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Prime Day 2020: Get the Details

Amazon’s Prime Day usually takes place in the summer. Due to concerns with COVID-19 it was uncertain when and if we would see Prime Day this year. If you were disappointed in that, I have some good news. There will be a Prime Day 2020 and it will take place Oct 13 – 14.

When

So yea I know I already told you it’s happening Oct 13 – 14 so you actually get Prime Days not just 1 day. Specifically Prime Day kicks off at midnight PT so I’m guessing that means 9 PM for us EST folks? I mean that’s cool with me. The deals run through Wednesday Oct 14.

Who

First of all, you have to be an Amazon Prime member to get the deals (and don’t forget the free shipping!) Don’t forget, if you’re not a Prime member you get 30 days free trial for new customer! Prime Days are for Prime members in the U.S., U.K, U.A.E, Spain, Singapore, Netherlands, Mexico, Luxembourg, Japan, Italy, Germany, France, China, Canada, Belgium, Austria, Australia. For the first time though, Turkey and Brazil can get in on the Prime Deals too. So yay for you!

Helping Small Business

Amazon realizes that small businesses got hit the hardest with the COVID-19 pandemic. So, they’re trying to help. Amazon is increasing their commitment to help small businesses in several ways.

  • Amazon will spend $100 million dollars on promotional activities to help their small business selling partners around the world increase sales and reach new customers. Not just during Prime Day, but throughout the holiday season.
  • Starting today through October 12, Amazon will offer Prime members a $10 credit to use on Prime Day when members spend $10 on items sold by select small businesses in Amazon’s store.
  • Amazon will offer curated small business collections to make it easier for customers to find small businesses on Amazon.

“In the midst of an unprecedented year, we’re committed to making this the most successful Prime Day ever for our small businesses and excited for Prime members worldwide to discover new ways to support local entrepreneurs and save big on everything they need and love,” said Jeff Wilke, Amazon CEO Worldwide Consumer. “This year’s Prime Day is the perfect opportunity for Prime members to get their holiday shopping done early from the comfort of their homes – and to have more time to spend with their families and friends throughout the season.”

Early Prime Deals?

Yup there will be some early deals leading up to Prime day. Here’s some things you can plan for.

Starting today, Prime members can shop early offers and deals everyday leading up to Prime Day on October 13 & 14.

·        Amazon Devices: Starting today, get two Echo Dot devices for $39.98 and Fire TV Recast for $129.99 to store up to 75 hours of HD programming. Plus, save up to $100 on Fire TV Edition Smart TVs and get the all-new Toshiba 43-inch Smart HD Fire TV Edition TV for $179.99. Starting October 6, get the Toshiba 32-inch Smart HD Fire TV Edition TV for $119.99 and the Insignia 43-inch Smart 4K UHD Fire TV Edition TV for $199.99; save $40 on Echo Show 5; get Echo Auto and enjoy hands free access to Alexa in your car plus six months of Amazon Music Unlimited for $19.99; and save on smart home security with Blink Mini indoor cameras—one for $24.99, two for $49.98, or get Echo Show 5 and Blink Mini for $54.99.

·        Amazon Music: For just $0.99, Prime members who haven’t yet tried Amazon Music Unlimited can get four months of the premium streaming tier with unlimited access to more than 60 million songs ad-free, and now a wide selection of popular podcasts.

·        Audible: Prime members can save $50 on a year of Audible Premium Plus. Audible members will also get access to the Plus catalog, featuring more than 10K Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts, all at no additional cost.

·        Kindle Unlimited: New customers to Kindle Unlimited save 50% off a 6-month subscription.

·        Kindle Book Deals: Spend $20 on ebooks and get a $5 ebook credit; Plus, Prime members can choose two, new select Kindle books for free.

·        Amazon Fashion: Save up to 30% on select Vineyard Vines clothing for men, up to 15% on select fall fashion from Shopbop including boots, denim, and more, up to 30% on select top trends from premium women’s fashion, including ASTR the Label, Splendid, and Alo Yoga, up to 30% on select kids’ and baby clothing and shoes, up to 30% on select styles from Calvin Klein, up to 30% on select Dress the Population, 4SI3NNA, and Black Halo dresses.

·        Amazon Brands: Save up to 40% on select clothing styles including Amazon Essentials and Goodthreads, 40% on pet essentials from Wag, 20% on Belei skin care products, 20% on baby essentials from Mama Bear, 20% on health and personal care products from Solimo, 20% on coffee and snacks from Amazon Fresh, Happy Belly, and Solimo, and 20% on health and wellness products from Revly, Amazon Elements, and Amazon Basic Care.

·        Amazon Fresh: Members can enjoy $15 off their first order of $50 or more on Amazon Fresh plus item level offers throughout the store. Visit amazon.com/Fresh for more.

