Amazon Kicks Off Holiday Season With 'Black Friday-Worthy' Deals
A year ago, Amazon kicked off an early holiday season with an October Prime Day sales event that was pushed from its usual summer slot due to inventory constraints caused by an uptick in online ordering during COVID-19 lockdowns. This year, amid a challenged supply chain, Amazon is prodding customers to “shop early and save big,” announcing Monday “Black Friday-worthy deals available today.”
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Customers could start scoring deals Monday at Amazon.com where the landing page featured “Epic Daily Deals,” including Beats Studio3 wireless headphones at 51% off to $169.95. That’s the deal Alexa offered when we asked the voice engine for deals from our Echo smart speaker. Alexa offered no other deals when we said, “Next,” as instructed. The $180 savings were substantial compared with the price of the cans at Walmart ($249) and B&H Photo ($272.46). Best Buy showed Beats Studio3s in a sold-out clearance package at $192.98, which also included a set of $69 Beats wireless earphones.
A new feature in the Amazon mobile shopping app allows Prime members to send gifts with just an email or mobile phone number, without the need to know the recipient’s mailing address, said the e-commerce leader.
In the tight labor market, Amazon upped the stakes for hourly wages with average starting rates of over $18 as part of a plan to invest more than $1 billion in higher pay for front-line workers this holiday season. It said it’s on track to hire 125,000 full- and part-time jobs in fulfillment and logistics in the U.S.
New this year is a “holiday prep shop,” broken out across categories including entertainment, decor, seasonal movies and books, and music and tech. Apple deals figured prominently Monday in limited-time deals. The AirPods Pro were $179 vs. the $249 list price; the standard AirPods with charging case were $50 off to $109; and purchase of a $100 Apple gift card netted buyers a $10 Amazon promotional credit.
The eclectic collection of entertainment products in the prep shop included a various artists country music CD ($14.69); a red vinyl Dolly Parton Christmas LP ($17.98); Samsung's 43-inch The Frame TV with Alexa ($947); a Panasonic Lumix FZ300 digital camera ($497); LG 50-inch 4K TV ($491); a vinyl version of The Beatles’ Abbey Road ($39.99); Crosley Bluetooth turntables ($74-$89); a Kodak instant photo printer ($134); and Epson, Optoma and ViewSonic 4K home projectors ranging $199-$2,959. Sound bars from LG, Majority Bowfell, Pheanoo, Polk Audio and TCL ranged $39-$951.
Through Dec. 18, first-time Amazon gift card shoppers will receive a $10 promotional credit with the purchase of $50 or more in Amazon gift cards, while supplies last, it said.
Deals on Amazon products included a Fire TV Stick with Alexa voice remote for $33, down from $49; a 2021 Echo Show 8 ($128); and a certified refurbished 4th-generation Echo Dot with clock for $54.99.
Amazon reaffirmed its support of small businesses, pointing customers to a Support Small Storefront, saying more than half of all products bought at Amazon are sold by small and medium-size businesses. Customers can shop curated selections from women-, Black-, family- and military family-owned businesses, it said. Amazon Launchpad helps “innovative” products from startups, entrepreneurs and small brands reach customers, it said.