What Is Amazon Prime Day – and How Can You Take Advantage?

Is it Black Friday in July – or just a day of average sales? On July 12, Amazon will host its second-annual Prime Day, which it touts as a summer answer to the mega sales that come around the holidays (a.k.a. Black Friday and Cyber Monday). The catch? Only those with Amazon Prime memberships are eligible to shop. Nike Requin For those of you who don't know, Amazon Prime is a program Amazon offers that allows shoppers to pay a $99 annual fee for unlimited two-day shipping and access to the Amazon Video instant streaming services. But you might think that being able to take advantage of the Prime Day discounts as one of the biggest perks of an Amazon Prime membership. After all, what's better than lots and lots and lots of deals? However,Nike Tn is Prime Day as good as the company hypes it up to be? Debatable. The company started the event last year to celebrate Amazon's 20th anniversary, and people were expecting big savings. As in, wake-up-at-5-a.m.-and-camp-outside-on-Black-Friday-level savings. But most were left disappointed. The majority of discounts were either on already cheap items (think things you find in the dollar section) or on Amazon's own products,Tn Pas Cher like the Kindle, Echo or Fire. The whole thing caused such a stir with customers that they got #PrimeDayFail trending. This year, Amazon promises it'll be different. They say they've "dramatically increased" Prime Day inventory, especially on TVs and toys, according to CNet. Perhaps in an attempt to drum up enthusiasm after last year's Prime Day upset, Amazon is ringing in the "holiday" with plenty of discounts – called Prime Day Countdown Deals – in the days leading up to July 12. These include 70 percent off a dinnerware set and 30 percent off as blender, among other steals (they expire every night). As stated earlier, in order to take advantage of these discounts, both on Prime Day and before, you must be a Prime member. However, if you're not, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial, which will make you eligible for the savings. So keep your eyes open for the deals – but wait until Prime Day rolls around to see whether it's actually worth opening your wallet.