·        Home: Save up to 20% or more on furniture brands including Modway, Lane Home Furnishings, Walker Edison Furniture Company, and Nathan James. Save up to 20% or more on select rugs from brands including nuLOOM and Artistic Weavers. Save on Martha Stewart Hunts Table Lamp Living Room Decor and Madison Park Signature Colette table lamp.

·        Prime Video: Today through Prime Day, Prime members can enjoy a selection of titles to rent or buy with up to 50% off on select titles.

·        Tools: Save up to 20% on select DEWALT saws and drills and up to 15% on select DEWALT impact driver and drill combo Kits.

·        Toys: Save up to 30% on select toys from Green Toys.

·        Smart Home and Appliances: Save 20% on Broan Appliances and 15% on Midea compact refrigerators. Save on Kasa Smart Dimmer Switch by TP-Link and SYLVANIA Tungsten halogen light bulbs.

·        Lawn & Garden: Save on Masterbuilt Electric Smoker and accessories, select BLACK+DECKER outdoor tools, Back to the Roots Water Garden, American Lawn Mower Company electric lawn mower, Champion 3400-Watt Portable Generator, and more.

More Ways to Save

Prime members have many convenient ways to shop and discover big savings and deep discounts this Prime Day.

·        Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Cards: Starting September 28 through October 31, eligible Prime members who apply and are approved for the Amazon Prime Rewards Visa Signature Card will instantly receive a $100 Gift Card. Cardmembers receive 5% back at Whole Foods Market and at Amazon.com with an eligible Prime membership, plus 2% back at restaurants, gas stations and drugstores, among other benefits. Restrictions apply. For more information, visit amazon.com/primevisa.

·        Shop with Alexa: Prime members can discover deals by asking “Alexa, what are my Prime Day deals?” Plus, starting today and for a limited time, new Prime members who sign up for Prime using an Echo device will receive a $5 Amazon credit. Just say, “Alexa, sign me up for Prime.”

·        Go In-Store: Prime members can visit Amazon’s physical retail locations, including Whole Foods Market, Amazon 4-star, Amazon Books, Amazon Pop Up, and Amazon Fresh to find in-store deals. Stay tuned for more details about in-store promotions.

·        Amazon Live: Tune in to Amazon Live throughout Prime Day to see live product demonstrations, hear directly from brands, and shop can’t miss deals the minute they go live. Customers will see products in action through cooking demonstrations, try-on hauls, and more, and celebrities and influencers will be joining live to surprise customers with exclusive experiences. Viewers can easily shop the products and brands featured through a carousel that updates in real-time as hosts discuss the products. To watch, visit amazon.com/primeday and via the Amazon Shopping app on Fire TV.

·        Personal Shopper by Prime Wardrobe: Personal Shopper by Prime Wardrobe, our monthly styling service exclusively for Prime members, extends to men’s fashion. Starting September 28, the service will provide a convenient way for customers to receive curated recommendations for both men’s and women’s fashion from our in-house team of stylists.

·        AmazonSmile: Customers can visit smile.amazon.com and find the exact same Amazon experience – amazing deals, wide selection, fast and free delivery options – with the added bonus that AmazonSmile will donate a portion of the purchase price of eligible purchases to the charity of their choice. AmazonSmile customers can now shop AmazonSmile on the latest version of the Amazon app by opening the app and finding ‘Settings’ in the main menu (☰), tap on ‘AmazonSmile’ and follow the on-screen instructions to turn on AmazonSmile on your phone.

·        Amazon Photos Prime Day Photos Sweepstakes: Customers can enter for a chance to win the Prime Day Photos Sweepstakes by downloading the Amazon Photos app, sharing a photo that shows how Prime delivers joy, tagging Amazon Photos (@amazon.photos on Instagram and @amazonphotos on Facebook and Twitter), and using the hashtag #PrimeDayPhotos. A total of 30 winners will receive $1,000 Amazon.com Gift Cards good for purchases on Amazon.com. Get details at amazon.com/primedayphotos.

·        Amazon.com in Spanish: Customers can visit amazon.com/espanol or use the Amazon App to shop, browse, search for millions of products, read reviews, view their carts, and place orders in Spanish. On the mobile App customers can go to Settings and tap on “Country and Language” to select Spanish. Amazon.com in Spanish gives customers the same convenient shopping experience in their preferred language on any device.

·        Amazon App: Prime members can shop anytime, anywhere with the Amazon App to ensure you never miss a Prime Day deal.

