To help shoppers make holiday purchases early in the season, Target is hosting Deal Days again this year — the event kicked off today and runs through Oct. 8. The last time Target hosted Deal Days was in July to compete with Amazon Prime Day, and the retailer's October event falls days before Amazon's Prime Early Access Sale — Amazon's sale will be held Oct. 11-12, although early deals have already begun.
Target says October’s event features discounts on products across categories in line with shoppers’ holiday season needs. Anyone can shop Target’s sale — this is one way Deal Days is distinct from events like Prime Day, which only Prime members have access to. However, if you’re a Target Circle member and use a Target RedCard to shop, you’ll get an extra 5% off purchases during Deal Days, a perk that’s available to RedCard holders year-round.
Target’s holiday sales won’t stop when Deal Days ends. The retailer said shoppers will be able to find discounted products in the months ahead, which is why it’s extending its Holiday Price Match Guarantee this year — it will be active from Oct. 6 to Dec. 24. Purchases made during this time period will qualify for a price adjustment if the Target price goes lower any time on or before Dec. 24, the brand says.
To give you an idea of what Target Deal Days 2022 looks like, we compiled what we know about the event and how to take advantage of the best sales and deals. Check out our coverage of the best Target Deal Days deals to find notable discounts on AirPods, KitchenAid mixers and more.
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What to expect during Target Deal Days 2022
Target Deal Days started in 2018, and this is not the first year the retailer is hosting the event twice in one year — Target Deal Days occurred twice in 2021, as well. During October’s Deal Days event, the retailer says you can find savings on products from brands like Disney, Apple, Levi’s and Ulta Beauty, which are Target shop-in-shops — this means the brands have their own mini stores within Target. Items from Target-owned brands like Heyday, Good & Gather and Threshold are also discounted, in addition to FAO Schwarz products, which are newly exclusively available at the retailer in addition to FAO Schwarz stores.
Shoppers can find deals across categories like toys, home and kitchen, beauty and fashion. Target said it is also offering a variety of festive products to help you prepare for the winter holidays, from stocking stuffers to seasonal decor. Some products we saw strong sales on during July’s Deal Days event included Apple Watches and AirPods, standing mixers from KitchenAid, Instant Pots, water flossers from Waterpik, vacuums from Dyson and over-ear headphones from Bose.
In addition to shopping online and getting items shipped to your door, you can take advantage of pickup and delivery services to get your purchases faster.
- You can pick up or get curbside pickup orders (what Target calls Drive Up) in two hours with no minimum purchase.
- You can get same-day delivery through Shipt to receive orders in one hour (no membership fee required).
- When shopping with a Target RedCard, you can get free shipping on orders $35 or more.
What to know about Target Deal Days and other early Black Friday sales
One of the biggest trends experts have seen in recent years is retailers kicking off the holiday shopping season weeks before Black Friday, sometimes — as in Target’s case — as early as October. Black Friday used to be considered the beginning of the holiday shopping season, but now that so many retailers offer early deals, it’s more of a halfway point, said Katherine Cullen, senior director of industry and consumer insights for the National Retail Federation.
When Target last hosted Deal Days in July to compete with Amazon Prime Day, other retailers like Best Buy, Macy’s, Kohl’s and more hosted similar events around the same time. Experts said we’ll likely see a similar pattern when it comes to holiday sales events and early Black Friday deals — once one retailer announces its offerings, other retailers follow suit. Here are some of the October savings events we know about so far:
- Wayfair's 5 Days of Deals is happening Oct. 7-11.
- Walmart will be releasing "new rollbacks and more" Oct. 10-13.
- Amazon's Prime Early Access Sale is happening Oct. 11-12.
- Bed Bath & Beyond's Beyond Big Sale is happening Oct. 11-16. Shoppers can get 25% off the total price of their items Oct. 11-12 and 25% off single items Oct. 13-16.
- Groupon Day is happening on Oct. 14.
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Target Circle vs Target RedCard
While Target Deal Days is open to everyone, Target offers two programs that can help you save even further and earn rewards during the event, as well as year-round.
- Target Circle is a free loyalty program that offers members rewards and other perks. Members earn 1% in Target Circle earnings every time they make an eligible purchase in stores or online (purchases made with a RedCard do not receive these earnings). You can build up earnings over time and eventually use them towards a Target purchase. Target Circle members also get access to special discounts and can get 5% off a single purchase for their birthday. Members can participate in Target’s Community Giving Program, too. Members can earn and cast votes to help direct where Target makes donations to select nonprofits.
- Target RedCard is a store card that can only be used at Target. The Target Debit Card, Target Credit Card and Target Mastercard are each considered a RedCard (though you can use the Target Mastercard at any merchant that accepts Mastercard). They all give you access to the same benefits, including a 5% discount on eligible purchases, free standard shipping on most items, free two-day shipping on eligible items and an additional 30 days to return purchases beyond the standard 90-day return policy. If you’re a Target Circle member as well, you can link your RedCard to your account to take advantage of perks offered through the rewards program. You can learn more about Target RedCard from our friends at CNBC.
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