It’s official: All four major retailers have announced their October holiday sales. The main event is Amazon’s two-day Prime Big Deal Days promotion; the remainder were all announced in response to it, and have coinciding dates that position them to directly compete with the online shopping juggernaut.
Today, Walmart’s became the last one to officially announce its own “Prime Day”-esque promotion, and there’s some good news for those of you who balk at the idea of paying for a membership to take advantage of a sale—it’s free to everyone.
What (and when) is Walmart’s October Prime Day competition sale?
Walmart’s response to Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days is a six-day sale starting on Oct. 8 (the same day as Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days) at 12 a.m. ET and running through Oct. 13. You can shop online or in person and you can find deals on virtually anything they sell that you can’t eat.
Do you need to be a member to shop for Walmart’s October sale?
Unlike Amazon or Best Buy (and like Target), you can participate in all of Walmart’s holiday sales without needing to be a paying member. However, Walmart+ members will get a 12-hour head start (exclusively online) on the deals compared to everyone else. To become a Walmart+ member is $98 a year but you can always get a 30-day free trial.
What deals can you expect during Walmart’s October sale?
Walmart was kind enough to publicize some of their deals, which will start on Oct. 8. Although these products are available right now, you won’t see the discounted prices until the sale starts:
98” onn. Roku TV – $1,498
LEGO Disney Stitch Toy Building Kit – $51.95 ($13.04 off)
Bissell Little Green Pro Portable Carpet Cleaner – $109.00 ($44 off)
GTRacing Gaming Chair Office Chair – $99.99 ($150 off)
Better Homes Gardens 14oz Farm Apple Pumpkin Scented Wooden Wick Jar Candle – $5 ($5.87 off)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Pizza Fire Delivery Van – $29 ($20.15 off)
Frigidaire 7.5 Cu. ft. Refrigerator – $198 ($301 savings)
Ororo Heated Fleece Hoodie for Men and Women with Battery – $104.99 ($45 off)
Restored Apple MacBook Air Bundle – $226.00 ($53 off)
Dr. J Professional HEPA Air Purifier – $69.99 ($110 pff)
24V 2 Seater Ride on Cars – $329.99 ($170 off)
MSI Thin 15.6″ i5 3050 16GB/512GB Gaming Laptop – $599 ($100 off)
Sharpie Permanent Markers Limited Edition Set – $39.08 ($9.77 off)
Hart 215-Piece Mechanics Tool Set – $98 ($60 off)
Swisstech 24-inch Excursion Travel Duffel – $5 ($29.56 off)
George Men’s Long Sleeve Tees – $5.00 ($1.98 off)
Wonder Nation Boys Jeans and Girls Fashion Jeggings – $10 ($3.98 off)
Other retailers with competing sales
In addition to Walmart and Amazon, Target has “Circle Week,” a whole week of deals starting on Oct. 6 for Circle members (which is also free to join). Best Buy’s sale which lasts nearly a whole month and includes five different events, starts on Sept. 27 and runs through Oct. 25, and will require you to be a paid member to score the best deals.
Amazon will likely command the lion’s share of the day’s spending, but every retailer typically has a killer deal or two that outdoes the others, so it’s worth planning ahead if you’re eyeing any big ticket items.