What To Buy From Target On Prime Day Instead Of Amazon

For 2020 Prime Day, you might be better off getting these deals at Target than Amazon.

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Target's "Deal Days" is a good Prime Day alternative for folks who want to spend their cash somewhere other than Amazon. Here's what you need to know.
gsheldon via Getty Images
Target's "Deal Days" is a good Prime Day alternative for folks who want to spend their cash somewhere other than Amazon. Here's what you need to know.

You might think that Amazon is the only place to shop online on Prime Day 2020, but in recent years retailers such as Walmart and Target have offered some stiff competition with deals that rival Amazon’s.

Amazon’s biggest annual sale, Prime Day 2020, is going on Oct. 13 and 14. It’s the second year in a row that Prime Day will run for two days instead of just one. As in years past, the shopping holiday will feature flash sales and markdowns on everything from vacuums to video games. But contrary to years past, Prime Day 2020 won’t take place in July — the pandemic pushed the sale back.

This time around, Target is once again offering Target Deal Days on Oct. 13 and 14 —the same two days as Prime Day. But there’s no membership fee to shop Target’s deals, though you have to be an Amazon Prime member to shop Amazon’s Prime Day deals.

During Target’s Deal Days, you’ll get free two-day shipping on items over $35 — a price point that isn’t hard to hit if you’re buying your usual Prime Day hot items such as the Instant Pot, a Dyson vacuum or the Revlon One-Step.

Target announced its competitive Prime Day sale would include “hundreds of thousands of deep discounts” on things such as electronics, household essentials and beauty products, making it a good Prime Day alternative for folks who want to spend their cash somewhere other than Amazon.

“Target's Deal Days is a good Prime Day alternative for folks who want to spend their cash somewhere other than Amazon.”

Perhaps the most interesting news about this year’s Target Deal Days is that you won’t have to worry about missing a limited-time markdown. For the first time ever, all of Target’s deals will live for the entire two-day sales event.

What deals are better at Target than Amazon on Prime Day?

Here's what you should get during Deal Days instead of Prime Day, according to an expert.
Kativ via Getty Images
Here's what you should get during Deal Days instead of Prime Day, according to an expert.

On Amazon, our shopping editors expect to see deals and discounts similar to what we saw last year, including on popular products such as the Ninja Foodi and Instant Pot.

More important, if you’re not a fan of flash sales, you might turn to Target instead of Amazon on Prime Day. There are even a few deals that you’re probably better off buying from Target than Amazon, but you don’t have to take it from us. We spoke with retail experts about what’s worth buying at Target vs. Amazon on Prime Day.

Before you buy, you should probably know what’s worth waiting until Black Friday to buy rather than buying now during all of the competitive Prime Day sales going on.

Julie Ramhold, a consumer analyst at DealNews.com, recommends waiting on your laptop, TV, new Amazon device and smartphone purchases until Black Friday in November. Tech and gadgets will for the most part have cheaper pricing on Black Friday than on Prime Day.

There are four categories you should buy at Target instead of Amazon this year, she added: Halloween items, beauty products, toys and previous-generation Amazon devices.

“Target already has a price match guarantee that includes Amazon as one of its approved competitors. While we expect Target to just offer up prices similar — or exact — to what Amazon has on certain items, even if they don’t, there’s a chance you could receive a price adjustment after the fact,” Ramhold said.

How will Target compete with Amazon on Prime Day? Target will push its free loyalty program (called Target Circle), which will feature select offers early before they sell out and same-day pickup options (using Shipt), according to Ramhold.

We picked out some of the best deals that Deal Days will have on offer below so you don’t have to keep switching back and forth between Target and Amazon on Prime Day.

Check out what you should buy from Target rather than Amazon on Prime Day.

1
Last-minute Halloween deals for a frightful holiday
Target
Goblins, ghosts and ghouls — you could find everything you need for Halloween on sale at Target. Deal Days fall right before Halloween. And that’s a good thing for last-minute trick-or-treaters.

Same-day delivery or order pickup come in handy to get “spooky goodies in plenty of time,” according to Ramhold.

Right now, Target is offering Halloween decor starting at $10, BOGO 50% off Halloween costumes and having a sale on candy. Stay spooky.
2
Tech that's price-matched
Target
Whether you're a techie or not, you can find tons of deals on electronics at Target right now, including on Apple AirPods and Beats headphones.

The prices of the tech on sale are on par with what we're seeing across the internet. So if you love Target, you might just get it here instead. And you might be better off since you won't have to deal "with shipping delays related to higher Prime Day traffic," Ramhold said.

Check out all the tech markdowns at Target.
3
Kitchen appliances for home cooks
Target
Looking to get cooking? Target has you covered with cookware, kitchen gadgets and small appliances marked down.

One of the best deals, if not the best one, is on this KitchenAid stand mixer that's almost half-off. You can also find deals on this air fryer that's $40 off, Instant Pot pressure cooker that's now just $80 and Keurig single-serve coffee maker that's more than 20% off.

Check out kitchen deals at Target.
4
Beauty products to get that glow (and other personal care products)
Target
From creams to cleansers, you can turn to Target for your beauty on Prime Day. And like Ramhold predicted, there are plenty of deals on personal care products.

Target is offering up to 40% off beauty and personal care during "Deal Days." The best deal you'll find is probably the internet-approved Revlon brush for less than $30. But you'll see shaving products to get grooming and brands like Winky Lux and e.l.f. on sale, too.

Check out all of Target's beauty deals.
5
Vacuums to make cleaning day easier
Target
Yeah, we're not fans of cleaning day, either.

Luckily, you won't have to settle for a vacuum that just sucks. We've spotted plenty of Target deals on vacuums now, including on this robot vacuum that's $80 off and Bissell with almost 2,000 reviews that's under $100.

Check out the vacuums on sale at Target.
6
Toys to check off the kids' wish lists
Target
There are going to be some top toys this holiday season, so get them sooner than later. Target might be the best place to get them during "Deal Days."

"It routinely offers discounts of 10% or so on different categories, and we only expect those to be better for an event like Deal Days," Ramhold said.

Now, you can get up to 40% off toys to get your gifting for this holiday season out of the way early. You can take up to 20% off Barbie and 25% off select board games. Check out toy deals at Target.
7
Furniture, furniture and more furniture
Target
When it comes to furniture, you might want to check out Target instead because you could have much more options to choose from.

The company has deals like up to 50% off dining furniture, including this set of faux leather set of counter stools, and up to 30% off home office furniture, including this leaning desk that's now under $100.

Check out the furniture on sale at Target.

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