Every summer, thousands of shoppers look forward to Amazon’s Prime Day sale. It offers a great opportunity to save money on a wide selection of products. However, Fourth of July sales are also among the biggest of the year and takes place just before Prime Day. Sales around the holiday also feature deals in just about every categories, even some categories that don’t see as much love during Prime Day.
This story is part of Amazon Prime Day, CNET’s guide to everything you need to know and how to find the best deals.
We now have confirmation on Prime Day dates by Amazon, with it taking place almost two weeks after Independence Day. Unlike last year, where there was only a week between the two shopping moments, the larger gap in the event dates this time around could cause a bit of confusion for shoppers on what deals to snag from which sale event, and what deals to pass on during Fourth of July sales in the hopes of nabbing a better deal during Amazon’s sale.
So, if you’re wondering whether it’s best to shop the many Fourth of July sales now, or soon to be, up and running or hold out for Prime Day, we’re here to help out with all you need to know about both events.
Fourth of July sales vs. Prime Day deals: Which is best?
There’s no definitive way to say which sale is best, but each has its own pros and cons that may influence your buying behavior, which we’ll explore below.
Both sales offer some of the lowest prices we’ll see all year and, in all likelihood, the two sales (plus Walmart’s anti-Prime Day sale) are going to blur into one big discount jamboree for the first half of July. Ultimately, the best sale for you will be the one that has the deals you desire at the retailers you want to shop at.
Fourth of July sales vs. Prime Day deals: Which retailers take part?
Prime Day is primarily centered around Amazon — it being an Amazon-manufactured annual event, after all — so you’ll mostly be shopping in one place. That’s certainly convenient, but not everyone wants to put yet more money into Amazon’s coffers. Big-box retailers will try to steal away some of the buyers who are already in a spending mood, with a similarly timed sale having been announced at Walmart already, with the likes of Best Buy and Target likely to join in too, but your local mom-and-pop retailers probably won’t be getting involved.
For Fourth of July sales, though, it’s much more likely that every store in your neighborhood will be slashing prices, so you could support some more local businesses. And that’s not to mention the fact that every big-box retailer in town will be running sales on and around the Fourth of July. That’s ideal if you want to get your hands on your purchases the same day.
Fourth of July sales vs. Prime Day deals: Which product categories will be on sale?
Prime Day and Fourth of July sales both offer a varied slate of deals in pretty much every product category, though there can be a difference in the volume of deals per category for each sale.
For example, if you’re after consumer electronics, especially Amazon devices, Prime Day should be your go-to sale, whereas appliance, furniture and mattress sales are more plentiful around Fourth of July.
That’s not to say you can’t snag a mattress deal on Prime Day or pick up a set of the best headphones at a discount during Fourth of July sales, but it’s worth knowing which sale will cater for your needs more closely.
Fourth of July sales vs. Prime Day deals: Why not both?
Since so many Fourth of July sales (and some really early Prime Day deals) are already live, you can make the most of those sales and snap up anything you need before the holiday arrives and before the madness of Prime Day takes over.
When it comes to snagging deals around sales like these, it’s best to set a price you’d be happy to pay in your mind and grab the item if it hits that mark. Waiting for a potentially lower price during limited event hours doesn’t always work out and you could end up with a hefty shipping time or, worse, miss out on the sale entirely if the item sells out. For the sake of a few bucks, it’s often wise to shop early.
One positive aspect of the two sales events occurring closely is that you’ll have a second chance to pick any products up that you missed out on earlier in the month. By shopping both sales, you’re more likely to get everything you want rather than putting all of your eggs in one sale basket.