Five Reasons You Shouldn't Shop on Amazon Prime Day

(Image credit: 2015 Getty Images)

last updated 7 October 2024

Contributions from
Kathryn Pomroy, Donna LeValley

Bargain hunters across the U.S. are counting down the minutes to the start of Amazon Prime Day, Oct. 8 and 9, 2024. This members-only mega-sale promises deep discounts on thousands of products. But are Amazon's blink-and-you-miss-them deals worth the hype? Based on past complaints about checkout glitches and inventory shortages, plus the availability of bigger sales at other times of the year or from other retailers, savvy shoppers might be better offer taking a pass on Prime Day altogether.

1. You must be an Amazon Prime member to access deals

Don't have an Amazon Prime membership? Unless you have yet to take advantage of Amazon's 30-day free trial (longer for students), you'll have to fork over $139 to cover the annual membership fee or $14.99 per month for a monthly membership before gaining access to the exclusive deals on July Oct. 8-9.

But if you're considering joining Amazon Prime before the big sale just to shop on Prime Day, think twice before committing. If you don't plan to frequent Amazon often enough to reap the savings of Prime's free two-day shipping or to utilize the other member benefits (streaming music and videos are among the most popular), it could be a waste of your money.

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2. Popular items sells out fast

In years past, one of the top complaints from shoppers on Amazon Prime Day has been that highly coveted items such as TVs and laptops were only available in limited quantities and sold out too quickly. As a result, you might be tempted to grab an item simply because it’s cheap.

Amazon is upfront about the limited quantities on Prime Day, but it's still a letdown if you wait hours for your item to go on sale only to find it's unavailable when you try to add it to your shopping cart. Once a product is sold out at the sale price, Amazon won't always restock right away and when it does restock, the sale price likely won't be offered. Looking for deals? Check out these Best Amazon Prime Day Early Deals.

3. You're an indecisive shopper

Keep in mind that if you're an indecisive shopper — say, you're someone who lets a desired item sit in their online shopping cart for a day or two before deciding if you really want to buy it — you should probably skip Prime Day. Since the best deals don't last long, and new deals come online as often as every five minutes, you'll need to be ready to act fast if something catches your eye.

4. You're an impulse shopper

If you like to window shop and get easily lured into buying something you don't need simply because it's on sale (let's be honest, does anyone really need a toilet bowl light?), then you'll want to steer clear of Amazon Prime Day. It could be just too tempting to pass by.

Remember, this is a sale where shoppers who keep a close eye on deal updates will be inundated for 48 hours straight. Before you buy something, calculate how much what you spend today could be worth in the future if you invested the money or paid down debt.

You don’t have to buy things just because they are on sale. Spending today means less to spend tomorrow. Don't buy something just to get the thrill of a bargain or because you get caught-up in the hype of a sale. The letdown will be worse than the fear of missing out.

5. There are better sales from other retailers and at other times of the year

Amazon had a great idea and, fortunately for shoppers, the idea has caught on and there are sales everywhere. Other retailers have wised up and used the frenzy that surrounds Amazon's sales days to their own advantage. So don't limit yourself to just Amazon. There are deals everywhere.

The Walmart Deals event is running Oct. 8-13. The sale isn't exclusive to Walmart Plus members, so all shoppers can access the deals. Check out discounts on giftable items like electronics and apparel.

Other competitors such as Target, Costco and Best Buy are likely to offer deals during the week as well. Stay tuned.

There will be all kinds of Presidents' Day and Halloween sales later in October. Come November, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the deal day of all deal days. Retailers that don't normally have sales, such as beauty brands and sometimes even Apple, have offers that won't be available at any other time of year.

Browne Taylor joined Kiplinger in 2011 and was a channel editor for Kiplinger.com covering living and family finance topics. She previously worked at the Washington Post as a Web producer in the Style section and prior to that covered the Jobs, Cars and Real Estate sections. She earned a BA in journalism from Howard University in Washington, D.C. She is Director of Member Services, at the National Association of Home Builders.

With contributions from