Retailers Launch Competing Fall Sales as Amazon's October Prime Day Begins
In short
Amazon's October Prime Day sale is running as rival retailers roll out their own competing fall sales. Walmart's event runs through October 11, with AirPods 4 discounted to $79 and LEGO sets up to 37% off, while Best Buy, Sony and others also offer sitewide discounts.
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Amazon's October Prime Day event is underway, and rival retailers have launched their own fall sales to compete with it. IGN reported that Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days runs from October 6 through October 7, while MacRumors said on October 5 that the event was “nearly live.” Walmart, Best Buy and Sony are among the retailers running competing promotions. [ 1 , 3 ]
Walmart's competing sale began October 5 and is set to run through October 11, according to MacRumors and IGN, making it longer than Amazon's two-day event. MacRumors reported Walmart has the non-ANC Apple AirPods 4 at $79.00, down from $129.99, while IGN reported the same $79 price as $50.99 off list. IGN also reported LEGO sets in the Walmart sale reach up to 37 percent off, above the roughly 20 percent discount the sets usually see. [ 1 , 3 ]
Other retailers are running sitewide promotions. MacRumors reported Best Buy's “Techtober” sale offers as much as $1,400 off select TVs, and that Sony's fall sale takes up to 50 percent off headphones, speakers, sound bars, TVs and photography equipment, including the WH-1000XM5 headphones at $199.99, down from $399.99. MacRumors noted it is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. [ 1 ]
CNN's deals team framed the rival offers as potentially better than Amazon's on price, return policies or membership perks, and listed products including Hoka running shoes, a Columbia rain jacket and a Coleman cooler. CNN noted that Amazon is not an authorized retailer for Hoka running shoes. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The competing sales show how far October discount events have spread beyond Amazon, with major retailers timing promotions to the same shopping window. Coverage of these events is led by deal-focused reporting that often carries affiliate links, so the buying advice is intertwined with commercial incentives.
Key facts
- Amazon's October Prime Day event, Prime Big Deal Days, is running, with IGN reporting it runs October 6 through October 7. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Walmart's competing fall sale is set to run through October 11. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Walmart has discounted the non-ANC Apple AirPods 4 to $79. [ 1 , 3 ]
- Best Buy's “Techtober” sale offers as much as $1,400 off select televisions, MacRumors reported. [ 1 ]
- Sony is hosting a fall sale with up to 50 percent off headphones, speakers, sound bars, TVs and photography equipment. [ 1 ]
- IGN reported LEGO discounts in Walmart's sale reach up to 37 percent off. [ 3 ]
Confirmed by several sources
Still unclear
- The exact start time of Amazon's October Prime Day event. MacRumors said on October 5 that the event was “nearly live,” while IGN said on October 6 that it runs from that day through October 7.
- Whether the discount figures cited by individual outlets are the full range of offers. Each outlet lists only the deals it chose to highlight, so the lists are partial and mostly single-source.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- MacRumors reports that Amazon Prime Big Deal Days is “nearly live” and rounds up competing sales from Sony, Best Buy and Walmart. [ 1 ]
- CNN publishes a comparison of competing October Prime Day deals from rival retailers. [ 2 ]
- IGN reports Walmart's rival sale is live, with Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days running October 6 through October 7. [ 3 ]