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NBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- NBC News
Summer discounts at Amazon, Walmart and other retailers aren't always as deep as they look
Summer discounts at Amazon, Walmart and other major retailers aren't always as deep as they seem. A smattering of markdowns during the latest round of sales events was preceded by price hikes, an NBC News analysis of e-commerce pricing shows. The NBC News Price Tracker has been following a selection of household items sold online by major retailers. The basket of goods includes everything from dishwashers to running shoes and headphones — items that aren't bought as frequently as groceries but are common enough to attract shoppers during heavily advertised seasonal promotions. Of 178 tracked items at Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy, at least two dozen saw price increases in the weeks before each of the three retailers' sales events kicked off. The price fluctuations come as consumers remain sharply more pessimistic than they were this time last year, with many hunting for bargains after months of executives' and economists' warnings about tariff-fueled price increases. Several items rose in price the week leading up to Amazon Prime Day (July 8-11), then fell once the sale started. The Keurig K-Duo coffee maker was priced at $199.99 until late June, then rose about 9% to $219.99 in the weeks before Prime Day. Its price was slashed to $139.99 during the Prime Day sale — a more than 36% discount but only 30% lower than the earlier level. The Cannon EOS R50 camera, which started at $799 in the weeks leading up to Prime Day, went up to $879 the week before Friday, July 4, and is now down to $749. The change turned what would have been a roughly 6% discount into a nearly 15% markdown. 'Amazon consistently offers the lowest prices across the widest selection of products, and we continue to meet or beat prices versus other retailers across the vast selection of products in our store,' a spokesperson for the company said. Best Buy increased some prices in the run-up to its Black Friday in July Sale (July 7-13), too. A Yamaha outdoor speaker that started at $104.99 jumped nearly 43% to $149.95 the week before the promotional event kicked off, only to return to $104.99 during the sale. An Anker charging dock spiked to $79.99 a little more than a week before the retailer's sale, when its price was cut by 20% to $63.99 — the same level as in May. In fact, the device went as low as $52.99 at certain points in both late May and late June. A Best Buy spokesperson said the speaker was priced at $104.99 for the last several months, aside from a two-day period when it was unintentionally reset to its regular price before being lowered again on July 3. The charging dock has been on clearance at $63.99 for at least a month, the spokesperson said, adding that neither item — nor three others that NBC News identified with similar price moves over roughly the same period — were part of Best Buy's July sale. Walmart made its own price increases for some items ahead of the Walmart Deals event (July 8-13), though the handful of hikes NBC News identified among the 74 Walmart-sold items in the Price Tracker occurred in May or June, rather than immediately before the summer sale. This Barbie Dream Camper set started at $65, increased to $99.99 weeks before Walmart Deals week, and fell back to $65 during the sale. A Pelonis oscillating fan, which started at $26.42, jumped to $34.99 in early June. During Deals week, it dropped to $28.38. Even an inexpensive Bic multipurpose lighter selling for $3.52 in May jumped to $4.99 in June. During the week of Walmart Deals, it returned to $3.52. A Walmart spokesperson said the company's July promotions offered 'incredible value on thousands of items' and that its 'commitment to everyday low prices extends beyond our deals events.' Walmart doesn't control the prices of the many products listed by third-party sellers on its site, the spokesperson said. Several Amazon products monitored by the Price Tracker also saw spikes beginning in May and June to levels that fell only just before Prime Day. These pricing shifts are nothing new. Retailers have been criticized for such practices for many years and typically say they constantly tweak prices to stay competitive with one another and respond to shifting consumer demand. 'Many, but not all, merchants increase prices right before the sale begins just to drop them back down to the same discounts they'd been at just a few days prior,' said Samantha Gordon, deals editor at Consumer Reports, where she said these moves are also turning up in the outlet's own price tracker. 'This can make it look like you're getting a better-than-normal deal when it's really just the everyday sale price,' she said. 