Possibly planning ahead for another surprise October Prime Day (like during 2020), Target has announced a pre-November, Black Friday-style event that will kick off the retailer’s push into the holiday shopping season. Deals will be available on the store’s website, on the app and within physical Target locations.

As of publication, Target hasn’t released a significant number of details on what will be on sale during the Deal Days even beyond mentioning categories like TVs, video games, kitchen appliances and vacuums. There’s no cost to participate in Deal Days as it does not require a membership like Amazon & Prime Day.

October 10 is also the kick-off date for Target’s, limited-time, price matching event. Any Target purchases made between October 10 and December 24 can receive a price adjustment if Target offers a lower price later in the holiday season. In addition, Target offers competitor price matching for 14 days after the date of purchase.

Saving even more on Target Deal Days

As always, we advise setting up your Target account prior to Deal Days to make sure you have quick access to checkout options, in the case of hot, limited inventory deals.

• If you have a RedCard, you can receive an additional 5% off your Target purchases. In addition, there’s frequently a deal that offers a bonus $40 to $50 gift card for signing up for a card. (For example)
• If you have a Discover IT card, you can sign up for an additional 5% cashback from Target during Q4. In addition, that card offers 5% cashback on Amazon and Walmart.com.
• Be sure to check Target Circle and look for additional 10% coupons that bring the overall cost down even further. These coupons are usually targeted at specific accounts.
• Look for deals that offer additional gift cards as a bonus for purchasing. Target frequently uses this tactic during Black Friday in order to entice customers away from competitors like Walmart and Best Buy.

Target schedules “Deal Days” event during October 10 – 12, 2021

Launching on the same two days at Amazon Prime Day (Oct 13 and 14), Target is repeating their yearly tradition of “Deal Days.” Identical to Target’s Deal Days promotion in July 2019, the digital deals will start rolling out as Amazon Prime Day kicks off.

This year, Target is claiming to offer double the total deals as last year. Unfortunately, Target hasn’t elaborated on what specifically will be on sale beyond mentioned deals on electronics, home goods, essential products, toys and items in the Beauty category.

All deals will be available through Target’s contactless Drive up pickup system as well as the Order pickup counter inside the stores. Of course, it’s likely that Amazon will over many same day shipping deals on items, thus eliminating a need to even leave your home.

After Deal Days finishes up, Target will take a pause on offering deals until November 1. After October ends, Target will offer Black Friday deals (one million more than last year) throughout the entire month. Starting on Sunday, November 1, Target will offer week-long deals as well as a barrage of daily deals.

One interesting, pro-consumer tweak to policy this year is that Target customers will be able to request a price adjustment on any item advertised as a “Black Friday deal” between November 1 and December 24. That’s significantly longer than the company’s standard 14-day window to request a price match. Presumably, customers will be able to request the price adjustment at the customer service counters in Target stores, over the phone or online using the Target chat function here.

Regarding other competitors, only Walmart has announced a competing sale. Launching Sunday, October 11, at 7 p.m. ET., Walmart will have a “Big Save” event that will last through Thursday night. The company has release zero details on the volume of deals or what product categories will be covered.

There’s also been radio silence on free shipping promotions. Typically, Target, Walmart and Best Buy (among other retailers) announce free shipping promotions for holiday shopping. We expect those promotions to be more aggressive this year as more consumers have been pushed to online shopping due to the COVID pandemic.

Target announces October “Deal Days” to compete directly with Prime Day