Target's "Deal Days" sales take on Prime Day a month before Black Friday

Amazon Prime Day is coming up on Oct. 13 and 14, but apparently Amazon isn't the only retailer planning a huge sales event around that time. Target is getting in on the action now with "Deal Days," a sales event that will feature discounts on "hundreds of thousands of items." This event will cover the exact same days as Prime Day and directly compete with Amazon's sales. You can expect to see a lot of the same deals, giving you some great options for online shopping, especially if one deal runs out at one place but not the other.

If you haven't done any online shopping in a while or you've been waiting since July for these delayed sales events, get ready. Amazon Prime Day is going to be huge, and we're already starting to see the discounts. You will need to be an Amazon Prime member to take advantage of it. At least at Target you don't need to be a member to take part in the Deal Days event. Although, you can sign up for Target's Circle loyalty program for easy access to all the best deals, and you can save an extra 5% with a Target RedCard.

Amazon already depends on online shopping of course, but this year marks a noticeable change for brick and mortar retailers like Target. Target has said it expects less people in stores for things like Black Friday but will still hire the same number of seasonal employees to deal with the uptick in online shopping, fulfillment, and pickup options. You can also take advantage of an extended time period for Target's Price Match Guarantee, which will apply beyond 14 days for the first time. At any point between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24 you can request a price adjustment for a "Black Friday deal" if it's down to a lower price at Target or Target.com.

Target already has plans underway for Black Friday as well. Consider October's deals just the start of a very long, very jampacked holiday shopping season. The company will close its doors on Thanksgiving Day just like most retailers plan to do this year, but that won't stop the deals from hitting long before with chances for you to save through online shopping before the Friday in Black Friday even arrives. Target plans to start Black Friday deals as early as Nov. 1 with savings throughout the entire month.