'The best way to know how much you're really saving is to check prices at least two weeks before the sale starts.' The price spikes NBC News identified weren't across the board. Most of the tracked items' prices stayed flat ahead of the summer sales events, rather than climbing beforehand. It's also true that the Price Tracker zeroes in on a minuscule sample of e-commerce purchases at just five large retailers, each of which sells a vast range of products both in stores and online. But it isn't hard to find evidence of price jumps in the run-up to summer discounting periods on other retail price-tracking platforms, too. Keepa, which tracks Amazon's prices, found a pair of JBL noise-canceling headphones listed for $129.95 in the last couple of weeks of June. They jumped to $149.95 on July 3 before dropping to $99.95 for Prime Day. CamelCamelCamel, which also tracks Amazon, shows a Ninja air fryer that jumped up to $129.99 from $100 just before Prime Day, before falling to $89.99 during the sales event. The appearance of deep price cuts fueled a surge in consumer spending. U.S. retail e-commerce sales exceeded $24 billion from July 8-11, Adobe analysts said Saturday, a more than 30% jump from the same period last year that 'sets a new benchmark for the summer shopping season.' Purchases surged across key product categories reflected in NBC News' Price Tracker, with online sales of apparel rising 250%, appliances up 112%, electronics up 95% and home improvement items up 76%, Adobe found. Retailers successfully 'leaned into discounts to drive growth' among price-sensitive shoppers, the analysts said — so much so that many consumers 'traded up' to higher-ticket items that they'd forgo on an ordinary day. The share of purchases made up by the priciest items rose 20% during the summer sales period from typical levels this year, according to Adobe, with even steeper gains among top-shelf products in categories such as appliances (up 36% over average levels), sporting goods (up 30%) and furniture (up 28%). But as NBC News reported during the last fall's holiday shopping season, consumers who miss out on major retail promotions can still find plenty of discounts year-round. 'Prices rise and fall due to changing conditions,' noted shopping expert Trae Bodge, not just due to planned sales events. 'Because dynamic pricing exists, I suggest that shoppers research price histories so they time their purchases accordingly.'
NBC News
07-07-2025
- Climate
- NBC News
More flash floods forecast to hit Texas and immigration enforcement in Puerto Rico: Morning Rundown
The National Weather Service is warning more flash floods could hit central Texas. This summer's big sales events could offer some of the best pre-tariffs bargains. Trump's policies are reshaping immigration enforcement in Puerto Rico. Here's what to know today. At least 81 dead in Texas floods as search for missing people goes on The National Weather Service is warning more flash floods could hit central Texas. The death toll rose to 81 across six counties as of 2 a.m ET. In Kerr County, officials reported 40 adults and 28 children had died. Officials said 10 children are still missing from Camp Mystic. The catastrophic flooding struck on Friday, causing a surge of 20 to 26 feet on the Guadalupe River near Kerrville and leading to widespread damage and washing out roads. As the flooding in Texas became a fight for survival, some residents clung to trees and meter boxes to stay alive. Within hours of the deluge early Friday, some Texas officials were critical of the NWS, saying forecasts underestimated the rainfall. Yesterday, President Donald Trump rejected the idea of investigating whether NWS cuts had left key vacancies, and the White House said claims that NWS cuts had anything to do with the tragedy were 'disgusting.' Independent meteorologists and a former NWS official said warnings issued in the run-up to the flooding were about as timely and accurate as could be expected with the weather data available in real time. Predicting extreme rain and flash flooding beyond several hours is challenging, they said, and it is also not easy to ensure urgent warnings reach those most at risk. The meteorologists said they did not think understaffed offices were a primary factor in the tragic outcome, even though the NWS has leadership gaps after a rash of staffing cuts. What happens with prices after the summer sales events is anyone's guess. Retail executives, including at Walmart, and major consumer brands have warned that tariff-fueled price increases are likely as the year wears on and the inventories they've built up dwindle. To reduce some of the guesswork for shoppers, NBC News is tracking online price levels for dozens of items at Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Home Depot to determine when and how much they may fluctuate throughout the rest of the year. The NBC News Price Tracker is powered by the e-commerce price-tracking platform Bright Data, which is monitoring 27 to 61 items for each of the five