CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — Shopping experts are warning people not to take part in every deal that they see as Amazon Prime Day kicks off Monday.
“People have always shopped online frequently, but I think the pandemic has really emphasized how convenient it is to have anything and everything just brought straight to their door,” said shopping expert Kristen McGrath.
McGrath is the editor for both Offers.com and RetailMeNot’s blog. She says this year’s sale is much more than saving on tech and big-ticket items.
Many deals are already posted on the site including:
- 70% off some Amazon devices
- Save $10 on Prime Day – when you spend $10 with a small business
- 10% back on select LG and Sony TV’s with an Amazon Prime credit card.
“Amazon Prime Day really embraces that notion that Amazon sells everything, because so many different categories go on sale during Prime Day,” McGrath said. “You’ve got your big-ticket aspirational tech items, but then you’ve also got your pantry items, your health and beauty items, your toothpaste, your granola bars.”
However, she warns some deals are really duds. Her advice is not to fall for the hype.
Online shopping tips:
- Make a list and stick to it
- Use the item comparison feature on the site
- Consider buying in bulk for items used most in your household
“Add those items to carts in advance and wait for the prices to drop on Prime Day and checking out if so,” she said.
Online shopping don’ts:
- Buying the first items you see online
- Falling for a lightning deal; which are time limited sales on products that expire within a few hours.
“When you’re looking at deals on Prime Day, it is important to remember that Amazon really structures the entire event around getting people to try new products and make impulse buys. So you will see a lot of these really short lived lightning deals. You’ll see products served at you that you didn’t know you wanted and you needed,” she said.
If you really want to get the best bang for your buck, McGrath recommends using a browser extension like Camel Camel Camel or Keepa .
They give you an inside look at an item’s price history, taking online bargain shopping to the next level.
Other retailers are trying to compete with Amazon. Both Target and Best Buy are currently having big sales both online and in person.