ROBYN BECK
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If you’re ready to save some money this month, here’s a piece of advice: Think beyond Amazon Prime Day. Yes, the 48-hour, multi-billion-dollar, summertime-deals extravaganza surpasses Black Friday in sales, not to mention hype, for the people behind Amazon Prime. But given the number of rival events — growing year over year like a cluster of barnacles on the hull of Amazon’s flagship — it’s probably smarter to start spreading around your Prime Day deal dollars around during the week of June 20, whether you’re a Prime member or not.
This year, Amazon’s Prime Day is going to be chock full of excellent Prime Day deals — but so will other simultaneous sales extravaganzas, including Walmart’s upcoming Deals for Days. That deal-o-rama takes place this year from June 20 to 23, longer than Amazon Prime Day 2021, which lasts from June 21 to 22. (If you’re confused about all these deal days, you’re probably not alone; the last time all this happened was less than a year ago, in the fall of 2020, when Walmart launched a five-day answer to Amazon Prime Day called the Big Save.)
Shopping mavens know by now what to expect from Amazon Prime Day — there likely will be many Prime Day deals in electronics (think Amazon Echo Dot and other Amazon devices). There will be plenty of Amazon Prime member offers in the home, kitchen and personal-care categories as well. But what about Walmart’s answer to Amazon Prime Day? Well, let’s take a look at last fall.
Some of the most ballyhooed offers on Walmart.com came in the kitchen and clothing categories. For example, pricing on a Pioneer-Woman-branded Instant Pot dropped by half. But that’s not all — nor is it the only category that saw deals. Here are some of Walmart’s featured deals from last year, plus a few pre-Prime Day deals you can snag right now.
55-inch 4K smart TV with Roku built in
JVC/Walmart
Electronics also had a moment, particularly TVs. A 55-inch Roku smart LED TV by JVC saw a price drop of 37%. That model is no longer available, but this 55-inch 4-Series Roku TV is, delivering a quality 4K picture for just $362.
Roku Streaming Stick+ (4K)
Roku/Walmart
During Walmart’s sales event last fall, the big-box retailer also offered a deal on a Roku streaming stick — a sale for 24% off. That stick, which boasts a long-range wireless receiver perfect for roomy houses, is currently on sale at Walmart for $10 off.
If you can’t wait until June 20 to start saving, there’s more good news: Aside from that Roku stick, there are other current deals, in each of those shopper-favorite categories, that you can nab right now at Walmart — way ahead of Prime Day, Deals For Days, or whatever else the online retailers may have in store for the week of June 20.
Champion men’s closed-bottom sweatpants
Champion/Walmart
Let’s start with a current Walmart deal on joggers and jogging pants, a perennial retailer favorite for markdowns and the occasional lightning deal. These Champion brand jogging pants run true to size and come in four colors… and they’re half off, at $15.
6-quart Instant Pot electric cooker (7-in-1)
Instant Pot/Walmart
You can also get a deal, right now, on an Instant Pot cooker (now $89, previously $100) at Walmart, if you don’t want to wait to see what Amazon Prime Day and Deals for Days have on offer. This 7-in-1 Instant Pot model includes a yogurt-making function.
Apple AirPods Pro
Apple/Walmart
We’ve even spotted an elusive deal on — yes — an Apple product. Walmart has cut the price on the coveted AirPods Pro earbuds by a modest, but not insignificant, $22.