retailers. Residents in Puerto Rico fear that President Donald Trump's efforts to carry out mass deportations will fundamentally change how immigration policies are enforced in a U.S. territory that had long been perceived as a sanctuary for immigrants. That perception was first shattered on Jan. 27, the same week Trump took office. Immigration authorities raided Barrio Obrero and arrested more than 40 people. Witnesses told Telemundo Puerto Rico, NBC's sister station on the island, that they saw agents break down the doors of several homes and businesses. Detainees were handcuffed, placed in vans and taken away, they said. In his 40 years living in Puerto Rico, Ramón Muñoz, a Dominican immigrant, had seen authorities sporadically detain undocumented people but never 'with the aggressiveness' displayed during that raid. Complicating matters for immigrants in Puerto Rico, detainees are transferred to the mainland U.S. — an ocean away from their families and attorneys managing their immigration cases — because there are no permanent detention centers on the island that can hold them for prolonged periods, according to Rebecca González-Ramos, the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Juan. Read All About It Ozzy Osbourne, with Parkinson's disease and a spine held together with screws and plates, forced his battered body through one last concert with Black Sabbath, capping a 10-hour marathon featuring the biggest names in hard rock. Women suffering rare genital disorder that can cause intense pain, burning, buzzing, tingling often go undiagnosed. Staff Pick: Eurotrip 2025 — cheaper flights, pricier dinners Airfares to European destinations are falling, offering last-minute summer travelers some bargains. But the good news ends at the customs gate, thanks to exchange rates that haven't been too kind to U.S. visitors. The dollar has seen its worst half-year performance since 1973, eroding Americans' spending power in the U.K., E.U. and elsewhere. Take a three-night Barcelona hotel bill of €850 — it worked out to about $965 as recently as a month ago but will set you back $1,002 today. But, as Harriet Baskas reports, consumers looking to travel this summer have more on their minds than just currency swings. — Rich Bellis, senior business editor NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified The NBC Select team played with the Nintendo Switch 2 for a few weeks to see if it was a worthwhile successor to the original Switch console. Here's the verdict. Plus, don't shouldn't peel your sunburn, and try these dermatologist-approved treatments instead.
NBC News
07-07-2025
- Business
- NBC News
Summer sales could offer the last pre-tariff bargains on many goods this year
This summer's big sales events could offer some of the best bargains before the ongoing trade war threatens to scramble fall and winter shopping. President Donald Trump's springtime pause on his sweeping global tariffs is set to expire Wednesday. He has indicated the July 9 deadline isn't set in stone, and his treasury secretary said Sunday that higher rates would kick in Aug. 1 if agreements aren't reached by then. So without a flurry of trade deals with dozens of countries in the coming weeks, the import taxes are set to drive up the prices of numerous overseas goods for businesses and consumers alike. In the meantime, major retailers are rolling out deep midseason discounts to keep customers spending despite widespread pessimism. Consumer sentiment has improved from its dismal levels months ago but remains sharply lower than this time last year. The promotions could run as much as 40% off during Home Depot's 4th of July Sale (June 19-July 9) and Target's Circle Week (July 6-12) and up to 50% off during Amazon Prime Day (July 8-11) and Walmart Deals (July 8-13). What happens with prices after the summer sales events is anyone's guess. Retail executives, including at Walmart, and major consumer brands have warned that tariff-fueled price increases are likely as the year wears on and the inventories they've built up dwindle. Some analysts are already seeing signs of those hikes picking up, particularly at department stores, CNBC reported last week. To reduce some of the guesswork for shoppers, NBC News is tracking online price levels for dozens of items at Amazon, Walmart, Target, Best Buy and Home Depot to determine when and how much they may fluctuate throughout the rest of the year. Rather than sweep up hundreds or thousands of items across these retailers' sprawling e-commerce marketplaces, the tracker zeroes in on a basket of 230 items that tend to be purchased less frequently than, say, groceries or household staples. They range from appliances like dishwashers and toasters to jewelry, smartphones and running shoes. The NBC News Price Tracker is powered by the e-commerce price-tracking platform Bright Data, which is monitoring 27 to 61 items for each of the five retailers. The Price Tracker