Walmart Rollback Sale Strikes First in Holiday Deal Showdown

Move over, Amazon. Walmart is cutting in.

Amazon is about to launch a big two-day holiday sale Oct. 11 and 12. So in a bold and merciless countermove, Walmart is fighting back with its own online sale that starts Oct. 10 and runs through Oct. 13.

Not only does it start a day before Amazon’s sale, but it ends a day later.

Take that, Amazon.

Both sales are an opportunity for shoppers to jump on deals without waiting for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, both of which come in November.

What’s on Sale at Walmart?

Walmart is holding a “Rollbacks and More” sale with discounts on various gifts and products, including electronics, home goods, clothes and toys. If you’re scouting around for a deal on a TV, a robot vacuum, a Barbie dollhouse or an air fryer, you might score here.

In one particularly striking deal, there are reports that Walmart will mark down the new Apple Watch Series 8 by $50, selling it for $349.

More information will be available once the sale actually kicks off.

By aggressively scheduling its sale to start a day early, Walmart is clearly hoping to grab bargain-hunting holiday shoppers before Amazon’s big sale gets off the ground. Because all is fair in love and war and the retail business.

Oh, and you also won’t need some kind of special membership to grab these deals. Unlike Amazon’s sale, which is only available to its Prime members, you do not need a Walmart Plus membership. This sale is available to the general public.

Walmart Plus membership gets you free deliveries and fuel discounts for $12.95 a month.

What About Amazon’s Sale?

As for Amazon, it’s kicking off what amounts to a second Amazon Prime Day specifically for the holiday season.

The Prime Early Access Sale runs Oct. 11 and Oct. 12. Amazon is calling the event “two days of holiday deals,” clearly positioning the promotion as a way to grab gifts for your favorite festive holidays.

Amazon Prime members can take advantage of discounts sitewide, potentially nabbing a few deals before the holiday shopping season is fully upon us.

We won’t know what deals are available until the sale starts. However, Amazon has already made a few discounts and offerings available with the event’s announcement.

Amazon Prime members can immediately take advantage of four months of Amazon Music at no cost (normally $8.99 a month) and Prime Video deals of up to 50% off. Amazon is also offering Grubhub+ free for a year.

Amazon’s Prime subscription includes access to Prime special sales events, in addition to free delivery and a host of exclusive Amazon services. Those who have never tried Prime can sign up for a 30-day trial. Continued membership costs $14.99 a month, but discounts are available for students and those on government assistance.

Which Sale Is for You?

Here’s a thought for savvy online shoppers: You might wait to shop until Tuesday, when you can compare Amazon’s discounts to Walmart’s discounts.

That way you know you’re getting the best deal.

Mike Brassfield (mike@thepennyhoarder.com) is a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, which helps millions of readers worldwide earn and save money by sharing unique job opportunities, personal stories, freebies and more. The Inc. 5000 ranked The Penny Hoarder as the fastest-growing private media company in the U.S. in 2017.