But the deals!
Why you should resist the siren call of Prime Day “savings”
Several years ago I set up a filter on my Gmail to send all emails with the phrase “Prime Day” directly to the trash. (Publicists and brands send journalists an astonishing number of emails about this annual shopping event.) So, once again, Prime Day caught me by surprise.
While making the rounds of my favorite home design sites this morning the top stories are all about Prime Day. And I know from having worked for many of these publications that these will be the most-read stories of the year (deep sigh). Everyone clicks on the Prime Day deals roundups. So, I’m dashing off a quick email as a counterweight to all the Prime Day propaganda that is coming across your screen right now.
I know how tempting those articles, newsletters, and Instagram posts can be. Suddenly you remember that you were thinking about buying another fan and you see that the fancy Dyson one is 20-percent off—a significant savings. But this is how we get tricked to buy more than we need. Was the need that pressing, if you hadn’t ordered it already? Did you need the premium brand or were you lured into it by the “savings?” And where are you going to store this thing when the heat wave is over?
Worse still, these “discounts” are often nothing more than a scam, as
and point out:The Shark Pet Cordless Vacuum Cleaner, for example, is a featured "Early Prime Day" product. Amazon says the sale price for this vacuum, $149, represents a 50% discount off of the $299.99 "list price." The online tool Camel Camel Camel, which tracks prices of Amazon products over time, reveals that, since monitoring began in 2019, the vacuum was not listed at $299.99 until May 21, 2025. Its average price is about $200. Over the last year, the same vacuum was available for $149 in November, December, March, April and May.
Friends, you don’t need to buy anything on Prime Day. Yes, many lovely, desirable things are deeply “discounted” during Amazon’s sale period (some of them genuinely so), but you’d save even more by not buying the thing in the first place. The thing you don't buy is always 100-percent cheaper than whatever you do buy.
But, but, but: The savings, you cry! If you’re afraid that you’re going to miss out on a deal, make a list of the things your family really needs right now (or in the next few months). Walk through your house room by room to remind yourself of anything you have been meaning to replace or purchase. Ask the kids and your spouse if there’s anything on their need-to-buy list. Get really specific about what exactly you need and approximately how much you plan to spend.
Then go look those specific things up and see if they are on sale. Then, cross reference those prices with other sites (or better yet eBay or Facebook Marketplace) to see if you’re really getting a discount. If the price isn’t really a deep discount, then skip it—wait and see if you really “need” it.
But I’d rather you opted out altogether. Flex those anti-consumerist muscles and resist the urge to click. Tell me if you’re participating in Prime Day shopping and if so, what it is you just can’t resist. I’m curious!
Further reading on convenience shopping and Amazon:
The Stories Our Amazon Carts Tell
Earlier this year, I set out to write a newsletter about how to cut back on shopping on Amazon (a topic that many readers had expressed an interest in). So I asked readers to share their Amazon carts with me anonymously. I figured I’d review people's receipts, brainstorm ways they could have avoided the purchase or at least avoided ma…
Thanks for this post! My grandpa always used to say “the best coupon is not spending any money at all!” :)
I'm definitely not buying anything during Prime Days. In fact, I canceled my Prime membership almost a year ago. Jeff Bezos doesn't need any more of my money.