can't identify what causes prices to rise or fall, so it's impossible to determine whether any changes reflect retailers passing along tariff expenses to shoppers. But the tool can help consumers plan their purchases at a time when goods from certain countries, such as China, or with specific components, like steel or aluminum, are disproportionately subject to steeper levies. The summer sales period offers something of a starting line, coinciding with broader trade policy changes and representing the last major discounting spree before back-to-school shopping around Labor Day, followed by early-bird holiday sales leading up to Black Friday. Since Bright Data began tracking prices of 230 items for NBC News on March 2, about 29% of them saw price hikes, with an average increase of nearly 6%. Home Depot and Target saw the most price hikes, affecting 39% and 37%, respectively, of those tracked since March. And over roughly the last month, price increases have been more common than reductions: In all but one week since May 30, twice as many products increased in price than decreased across the four major retailers. (A Home Depot spokesperson said the company hasn't taken tariff-related pricing actions and attributed any price swings to routine promotional cycles. Target didn't comment.) So far, there are few signs of broad-based pricing changes that clearly correspond to tariff policy moves. 'It's been hard to draw a line connecting the dots between things that have been said, things that are happening in the world, and certain items that we know are manufactured in those areas,' said Jennifer Burns, Bright Data's director of public relations and communications. But a few patterns are emerging in the run-up to this month's discounting sprees: Kitchen appliances: It might not be the best time to make major upgrades in the kitchen. Prices on larger appliances like freezers, stoves and ovens are up, particularly at Home Depot, where 39% of the items we tracked increased in price. The highest individual price increase was 53.1% on a freezer and refrigerator unit. At Best Buy, prices took a sharp dive from mid-April to mid-June but have since rebounded to slightly above their springtime levels. Water bottles: The prices of three popular stainless-steel water bottles — by Hydro Flask, Stanley and Owala — are each ticking up at Amazon and Walmart, potentially a sign that the 25% tariff on global steel is having an impact. (Owala declined to comment; Hydro Flask and Stanley didn't respond to requests for comment.) Electronics: Smartphones saw a sharp price spike, increasing by an average of 15% at Best Buy, but other gadgets such as speakers, headphones and accessories like charging docks stayed flat across the five retailers. (A Best Buy spokesperson said the retailer offers high-quality tech at a range of competitive price points that can fluctuate for reasons including sales, seasonality and device upgrade cycles.) Apparel: Clothing price changes vary by retailer. In May, Walmart warned shoppers could start seeing tariff-driven price hikes within weeks, and apparel is one of several areas where that may be happening. Of the six clothing items NBC News is tracking at Walmart, four saw price hikes — together rising by an average of more than 57% over the past month. Four of the six Walmart toys NBC News tracked got pricier, up 37% during the same period. At Amazon, by contrast, just one of seven toys saw price hikes, and all six apparel purchases held flat. (A Walmart spokesperson said the company aims to 'keep prices as low as we can for as long as we can.' An Amazon spokesperson said the retailer offers industry-leading low prices across hundreds of millions of items and pointed to CEO Andy Jassy's recent remarks on CNBC that the company has 'so far not seen prices appreciably go up.') Beauty and jewelry: These prices largely haven't changed, despite 30% tariffs on goods imported from China, where many such products are made. Economists warn that consumers haven't felt the full weight of tariffs at checkout just yet. 'I expect the inflation associated with tariffs to be felt later this year,' the National Retail Federation's chief economist, Jack Kleinhenz, said in a press release last month. 'Consumers remain very price sensitive, and those costs are likely to weigh heavily on consumer budgets.' But fluctuating prices aren't expected to deter people from chasing summer deals. Adobe Analytics, which tracks e-commerce spending, projects consumers will shell out $23.8 billion online from Tuesday to Friday — up $9.6 billion from last year's summer sales. 'You have some consumers who just see really strong deals, and that's enticing enough for them to do that spontaneous purchasing,' said Vivek Pandya, lead digital analyst at Adobe. 'You also have consumers who are cognizant of the broader pricing environment globally, and are kind of trying to stockpile goods in anticipation.'
