Walmart Plus Week Is Coming, and the Savings Could Be Huge

What happened

Earlier this week, Amazon shared the details of this year's Prime Day event, which is scheduled to take place July 11-12. And Target was quick to follow up that announcement with details of its Circle Week sale, which runs July 9-15. Now, Walmart is taking the competition up a notch with its Walmart Plus Week event, scheduled from July 10-13. 

So what

Ever since Amazon launched its Prime Day event, competing retailers have been encroaching on its territory by releasing their own deals to coincide with the big event. This year, Walmart is doing the same. 

Only unlike Prime Day, where you need to be an Amazon Prime member to capitalize on the bargains on offer, Walmart Plus Week is available to all shoppers, not plus Walmart Plus members. It's a similar setup to Target's big event, where you have to join its loyalty program to get the deals, but the program itself is free. However, those who pay for Walmart Plus will get to start shopping on July 10, whereas everyone else will have to wait until July 11 to begin enjoying the savings.

Now what

Walmart Plus costs $12.95 per month, but as is the case with Amazon Prime, there's a discount for paying for a membership on a yearly basis. In that case, the cost is just $98 plus applicable taxes.

Joining Walmart Plus prior to Walmart Plus Week could work to your advantage. On top of early access to sales, Walmart Plus members have limited-time access to perks like a $30 Rover credit to spend on pet care services and 30% off all SpaFinder gift cards. It's also offering six months of unlimited Sip Club at Panera for $5 a month (plus tax), plus a monthly $5 MyPanera reward. The normal cost is $11.99 a month.

Of course, navigating multiple sales events in July may be tricky if you're on a budget and don't want to end up with credit card debt. So a good bet is to make a list of the items you're hoping to find on sale and compare prices once those deals officially hit.

That said, some retailers are offering previews of the deals they'll be releasing. Walmart, for example, will feature a 65-inch LG TV for $498, rather than its usual price of $698. It will also have a Dyson V8 Origin Cordless Vacuum for $250, marked down from $420. 

Target is also discounting the Dyson V8 Origin Cordless Vacuum. But it's only shaving $130 off of its regular $429.99 price point in July, bringing the final price down to $299.99. So in this case, Walmart's deal reads like the better one -- assuming, of course, that the item doesn't sell out. 

In fact, you might lose out on a number of deals if you don't join Walmart Plus prior to the big sales event. Like Amazon Prime, you can sign up for a free 30-day Walmart Plus trial. Doing so could be a strategic move, but set a calendar reminder to cancel if you don't feel the service will be useful to you beyond mid-July.