• by Sarah Mahoney , September 16, 2025

We know — Amazon’s last Prime Day, its longest ever, wrapped up only months ago. And most Americans are still in flip-flops, wondering what to be for Halloween. But uncertainty around consumer spending is pushing retailers to front-load the holidays, dangling discounts and perks in hopes of coaxing wallets open.

Amazon is reviving its Prime Big Deal Days on Oct. 7 and 8, with savings on brands like Beats, LEGO, Milk Makeup, KitchenAid and Levi’s. The company is already slicing 40% off holiday décor and pitching curated deal lists, Amazon-brand bargains, and up to half off devices. To keep Prime members engaged, Amazon is layering in experiences: early access to tickets for “Wicked: For Good” (four days before the Nov. 17 opening), fuel discounts at Amoco, and even 21 days of free McDonald’s McNuggets Meals with Grubhub+.

Best Buy, meanwhile, is piling on assortment, saying new digital marketplace partners will let it offer 10 times more items this season. The Minneapolis-based retailer is leaning into gaming, appliances, wearables and ever-bigger viewing, expanding XXL screens (97 inches and up) and hosting in-store viewing events. Loyalty members get extra carrots, including special pricing on headphones, e-bikes, cookware and small appliances.

Target is trying to conjure holiday magic after months of sliding sales and a continuing boycott tied to its diversity and inclusion stance. The company is adding another Target Circle Week Oct. 5–11, followed by weekly deal drops starting Nov. 1, with twice as many new items as last year. Next-day delivery now covers more than half the U.S. population. And it’s betting on pop-culture tie-ins to make shopping feel fresh, with exclusive merchandise around the fifth and final season of Netflix’s “Stranger Things” and Universal’s “Wicked: For Good,” spanning beauty, drinkware, fashion and toys.

Together, the three strategies show how early and how aggressively retailers are jockeying for holiday shoppers: Amazon with perks, Best Buy with product, and Target with cultural sparkle.