Walmart, Target Announce Summer Sales Overlapping With Prime Day

Customers shop at a Walmart store in Chicago. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Walmart and competitor Target Corp. announced their upcoming summer savings programs on June 23, aimed at attracting loyal and budget-conscious customers with low prices on essential home goods, electronics, clothing, and back-to-school items. The promotions will overlap with Amazon’s Prime Day sales.

Walmart Inc., the nation’s largest retailer, will run its “Walmart Deals” program July 8–13. For the first time, the Arkansas-based retail giant will offer the deal-day program both in stores and online. In addition, Walmart+ members will get early access to members-only deals starting on July 7 at 7 p.m., a day before the public.

“As customers look to save on both the items that they want and need this season, this summer’s event will feature a wider selection of products, including wellness finds and everyday essentials,” said Megan Crozier, executive vice president of general merchandise for Walmart’s U.S. operations.

“We also know families are continuing to shop earlier for the new school year, so we’ve brought back deals on first-day essentials to help customers save more when it matters most.”

Target’s annual “Circle Week” will closely follow Walmart’s competing dates, taking place from July 6 to July 12 online and at local retail stores. This year, the Minneapolis-based retailer, known for its stylish clothing, fashion, and beauty brands, announced it will maintain its 2024 prices on key back-to-school items, including its popular list of 20 must-have supplies for elementary, high school, and college students.

“This is such an important time for everyone preparing to head back to class—or heading off to school for the first time,” Rick Gomez, Target’s chief commercial officer, said.

“The Target team will be there for families by holding last year’s prices on key school supplies and standing tall for unrivaled style, quality and exceptional value. We’re proud to be a part of back-to-school and back-to-college traditions.”

Like Walmart, Target offers exclusive deals to its loyal customers through its namesake Circle program and Circle 360 membership, a paid customer service where “Tar-zhay” followers get access to VIP sales, shipping discounts, item return perks, and discounts with other retail partners.

Walmart operates nearly 11,000 stores worldwide under its namesake and Sam’s Club brands, along with numerous e-commerce websites across 19 countries. In its recent first-quarter earnings call, the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retailer announced that its e-commerce division was profitable for the first time but warned that the company might need to raise prices on some food and general merchandise items because of ongoing tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.

Target, however, stated during its first-quarter earnings call last month that it will leverage its global supplier partnerships, disciplined financial management, strong balance sheet, and ample cash to stay competitive on pricing at its nearly 2,000 brick-and-mortar stores across the United States.

Walmart and Target announced their summer deal programs one week after e-commerce giant Amazon revealed that its annual Prime Day event will be held online in 26 countries from July 8 to July 11. This marks the first time Prime Day will span four days since the online sale started a decade ago.

This year, Amazon announced that Prime members will be able to enjoy deep discounts across more than 35 categories, including electronics, kitchen, beauty, apparel, and back-to-school supplies. Last year, Amazon stated that Prime Day 2024 was its biggest summer shopping event ever, with record sales and more items sold during the two-day event than on any previous days.