Walmart Rivals Amazon, Best Buy, Target With July Black Friday Sale Of Its Own

Who said big holiday discounts only come once a year? Not to be outdone by its rivals, Walmart is launching a big sale of its own Wednesday, Walmart.com CEO Fernando Madeira said in a blog post.

The sale includes more than 2,000 discounts available only through Walmart’s website, USA Today reported. And in addition, the company is reducing its free shipping minimums to $35 from $50.

“We’ve heard some retailers are charging $100 to get access to a sale,” Madeira wrote in the blog entry. “But the idea of asking customers to pay extra in order to save money just doesn’t add up for us.”

Walmart’s announcement comes a week after Amazon announced Prime Day -- a one-day online shopping event Wednesday, where it promises more discounts and deals than it had during its Black Friday sale in November. To participate in Amazon’s sale, customers must be subscribed to its Prime two-day shipping service, priced at $99 a year. However, Amazon does offer a free 30-day trial for customers interested in the service.

Walmart’s event doesn’t require Prime and launches Wednesday as well. The lower prices on some of its goods are expected to last 90 days while deeply discounted items it calls “atomic deals” will be available on a limited basis, NBC News reported.

In addition to Amazon and Walmart sales, Target also held its own “Black Friday in July” event Monday, offering buy-one-get-one-free deals on clothes, shoes and fragrances. It’s a sale Target has offered since 2010. Best Buy also is planning an event of its own July 24-25, with several deals on computers, appliances, home theater equipment and other electronics. It’s the third time the electronics retailer has hosted a midsummer sale using the name “Black Friday,” USA Today said.