Summer discounts on Amazon, Walmart and other important retailers are not always as deep as they seem. A handful of Markdowns during the last round of sales events was preceded by price increases, according to an NBC news analysis of electronic commerce prices.
The NBC news price tracker has been following a selection of household items sold online by the main retailers. The product basket includes everything from dishwasher to shoes and headphones, items that are not bought as often as edible, but are common enough to attract buyers during highly announced seasonal promotions.
Of 178 articles tracked in Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy, at least two dozen price increases in the weeks before the sales events of each of the three retailers begin. Price fluctuations occur when consumers are still very pessimistic of what were this time last year, with many bargain fighters after months of warnings of executives and economists about price increases fed with tariffs.
Several items increased in the price the week before Amazon Prime Day (July 8-11), then they fell once the sale began.
- The Keurig K-Duo coffee maker had a price of $ 199.99 until the end of June, then increased approximately 9% to $ 219.99 in the weeks prior to the primary day. Its price was reduced to $ 139.99 during the sale of Prime Dia, a discount of more than 36% but only 30% lower than the previous level.
- The Cannon Eos R50 Chamber, which began at $ 799 in the weeks prior to day, rose to $ 879 the week before Friday, July 4 and has now dropped to $ 749. The change changed what would have been a discount of approximately 6% in a reduction of almost 15%.
“Amazon constantly offers the lowest prices in the broader selection of products, and we continue to meet or exceed prices compared to other retailers in the vast product selection in our store,” said a company spokesman.
Best Buy increased some prices in the period prior to its black Friday in the sale of July (July 7-13) as well.
- An outdoor speaker of Yamaha that began at $ 104.99 increased almost 43% to $ 149.95 the week before the promotional event began, just to return to $ 104.99 during the sale.
- An Anker cargo spring shot at $ 79.99 a little more than a week before the retail sale, when its price was reduced by 20% to $ 63.99, the same level as in May. In fact, the device was as low as $ 52.99 at certain points at the end of May and end of June.
A Best Buy spokesman said that the speaker had a price of $ 104.99 during the last months, apart from a period of two days in which he involuntarily restarted at his regular price before returning again on July 3. The dock of charges has been in authorization at $ 63.99 for at least a month, said the spokesman, adding that neither of the two elements, nor three others that were identified with the similar price with the price similar at a similar price at a similar price at a similar price, the price of the same purchase of approximately approximately approximately, the same period of the two purchases of Gold, was the same Jole of the same purchases. sale.
Walmart made his own price increases for some articles ahead of the Walmart Deals event (July 8-13), although the handful of NBC news was identified among the 74 Walmart-Vold items on the price tracker that occurred in May or June, instead immediately before the summer sale.
- This set of Campistas of Barbie Dream began at $ 65, increased to $ 99.99 weeks before Walmart approached the week and returned to $ 65 during the sale.
- An oscillating pelonis fan, which began at $ 26.42, increased to $ 34.99 in early June. During the week of the agreements, it fell to $ 28.38.
- Even an BUCROPERIÓN BIC Economic Bu Multipurpose that is sold for $ 3.52 in May increased to $ 4.99 in June. During the week of Walmart offers, he returned to $ 3.52.
A Walmart spokesman said that the company’s promotions offered “an incredible value in thousands of articles” and that their “commitment to low -daily prices extends beyond our offering events.” Walmart does not control the prices of the many products listed by third sellers in place, said the spokesman.
Many, but not all, merchants increase prices just before the sale begins just to withdraw them.
Samantha Gordon, Editor of Offers, Consumer Reports
Several Amazon products monitored by the price tracker also saw peaks from May and June to levels that fell only before Primo day.
These price changes are not new. Retailers have been criticized for such practices for many years and generally say they constantly adjust prices to stay competitive with each other and respond to the changing demand of consumers.
“Many, but not all, merchants increase prices just before the sale begins just to withdraw them to the same discounts in those who had been only a few days before,” said Samantha Gordon, editor of Consumer Reports agreements, where he said that these movements are also appearing in the exit price tracker.
“This can make it look that you are getting a better offer than normal when it really is only the daily sale price,” he said. “The best way to know how much you are saving is to verify prices at least two weeks before the sale begins.”
The prices of the prices identified by NBC were not in all areas.
Most prices of tracked items remained stable before summer sales events, instead of climbing in advance. It is also true that the price tracker focuses on a tiny sample of electronic commerce purchases in just five large retailers, each of which sells a wide range of products both in stores and online. But it is not difficult to find evidence of price jumps in the period prior to the summer discount periods on other retail price monitoring platforms as well.
Keepa, which tracks Amazon’s prices, found a couple of headphones with JBL noise cancellation that appear for $ 129.95 in the last two weeks of June. They jumped at $ 149.95 on July 3 before falling to $ 99.95 for Prime Day. Camelcamelcamel, which also tracks Amazon, shows a Ninja Air fryer that increased up to $ 129.99 from $ 100 just before the primary day, before falling to $ 89.99 during the sales event.
The appearance of deep price cuts fed an increase in consumer spending. The US Retail Electronic Commerce. UU. Exceeded $ 24 billion from July 8 to 11, Adobe analysts said on Saturday, a jump of more than 30% since the same period last year that “establishes a new reference point for the summer shopping season.”
Purchases increased through the key categories of products reflected in the NBC News price tracker, with online clothing sales to the 250%increase, appliances rose 112%, electronics rose 95%and household improvement items rise 76%, Adobe found.
The retailers “bowed successfully in discounts to boost growth” among prices -sensitive buyers, analysts said, so much that many consumers “negotiated” to high -content items of tickets that would leave in an ordinary day. The proportion of purchases composed of the most expensive items increased by 20% during the summer sales period of the typical levels this year, according to Adobe, with even more pronounced profits among top -level products in categories such as appliances (36% more than average levels), sporting articles (30% more) and furniture (28% more).
But as NBC News reported during the Christmas shopping season of the past autumn, consumers who lose the main retail promotions can find many discounts throughout the year.
“Prices increase and fall due to changing conditions,” said the purchase expert brings Bodge, not only due to planned sales events. “Because there is a dynamic price, I suggest that buyers investigate pricing records to have their purchases to have a consequence.”
