With Amazon Prime Day creeping up on us, there are a number of retailers that killed it last year, none of which are named Amazon. Launching a barrage of competing sales on the same day or week as Prime Day 2015, these stores brought out deals that destroyed Amazon’s offerings. It’s likely they will continue to dominate the space this year, so be sure to check these four retailers starting early next week:

Microsoft Store

If you are in the market for a new laptop, be sure to check the Microsoft Store on July 11 and 12th. Last year, Microsoft dominated Amazon’s laptop prices. Most of Microsoft’s deals sold out within a few hours, so be sure to check early. Microsoft is also running their annual video game sale at the moment, ideal for anyone that wants to pick up discounted games for the Xbox One or 360.

Macy’s

During Prime Day 2015, Macy’s launched an aggressive clearance sale and free shipping site-wide on all orders, a promotion that was actually better than their Black Friday shipping deal. Many of the clearance deals were better than Amazon’s prices, ideal for anyone looking for sales on apparel, shoes, housewares and other home items.

Dell

Releasing an early preview of sales to consumers, Dell is sneaking out their deals on the 11th, prior to Prime Day. We are seeing a solid deal on an Inspiron desktop, roughly $50 less than the price has dropped before as well as a decent discount on a 15-inch laptop bringing the price under $250. Look for discounts on video game console bundles at Dell as well; a sale that’s become all too common during Black Friday.

NewEgg

During Prime Day 2015, Newegg’s deal offerings were scattered, but the retailer offered some killer deals on home theater gear and backpacks, all of which beat Amazon’s prices. Look for deals outside of the core tech products that Newegg is typically known for.

Bonus Tip: Avoid Walmart.com

Walmart’s online sales were even worse than Amazon during Prime Day 2015, despite attempting to garner attention by picking a fight with Amazon on the company blog. The majority of the sale prices matched existing deals in the clearance section; most of the “Rollbacks” were extremely insignificant.

4 Retailers Worth Checking on Prime Day That Aren’t Amazon

As of this morning, the first major Black Friday ad dropped for the holiday shopping season. The Dell Black Friday 2015 ad is mainly focused on two core categories, laptops and desktops. However, there’s also fantastic deals in the home theater and gaming space as well.

Check out our top 5 picks below!

1. Vizio 60″ 4K Ultra HDTV ($799.99)

This doorbuster price beats a historical low of $1,100, a $300 savings.  This set has received high praise from reviewers in regards to picture quality versus price point. Some people are even using it as a giant computer monitor due to the 4K resolution.

2. Dell Inspiron Micro Desktop PC ($99.99)

This doorbuster price beats a historical low of $150, a $50 savings. While it’s not listed in the ad, the micro desktop PC likely comes with a Dell KB216 keyboard and MS116 optical mouse.

3. Xbox One 500GB Gears of War + Bonus Controller + Fallout 4 ($299.99)

This doorbuster price beats a historical low of $350, a $50 savings. It also comes with an arguably more popular game than previously advertised bundles, Fallout 4 instead of Rare Replay.

4. Dell Inspiron 14″ Laptop ($149.99)

This doorbuster price beats a historical low of $180, a $30 savings. While this laptop doesn’t include a touchscreen interface, it does come with Windows 10 and a bright, high definition display.

5. Bose SoundTrue In-Ear Headphones w/ Mic ($49.99)

This Black Friday price beats a historical low of $80, a $30 savings. This model receives high praise from Amazon reviewers, receiving a 4.5 out of 5 star rating on the retail site.

The Dell 2015 Black Friday Ad Has Been Released

If you are an avid Bitcoin user, two new major retailers have just started accepting the online, digital cryptocurrency this month. The first was Newegg at the start of July and the second was Dell as of today. Dell’s announcement first appeared on Michael Dell’s Twitter feed. The company is partnering with Coinbase to process the digital transactions and convert the online currency into U.S. dollars.

Dell is now the world’s largest ecommerce business to accept #bitcoin https://t.co/xC41rKTYXi https://t.co/0YqPK7MfVG

— Michael Dell (@MichaelDell) July 18, 2014

While the majority of retailers still don’t accept Bitcoin, that doesn’t mean you can’t shop at those retailers with Bitcoin. A company called eGifter.com is offering the ability to convert your Bitcoin into a gift card for more than 200 major online retailer such as Amazon, CVS, The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Old Navy, REI, Sears and Toys R Us. At the moment, there’s a slight advantage to this process as you can get an additional 3 percent off your order with each purchase.

If you are interested in learning about the exchange rate for Bitcoin to U.S. dollars, Google just added Bitcoin to the currency conversion database this week. For instance, if you search for a phrase like ‘1 BTC to USD,’ you will see the value of a single Bitcoin in U.S. dollars. That will change in real-time as the currency value moves up and down throughout the day.

Dell, Newegg buddy up to Bitcoin, now accepting the digital currency

If you haven’t been keeping an eye on Ben’s Black Friday Hub this week, you may not be aware of the crazy blitz of Black Friday ads released by retailers. Several major stores released advertisements on Monday, particularly Best Buy, Walmart and Target. Simply click the graphic below to go straight to the new ads:

We have a total of 30 ads on the hub at this point as well as some of the best in-store deals you will find on Black Friday. The $199 PS3 / Xbox 360 bundle is particularly popular as well as 55 to 60 inch televisions under the $700 price point. There are also some great deals to be found on kids’ learning toys as well as tablets and laptops. We will probably add an additional 30 to 40 ads prior to the start of Black Friday this year.

Be sure to check out our Black Friday Hub for more ads as well as our buyer’s guides and in-store picks!

Black Friday Ad Blitz: Best Buy, Walmart, Target and more