Amazon isn't the only retailer cutting prices this week.
Best Buy, Walmart, and Sony have each launched sitewide sales timed to undercut Amazon's Prime Big Deal Days, which kicks off this week. Best Buy's "Techtober" event knocks up to $1,400 off TVs, including a 77-inch LG OLED now at $2,299.99. Walmart's Deals and More sale runs through October 11 with discounts on TVs, computers, and appliances, plus AirPods 4 (without ANC) down to $79. Sony's fall sale cuts up to 50 percent off headphones, speakers, and Bravia TVs, with the WH-1000XM5 headphones dropping to $199.99.
None of these three retailers need Amazon's permission to run a sale, but timing it to the same week is a tacit admission that Amazon still sets the shopping calendar. For shoppers, that's good news: it means TV and headphone prices are being pressure-tested from four directions at once, not just one.
Four sales events are now competing for the same shopping week: Amazon's own, plus the three retailers racing to ride its coattails.