You have to love it when people get all up in arms when Amazon, or any other company, exploits an existing holiday for its own ends. Halloween, for example, used to be about kids dressing up in old bed sheets with two holes cut out for eyes. Now Halloween is a full-blown adult-driven holiday with all manner of [slutty] costumes sold and alcohol consumed.

Starting tonight July 10th, Amazon’s Prime Day kicks off. It’s essentially Christmas in July. Car salesmen for decades have been dressing up in Santa costumes to try and off-load inventory. Now it’s Amazon’s turn.

Amazon Prime has become an increasingly important part of Amazon’s strategy. According to estimates, more U.S. households may have an Amazon Prime subscription than a pay TV subscription as soon as next year (via Recode). No wonder Amazon is thinking of new ways to pushing this strategic advantage.

The key to taking advantage of Amazon Prime Day is not to get caught up in the hype. There will undoubtedly be some bargains. The challenge is not getting carried away and buying stuff you neither need nor want.

Please note UK and Canada readers. We now have set affiliate links for both countries. You can sign-up for Prime Day in the UK and Canada as well.

Below I have a bunch of links that address both the items that Amazon is putting on sale and the tactics you should use to maximized your advantage.

Tactics:

Getting the most out of Prime Day.  (Amazon)

Amazon Prime Day 2017: what to expect and how to find the best deals.  (The Wirecutter)

7 money-saving perks for Amazon Prime members.  (Yahoo)

Maybe Prime Day should be called Alexa Day.  (Bloomberg)

Is Amazon Prime worth it?  (NYMag)

How to get Prime Day deals even if you are not a member.  (Business Insider)

Deals:

Some hints as to some deals on Amazon hardware like the Echo speaker and Fire 7 tablet.  (The Verge)

Amazon Prime Day is going global.  (CNN)

Ask Alexa to order an item of $10 of greater from your Amazon order history and get a $10 credit.  (Amazon)

Get 4 months of Amazon Music Unlimited for $0.99. (Amazon)


*Please note that Abnormal Returns is an affiliate of Amazon, Amazon.ca and Amazon.co.uk. Links in the post above include affiliate information that provides us with a fee whenever a sale occurs.