Clear your calendars. Get a babysitter. Set an alarm for 3:01 a.m EST. Or just bookmark this page, because Amazon has officially announced that this year’s Prime Day will run from Tuesday, July 16, through Wednesday, July 17, and we will be covering it all with our trademark obsessiveness.
Ahead of the sale and all that deal-finding, I’m here with a Prime Day primer to explain what Prime Day is and how to find the best Strat-scouted Prime Day deals (they’re not all created equal). I’ll also be rounding up the best early Prime Day deals as they pop up — they usually start a few weeks out from Prime Day — so stay tuned. And to make sure you don’t miss a single good deal, sign up for our email newsletter.
What is Prime Day anyway?
Launched in 2015, Prime Day is a sitewide sales event on Amazon for Prime members only. During the sale, Amazon releases lightning deals on various products throughout the day, which last for a few hours or until the items sell out. Again, only Prime members can shop the deals, so if you’re not a member yet, the sale a good incentive to sign up. But if you don’t want to commit, you can sign up for a 30-day trial ahead of Prime Day. (Prime, of course, gives you free two-day shipping on a slew of things, no matter the time of year, plus access to Amazon-only shows and movies. And for the football fans, it’s where you can watch Thursday Night Football games.)
When is Prime Day?
This year’s Prime Day will take place fromTuesday, July 16, at 3:10 a.m. EST through Wednesday, July 17
Are the deals worth it?
Like a lot of things “on sale” on Amazon, it depends. There will certainly be heavy discounts on useful things, many of which we’ve even written about on the Strategist before. As you can imagine, Amazon items are where you can really score — it’s a good time to get an Echo, Fire TV Stick, or Kindle — but otherwise, finding actual bargains will require some wading through a lot of, well, muck. That’s where we come in. We’ve been covering the sale since 2018, making us certified Prime Day experts at this point. Our writers are on deal-watch throughout the entire sales event, helping you sniff out the best steals. Because there’s a lot of ground to cover, we like to put together in-depth roundups for every product category — including beauty, fashion, home décor, and tech — where you’ll find every deal our knowledgable and tasteful writers have deemed worth it.
How will I learn about the deals?
I’ve already started rounding up the best early Prime Day deals (and I’ll continue to do so up until Prime Day). During the sale itself, our entire team of writers will be online both days of Prime Day to round up the best deals in every category. And I myself will be rounding up all of the writers’ picks — plus my own favorites — in the Strategist Prime Day hub o’ deals. (Here’s what last year’s looked like.)
To make sure you don’t miss any of that, sign up for our newsletter, where we’ll keep you in the loop on all the best sales, including Prime Day, of course. And for the most up-to-date scores on Prime Day, follow us on Twitter and Instagram, where we’ll be blasting out the discounts on things you’ll actually want to buy shortly after they happen.
If you’re eager to do some shopping now, though, we’ve got you covered: I’ve already begun gathering the best early Prime Day deals here. We also regularly round up all the best things on sale at Amazon that we’ve written about before, and we’ll continue to update both of those posts leading up to Prime Day. So take a look and bookmark the page so you don’t miss any of the best deals — Prime Day or not.
The Strategist is designed to surface the most useful, expert recommendations for things to buy across the vast e-commerce landscape. Some of our latest conquests include the best women’s jeans, rolling luggage, pillows for side sleepers, ultra-flattering pants, and bath towels. We update links when possible, but note that deals can expire and all prices are subject to change.
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