Should I subscribe to Walmart Plus before Amazon Prime Day?
Walmart Black Friday 2020 is coming – but before that, Amazon Prime Day 2020 is landing first. Rather than letting Amazon grab all the attention, though, the US retail giant is responding with the Walmart Big Save event, a counter-sale that’ll actually run for longer than Prime Day itself.
While Amazon’s event runs for October 13-14, Walmart Big Save runs for October 11-15, so you’ll have a longer window to enjoy sales from the retailer. You also don’t need to be subscribed to a membership program to actually access them.
This is all part of Walmart’s strategy to spread its money-saving deals out over the latter half of this year, as many consumers look to buy their holiday gifts early, rather than in one jam-packed weekend towards the end of 2020. In essence, then, it’s worth thinking of Walmart Big Save as an early Black Friday event, with discounts described as “Black Friday-like” by the retailer itself.
Walmart’s stock is going to be shaped around the way people’s buying habits have changed this year – and tech will be a key part of that.
So, how can you prepare? Well, Walmart Plus (check out the sign-up page here) is the latest membership program from the retailer – it offers a lean but meaningful series of benefits, though how useful they’ll all be depends on your proximity to a Walmart store and gas station.
Ahead of Prime Day and Black Friday, though, the main benefit to consider is faster delivery, including same-day delivery on some items. Below, we’ll explain how Walmart’s existing shipping options compare to that offering by Walmart Plus, so you can make a call on whether the subscription program is worth trying in time for the event.
Walmart already has pretty strong free shipping offerings
Before we get into the benefits of Walmart Plus, let’s outline the existing free shipping deals at Walmart. Walmart offers a free next-day delivery option on eligible items if your order totals $35+, assuming your ZIP code qualifies. That’s pretty strong – and you don’t need to be a member of Walmart Plus to enjoy that. Just look for the ‘NextDay delivery’ tag on certain items online.
Likewise, items marked with a two-day delivery flag also qualify for free shipping if the order is over $35. You’ll find this option on many different types of products – from games to groceries.
Walmart has already said these free options will be available during the Big Save event – you might find this satisfies your needs already, without spending anything extra. Many items will be available for in-store pick-up, too.
Is it worth subscribing to Walmart Plus before Amazon Prime Day?
Unlike Amazon Prime Day which requires a Prime membership to access its deals, those without Walmart Plus will be able to enjoy all of the retailer’s discounts during the Big Save sale.
Costing $12.95 per month or $98 per year, Walmart Plus has three main benefits: unlimited free delivery (assuming the area you live in is covered), discounted fuel (5 cents per gallon at Walmart & Murphy stations, which includes over 1,500 locations) and a streamlined mobile scan-and-go in-store shopping experience.
How you’ll benefit from the latter two really depends on how close you are to a Walmart store or gas station – so we’d advise making a call on the value of those benefits based on your lifestyle and proximity to a Walmart.
The extra delivery option is the main, thing, then. Walmart Plus gets you unlimited deliveries for that monthly or yearly cost – and the delivery options range from same day delivery onwards, with one-hour delivery slots handed out on a first-come, first-serve basis. Again, though, $35 is the minimum order amount according to the FAQs. Items covered include everything from “groceries to gadgets”, according to the site.
It seems like Walmart Plus makes more sense, then, if you like more control over your delivery options, or if you frequently shop for groceries from Walmart. It’s a relatively small expense if you think you can take advantage of those benefits all year round.
Unlike Amazon Prime, which offers a lot of benefits beyond the free delivery around its other services, like its Prime Video and Music offerings, Walmart Plus seems like it’s built for people whose lives involve shopping at Walmart already.
For everyone else, then, specifically if you’re just cruising for tech deals, that free two-day shipping for orders over $35 is likely enough to do the job.
Consider the 15-day Walmart Plus trial during Prime Day and Black Friday
If you know the next few months are going to be busy shopping periods for you, remember that Walmart Plus has a 15-day free trial, which you can enjoy whenever it suits you.
In that time, you’ll likely be able to measure how much value you’ll get out of the membership program – and see if having more flexible delivery options helps when it comes to last-minute gift buying.
Otherwise, though, Walmart already offers competitive shipping options for casual customers – meaning you’re unlikely to miss out either way during the coming holiday shopping period.
