How to Not Fall into Amazon’s Prime Day Trap
Prime Day is fast approaching, and while the ads make you think you need to buy buy buy, the last thing I want is for you to clutter your home with products that collect dust after one or two uses. Amazon is notorious for making us feel FOMO (the fear of missing out) with its seemingly good deals and time limits on fast shipping, but it’s not worth the price of a cluttered home and wasted money. According to Statista, Prime Day sales in 2023 reached an estimated $12 billion worldwide, which is a whole lot of shopping! So the best thing we can do as consumers is to stay cognizant of when businesses are luring us in with unnecessary purchases and be mindful of the purchases we do make.
If you are thinking about shopping deals on Prime Day, here are a few things to consider:
1. Buying out of Necessity vs. Urgency
Odds are if you didn’t need it before Prime Day you likely don't need it at all. It’s very easy to fall for all the marketing surrounding Prime Day, so I would maneuver it with caution. With that being said, Prime Day is a great time to shop for those items you have been needing and wanted to get at a more affordable price, like a replacement vacuum, a new Kindle (… because your son dropped yours in the water…), or stock up on every day items like laundry detergent strips and hand soap.
2. Have a Shopping Game Plan
With one-click purchasing and buy now, pay later programs like Afterpay and Affirm, it’s easy for your cart to stack up with products. However, take it slow with a game plan that actually allows you to think through the products you’ll end up buying. I suggest making a list of items you “need” versus “want” to purchase so that you can prioritize what needs to be bought now versus later (there’s no need to buy birthday gifts a year ahead!) And make sure to create this list before getting into Amazon because the website will only muddy up your idea of what you need. Another tip is to go through your Amazon purchase history and see what necessities you need to restock on.
3. Beat the FOMO
I would suggest getting in and out of Amazon quickly to make the purchases from your list, and not stopping to browse the homepage for “bestsellers” and “must-haves.” Amazon’s homepage and recommended products are just traps to get you to buy more and therefore clutter up your home. Another suggestion is to stay off of social media around Prime Day because your feed will be filled with Amazon Prime Day hauls and posts saying “you NEED this Amazon must-have!”
4. Take This Time to Declutter and Appreciate Your Own Purchases
Prime Day is a great time to step back and look at your own purchases over the years. It’s great to feel proud of the deals you’ve gotten, but it’s not great to let unused products take up valuable space in your home. If you have been wanting to tackle a DIY organizing project, I suggest doing research before buying products (and measuring to see what fits!). We have a list of our favorites on our Amazon storefront, but again, only purchase these if this is something you’ve been wanting to tackle. We are also releasing a series of digital guides for those of you interested in organizing your home on your own- subscribe to our email newsletter and follow me on Instagram to get updates!
