Can Walmart's New Blowout Sale Compete With Amazon Prime Day?
Summer means grilling and backyard BBQs, but it also means Amazon Prime Day. The online mega-retailer's two-day sales event usually happens around June or July, although the exact date of 2022's upcoming Prime Day is not known. But as one of its main rivals, Walmart is hoping to get in on the fun by hosting a sale itself.
America's largest retail chain created Walmart+, its membership program for online shopping with fast shipping, to compete with Amazon Prime. In 2021, rumors swirled early in the summer about whether or not the two would have dealing sales events at the same time. Ultimately, Walmart+ had a four-day "Deals For Days" event that overlapped with Amazon's Prime Day on June 21 and 22.
This time, though, Walmart is starting early and offering up deals starting June 2.
This Walmart+ Weekend lasts for three days and promises "Big deals, just for paid members." According to MarketWatch, deals include 40% off appliances, apparel, kids' toys—like the highly sought-after Sony PlayStation 5—and more. With no word yet on what exactly will be available for Amazon Prime Day soon, if there is something included in Walmart's Walmart+ Weekend, it may be a good time to pick it up—even if you are not a member.
The retail chain is offering a 30-day free trial of the service, in which perks like free shipping, access to savings events, $0.10 off a gallon at Exxon, Mobil, Walmart, and Murphy gas stations, access to Sam's Club gas stations, free grocery delivery, Scan & Go checkout, 6 months of Spotify Premium for free, and more are available. Amazon Prime members get free two-day delivery on millions of items, two-hour grocery delivery, Prime Video access, Prime member deals at Whole Foods Market, and more.
With many of the perks being similar, one of the biggest differences in the two services is the price. Walmart+ is $12.95 a month or $98 a year, while Amazon Prime costs $14.99 per month and $139 per year (a student rate is offered for $7.49 a month or $69 a year).
Experts debate about which one is the better option. Trae Bodge, a shopping expert featured on the Today Show, NBC, CBS, and more, told MarketWatch that the newer option is really hoping to mimic the success of the older option, especially with the recent Walmart+ Weekend sale.
"I've been on the fence with Walmart+ since it came out, because I didn't think it offered enough to most consumers to be worth it," she says. "They're clearly taking a page out of the Amazon Prime playbook offering these exclusive deals to Walmart+ members, thereby making Walmart+ more valuable."
In the end, the membership program currently climbing is not either one of these—it's Costco. Along with rising profits, membership renewals, and new memberships, the warehouse chain just brought back these 5 summer staples.
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