Walmart launches brilliant alternative to Amazon's Prime Day - here are the best deals
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It is the battle of the retail titans - as Walmart rolls out its own version of Amazon's hugely popular Prime Day.
The second annual Walmart+ Week offers special offers and boosted perks to customers with its $98 a year premium membership.
It has echoes of its rival's Prime Day, which has become a much anticipated two day event launched in 2015 to get Americans spending on everything from gadgets to home essentials in the summer months.
Until Sunday, Walmart+ members will get cheaper gas, more cashback on travel, and free expedited store delivery, without the usual $10 fee.
Deals include a HP 15.6 inch laptop (was $1,000, now $400), an iRobot Roomba vacuum (was $350, now $229), and three pairs of Cate & Chloe white gold plated earrings (was $249, now $50).
Launched in 2020, Walmart+ has emerged as the main competitor to Amazon Prime, and Walmart+ Week is the company's answer to Amazon Prime Day, which has been around since 2015
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And if you've been eyeing a particular subscription for a while, here are some of the free trials you can get if you sign up for Walmart+ this week (which itself has a 30-day free trial still available).
- Up to five free months of Apple Music and up to four free months of Apple Fitness+
- Free three-month trial of YouTube Premium
- Two free months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
- Four free months of Calm Premium
Launched in 2020, Walmart+ has emerged as the main competitor to Prime.
Walmart strategically scheduled its week of exclusive price cuts before Prime Day, a one to two-day long promotional period that routinely happens during July.
While Amazon hasn't yet set a date for this year's iteration, an expert told DailyMail.com that Walmart+ Week is nowhere near as popular - yet.
'Prime Day is a very well-established retail occasion that shoppers look out for.
'Walmart+ Week is a much less visible occasion, so it needs more time to land with consumers and gain traction,' said retail expert Neil Saunders from analytics firm Global Data.
For this week only, Walmart+ subscribers will get 20 cents off per gallon of gas and 20 percent back in Walmart Cash on flights, hotels or car rentals booked through the company's travel portal.
As the battle for market dominance between Walmart and Amazon rages on, each one has their advantages.
Amazon is the overall leader in online US retail, taking roughly 37 percent market share, while Walmart is sitting at 6 percent.
But for consumers who want an in-person experience as well as a competent delivery service, Walmart takes leads with its more than 10,000 locations. That includes regular Walmart supercenters, its smaller neighborhood markets and wholesale Sam's Clubs.
Walmart's market share in the overall US retail market is 8.59 percent, according to Capital One Shopping. Amazon is trailing somewhat close behind.
Amazon remains ahead in subscriptions, boasting some 200 million Prime members, while Walmart+ has around 59 million.
That's likely due to Prime's 15-year head start, since it was launched in 2005 at the original price point of $79 a year.
But Saunders also said he believes 'Walmart+ will never fully compete with Amazon Prime.'
Amazon is the overall leader in online US retail, taking roughly 37 percent market share, while Walmart is sitting at 6 percent
Amazon bought Whole Foods Market in 2017 for $13.7 billion, in part to compete with companies like Walmart with huge brick-and-mortar presences
'Prime is a whole ecosystem of benefits and services that go way beyond free delivery,' he told DailyMail.com. It comes with a movie and TV show streaming service, for example.
'Walmart+ has relatively few bells and whistles. However, this doesn’t mean Walmart can’t grow and be successful. There is room for both services.'
Walmart+ is cheaper than Prime at $98 a year, and $49 a year for those on government assistance programs such as food stamps.
Prime's yearly membership for EBT recipients is nearly $84, while the regular membership is $139.99 a year.
Saunders says Amazon is justified in charging more for Amazon Prime because it simply has better value than Walmart+.
According to him, the bottom line is: if you have a Walmart near you and love to get groceries and other items delivered for free, Walmart+ is right for you.
If you want free delivery plus multiple other benefits, Amazon Prime is likely the better choice.
Each service offers unique, distinct perks for its subscribers, which can be found below: