When Is Amazon Prime Day 2020?
Circumstances beyond its control have forced Amazon to move its annual Christmas-in-July Amazon Prime Day blowout sale in 2020 to ... later. Prime Day is now in October. And some deals are already announced.
Bargain hunters know Amazon Prime Day, when online shopping behemoth Amazon.com rolls out a bevy of deals on all manner of merchandise, is typically in July, but there’s nothing typical about 2020. And to that point, Amazon Prime Day was not in July this year. So when is Amazon Prime Day in 2020?
Amazon.com has announced the hugely popular Prime Day 2020 begins Oct. 13 and runs through Oct. 14.
Those mid-October dates mean Amazon will be out in front, by about six weeks, of the long Black Friday weekend, retail's big push to ignite holiday sales.
Throughout the pandemic, Amazon prioritized customers’ orders for healthcare supplies and other essential items for fighting COVID-19 and surviving quarantines. As a result, it has had trouble fulfilling its two-day (or shorter) delivery promise for Prime members, who pay $119 annually for quick delivery and other amenities. As you might imagine, Amazon’s been overwhelmed with orders from folks preferring the safety of shopping at home.
Prime “Day” is actually a misnomer. In 2019, Amazon Prime Day covered 48 hours, up from the traditional 24- to 36-hour duration of previous Prime Days. That helped the retailer set records during Prime Day 2019, Amazon reported, even outpacing its combined sales for Black Friday and Cyber Monday in 2018.
Prime Day 2020 follows the pattern: It will be two full days.
What to Expect on Amazon Prime Day 2020
Expect the Prime Days event this year to sing with better deals than ever as Amazon responds to stepped-up competition from Walmart and Target, both now offering free shipping and same-day in-store pickup to siphon off Prime customers and compete with Amazon Prime Day. .
In past years, Prime Day has offered huge deals on Amazon’s proprietary gadgets -- including Echo personal assistance devices (“Alexa…”), Fire TV sticks, Kindles and their ilk -- plus a flea-market array of baubles, gewgaws and bric-a-brac from other vendors large and small, as well as items from Amazon’s Whole Foods supermarket chain. Naysayers note Prime Day has been Amazon’s version of a garage sale, unloading a lot of silly and unsold inventory along with only the occasional true treasure.
Since past is prologue, many Prime Day deals are already listed on Amazon.com in advance of Prime Day, and some can be preordered by Prime members. Nonmembers can sign up for a free 30-day trial to tap the sales on Amazon Prime Day 2020. Not satisfied? Cancel the membership before you have to start paying for it.
Amazon Prime Day 2020 deals already announced include:
- Fire TV Recast selling for $129.99, a $100 discount.
- Toshiba Fire TV 43-inch HD television for $179.99, a $100 discount.
- Save $50 on a year of audible.
- Two Echo Dots (third generation) for $39.98.
- Beats Solo Pro Wireless Noise Cancelling On-Ear Headphones for $199.95, down from $299.95.
- Columbia Women's Peak to Park insulated jacket for $104.90, a $20 savings.
