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Amazon, Walmart and Target All Just Announced October Sales. Here's How They Compare.

All three retailers scheduled competing fall sale events for the same week in October 2026 — but the membership requirements, dates and discounts differ in ways that matter.

By THRYV Reviews Desk·Published September 18, 2026·Updated September 18, 2026·5 min read
Amazon, Walmart and Target All Just Announced October Sales. Here's How They Compare.
Comparisons · Illustration commissioned for THRYV. Photography is replaced with original imagery as each story is produced.

The takeaway

Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days (Oct. 6-7), Walmart's Deals & More event (Oct. 5-11) and Target Circle Deal Days (Oct. 6-7) all overlap this October. Amazon and Target require paid or free membership sign-ups; Walmart's sale is open to everyone. Discounts range up to 40%-65% depending on category and retailer.

Three of the country's largest retailers scheduled competing fall sale events for the same week this October — a rare moment of direct, dated overlap. Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days runs October 6-7, Target Circle Deal Days runs October 6-7 as well, and Walmart's "Deals & More" event runs a full week, October 5-11. Here's what actually separates them.

The dates

  • Amazon Prime Big Deal Days: 48 hours, starting 12:01 a.m. PDT October 6 through October 7
  • Target Circle Deal Days: October 6-7, with early access from October 5 for Target Circle 360 subscribers
  • Walmart Deals & More: a full week, 12 a.m. ET October 5 through October 11

What it costs to shop each one

Amazon's event requires an active Prime membership. Target's requires a free Target Circle account — no purchase necessary to join. Walmart's sale, notably, is open to any shopper with no membership or account required at all.

We plan our events around how and when our customers want to shop. We know many customers are starting to think about the holidays earlier while also shopping for their everyday and seasonal needs, so we wanted to give them a full week to save in early October.
Walmart spokesperson

What's actually on sale where

  • Amazon: deals across more than 35 categories, including Halloween costumes from $5 and candy under $10, groceries with markdowns as steep as 75% (avocados listed at $0.33 each), and Amazon Haul items starting at $1
  • Walmart: up to 50% off home goods, 40% off technology, 30% off toys/food/Halloween items, 25% off tools, and 20% off wellness products
  • Target: up to 40% off fashion brands (65% off Vera Bradley specifically), 30% off select furniture and bedding, and up to 40% off select Dyson vacuums

The bottom line

If you don't want to sign up for anything, Walmart's event is the only one of the three that requires no account at all — and it runs five days longer than its rivals. If you're already a Prime or Target Circle member, the category mix, not the sign-up cost, is what should decide where you shop first.

Brands mentioned

Sources

This article is original writing by THRYV. We link to primary reporting and official documents rather than reproducing them.

  1. Walmart launches weeklong fall sale overlapping Amazon Prime Big Deal Days — Fox Business
  2. Prime Big Deal Days 2026 is set for October 6-7, 2026 — About Amazon
  3. Target Circle Deal Days: Dates and Details — Today.com

Why you can trust this article

Written and edited in-house by the THRYV Reviews Desk. We do not republish or reword agency copy, and we do not invent quotes, statistics, testimonials or ratings. Where figures move frequently, we point you to the primary release rather than printing a number that will be out of date. Advertising and affiliate partnerships have no influence on our reporting — see our editorial standards, fact-checking policy and affiliate disclosure. Spotted an error? Write to newsroom@thryv-news.com.

General information only. Not personalised financial, medical or legal advice.

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