Amazon is celebrating its 20th birthday next week, so to commemorate the occasion, they're offering all of us some amazing sales. They've dubbed July 15th "Amazon Prime Day," which apparently will be rich with such great deals that it will "rival Black Friday," according to USA Today. The event will start right at midnight on the 15th and features new deals every 10 minutes. Amazon is also not limiting the sales to certain products or categories of items; reports USA Today's Brett Molina, "They're going to offer a variety of things, like lightning deals... and also a lot of the daily deals that they run all of the time on the site." Alas, we're not going to get any sneak previews of the items on sale, so we'll all just have to wait until the 15th to find out the full extent of what they're offering.
There is, however, a catch: You have to be a subscriber to Amazon Prime in order to participate in the massive sale. But if you're not already an Amazon Prime member, don't fret, since this deal is good for both new and existing members. Greg Greeley, VP of Amazon Prime, explained in the company's official press release:
Prime Day is a one-day only event filled with more deals than Black Friday, exclusively for Prime members around the globe. Members tell us every day how much they love Prime and we will keep making it better. If you’re not already a Prime member, you’ll want to join so you don’t miss out on one of the biggest deals extravaganzas in the world.
If you're wondering how to join Amazon Prime, you pay $99 a year for the subscription and in return, receive free shipping on millions of items, unlimited TV, movie, and music streaming, access to 800,000 Kindle books, andaccess to their secure photo service, Prime Photos. Amazon Prime also has a 30 day free trial you can use to test the service before paying the full yearly subscription fee, which could be perfect to use for this sale.
Sounds like a good deal, right? Just make sure to sign up for your free trial of Amazon Prime before the 15th so you can both try the service and get in on Prime Day.
Since the VP of Amazon Prime himself said that Prime Day's deals will rival those of Black Friday, I wondered how else it will compare to that terrifying post-Thanksgiving shopping event. I suspect it's going to be significantly better, and here's why:
1. There Are No Lines or Crowds
Some of the worst parts of Black Friday shopping are the long lines and unbearable crowds. Well, you won't have to leave the comfort of your couch on Prime Day to score big, which is a huge win for those of us who hate literally battling with other shoppers on the sales floor.
2. You Don't Have to Wake Up at the Crack of Dawn
Many Black Friday sales start as early as 3 and 4 am, which means you have to suffer a lot of sleep deprivation in the name of shopping. I, however, love getting my eight hours in, and Prime Day will allow me both to shop and sleep soundly. Even though the deals start at midnight, they'll be running for the entire day, with new sales every 10 minutes — so you don't have to worry about being the first one in line to score.
3. You Have No Risk of Injury
The crowds are often so out of control at Black Friday sales that people have faced injury and even death at the events. There's even a website that has kept track of all Black Friday-related deaths and injuries. Is any sale really worth all that? Probably not. At least Prime Day will allow you to escape that madness, with your keyboard being the only possible culprit of harm.
4. The Sales Last All Day Long
Black Friday deals are often short-lived, while with Prime Day, you can shop all day (and night) long. There's nothing better than 24 hour access to sales!
5. You Score No Matter What
Even if you don't buy anything on Prime Day, you can still use your 30 day free trial of Amazon Prime to stream as much music, as many movies, and as many Kindle books as you can consume. That means that you can score a great deal no matter what — no risk involved!
