Amazon Prime Day 2021 Dates Announced

Amazon Prime Day is coming just in time for summer, running on June 21 and 22, the online mega-retailer announced Wednesday. The two-day shopping event featuring huge discounts for members of Amazon's Prime service typically has taken place in mid-July but comes early this year after it was delayed in 2020 until October due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Prime Day kicks off June 21 at midnight Pacific time and will run through June 22, the company announced in a statement Wednesday. While these dates stand for the U.S., Amazon Prime users in Canada and India will have their Prime Day postponed due to "the increasing impact of COVID-19" in those countries. No date has been set for those countries at this time. Amazon has yet to release the list of sales heading customers' way, but discounts are expected on everything from Amazon's own products such as Echo devices and Amazon Music to flash sales on items from across the website.

Amazon said Prime Day will offer discounts on 2 million products over the two-day span, and some of the best early-release deals include 50% off four months of Audible and discounts on Fire TVs. Amazon also said it will give Prime members a $10 promotional credit if they buy $40 or more in certain select Prime-branded Amazon Gift Cards between June 2 and June 20.

Amazon has faced scrutiny for years from activists and lawmakers over labor conditions for its warehouse and delivery workers, its environmental impact, and the online retailer's growing dominance in the global marketplace over local retailers. Small business owners have long said that Amazon's growth has been to their detriment, as it's impossible for most of them to undercut the global company's low prices.

In response, the retailer said this year it will be aiding small businesses that use Amazon to sell their goods by spending more than $100 million on promotional Prime Day events to support them. Included in that promotion is a $10 credit Amazon said it will offer on Prime Day to members who spend at least $10 with select small businesses that sell through Amazon from June 7 through June 20. Amazon said that at this time, it has more than 200 million Prime customers, which is more than double the number of members of the service when Prime Day first debuted six years ago.