recommends shoppers compare prices with other retailers like Walmart, Target and Best Buy. If you find a great sale on Amazon, Google the item to get a sense of how it’s priced at other retailers.
Look For Deals on Go-To Essentials
Whether you need to stock up on coffee pods or toilet paper, Prime Day is a good event for shoppers to search for deals on their go-to essentials and fight inflation.
“Even if it’s a modest deal, like 10% off, that can be a meaningful discount on a jumbo pack of your favorite paper towels, for example,” Bodge said. “With grocery items at a record high, even these smaller deals are worth considering.”
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