SAN ANTONIO — Get your shopping list ready.
“Make a list of your staples, the things that you might want to stock up on, but then, of course, think ahead a little bit for perhaps a wedding gift you may need or a birthday that’s coming up,” said Trae Bodge, smart shopping expert of TrueTrae.com. “It’s a good time to plan ahead and take advantage of these savings.”
Be aware that not everything on sale will a be a bargain.
“We definitely advise that people take a sort of wary approach and an informed approached and make sure that the sale item that is actually being presented is on sale and is a really good price,” said Nathan Burrow, the deals editor for Wirecutter, a product review website.
He said Wirecutter sorted through 47,000 Amazon Prime deals last year and only posted 342, which is about one percent. So, take time to price compare.
“Pay attention to price trackers like Camel, Camel, Camel or Keepa,” said Sara Skirboll, a shopping and trends expert with RetailMeNot. “They are going to monitor deals every day, every week, throughout the year to make sure that Prime Day is really your best bet.”
You can also try Googling the item for pricing information.
“I would utilize a tool like Google Shopping, for instance, to see what the prices are everywhere online,” said Bodge. “The other thing that I would do is take the time to look at deals sites, as well, because, for instance, Amazon very rarely offers discounts with deal sites but other retailers like Wal-Mart and Target are more likely to.”
You will save on these items for sure:
“We can safely assume that the best deals are really going to be on some of those Amazon branded products,” Skriboll said. “Think Amazon basics, the Alexa, Echo, anything that the brand manufactures and produces themselves. So, pay attention to all of those types of products.”
Not a prime member, not a problem.
“You can shop hundreds of other retailers and find great deals in some cases, even better,” said Skirboll. “Last year, RetailMeNot found that here were over 350 retailers who participated in offering deals on Prime Day. You can shop at hundreds of other retailers and find great deals, in some cases even better. So, pay attention to places like Macy’s, Kohl’s and Best Buy, who all might be running their own deals.”
Walmart and Target are also planning competing sales.
You can also get the Prime deals without paying the Prime fee.
“If you haven’t gotten a free trial before or recently, Amazon offers a free 30-day free trial, so starting one would allow you to take advantage of Prime Day,” said Burrow.
Here is a trick for those Prime Day lightening deals:
“Know that you can add most of those lightning deals to your cart and keep them there for as long as 15 minutes before they leave that cart and go back into the pool for other buyers,” Burrow said. “So, in that 15 minutes, you can take time to drop that item into a Google search. You can take the time to drop that item into a price tracker. You can even take time to reference other deals that are out in the world at a Best Buy or Walmart.”
There will also be some extras for Prime members on Prime Day.
“For instance, Amazon is offering a $10 credit if you spend $10 or more with select small businesses, there will be some extra benefits with Whole Foods,” said Bodge. “If you have an Amazon Prime Rewards Visa card, there will be extra benefits by using that card on Amazon Prime Day. Amazon has a very comprehensive page on their site about all the benefits. Then you might also want to download their app or install their browser extension because you’ll be clued into all those little extras that are happening.”
Also look for a coupon code or cash back offer for the items you buy for extra savings.
Wait for Black Friday for savings on gaming consoles, toys, Apple products and cameras said Skirboll.