Different Ways to Prime

Prime was designed to make your life better every single day. Over 150 million paid members around the world enjoy the many benefits of Prime, including the best of shopping and entertainment. In the U.S. that includes unlimited access to award-winning movies and TV episodes with Prime Video, ad-free listening of 2 million songs plus thousands of stations and playlists with Amazon Music, unlimited access to more than 1,000 books and magazines with Prime Reading, free in-game content and games with Prime Gaming, Prime Day, and more. Prime members can also get deep discounts on select popular products at Whole Foods Market plus an additional 10 percent off hundreds of sale items. Prime was built on the foundation of unlimited fast, free shipping. In addition to more than 10 million items eligible for free One-Day Delivery coast to coast, Prime members in thousands of cities and towns across 47 major metropolitan areas have access to millions of items with free Same-Day Delivery and the option to pick up and return their Amazon packages for free through Amazon Hub, a contactless, click and collect service at no additional cost. Prime members also have access to free and fast grocery delivery from Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market in more than 2,000 cities and towns. Prime is $119 a year or $12.99 a month and customers can start a free trial of Amazon Prime at amazon.com/prime. College students can join Prime Student for 50% off and enjoy the benefits of Prime with a six-month trial at amazon.com/primestudent. Plus, for an additional $0.99 a month, student members can get Amazon Music Unlimited and stream over 50 million songs ad-free. Customers receiving government assistance through EBT or Medicaid can also qualify for a discounted Prime membership of $5.99 a month at amazon.com/qualify. Amazon Business customers—from small businesses to large enterprises, as well as education, government and non-profit organizations—can also take advantage of Prime’s fast, free shipping and exclusive business-relevant benefits with Business Prime, which starts at $69 per year as an add-on for customers with Amazon Prime on their personal account or $179 per year for up to three users at amazon.com/businessprime.

Amazon is Hiring!

Earlier this month, Amazon announced it is hiring an additional 100,000 regular full-time and part-time jobs in its fulfillment and logistics network throughout the U.S. and Canada, as well as opening 100 new Operations buildings across fulfillment centers, delivery stations, sortation centers and other sites in September alone. These permanent positions will join the hundreds of thousands of employees already working across Amazon’s networks to ensure fast and efficient delivery for customers through the rest of the year, and beyond. Interested candidates can find out more at amazon.com/apply.

What deals are you hoping to find during Prime Day?

This post does contain affiliate links. I will earn a small commission from sales made through my links.

My Time as a Server and What Everyone Should Know

I was 17 years old. I wanted a job.  My parents gave me $20 allowance every 2 weeks. Many of my friends had jobs by then so they always had more money than me.  Those that didn’t have jobs were handed money every time they walked out the door. My parents couldn’t do that.  I was the oldest of 4 kids.  My parents were on a tight budget. I wanted the stylish clothes my friends and peers had but my parents couldn’t buy it.  My solution: get a job. Start buying my own stuff and save for college.

I got my work permit approved by the school. I applied to a few places.  My first job ever was a server for Perkins restaurant.  Used to be called waiter/waitress but I guess server is more PC. I could only work part-time being in school full-time and involved in volleyball and track.  Normally I’d work an evening shift 1 or 2 days a week for 4 hours then I’d work at least one 8 hour shift on the weekends, sometimes two.

As a high school kid I could make decent money as a server. Other nights I didn’t even make minimum wage.  Why? In 1997 servers only got paid $2.15/hr.  They expected you would get tips however tips are not mandatory.  On a really busy night I might make $10/hr with my hourly wage and tips.  Other nights I might only make $3/hr.  The sad part is, it’s still like that today.  At least in Pennsylvania.

Since I was only 17 and didn’t have any bills to speak of I was able to save over $2300 toward college in the year I worked there. I bought my own school clothes that year, bought my parents nice Christmas gifts, and more.

For some reason, when you work in a service job some people tend to think they can treat you bad and you’re supposed to just smile and bend over backward for them anyway.  I’ve worked a lot of jobs in my life but I’ve told many people, I’d have to be on dire straits to go back to being a server again.

 

One time a guy came in with his wife.  I wasn’t familiar with him yet but the rest of the staff knew him. They warned me before I even went out to greet him that he was a jerk. Always trying to get something for free. I just went out there friendly as I could be and tried to do my job.  Not knowing him from Adam I figured they were exaggerating.  They weren’t.

They ordered drinks, complained there was too much ice (but didn’t say anything to me about no ice or only a little bit of ice).  Brought their soup out he yelled at me because there weren’t enough vegetables in the soup.  I had to go back and  get more veggies of his soup.  The rule of the house was to bring out one bread stick per person plus 1 for the table … as they would say.  So if there were two people, like in this situation, I’d bring out three. He yelled at me and told me he didn’t get enough bread sticks.  I tried to tell him why I did that. He swore at me and told me they ALWAYS give him more breadsticks.  I went back and got him more.  Then I brought their meals out and he didn’t like something about his meal.  I offered to take it back.  He grabbed me by the arm pulled me into the booth with him and started screaming in my face.  I was 17 years old, it was my first job, I thought I had done everything the way I was supposed to.  I started crying.  I couldn’t cover the table anymore. I didn’t want to. Someone else took over the table.  When I walked past to help another table he called me a cry baby.

Another time, the restaurant was dead. Dead, for hours.  So they sent some staff home.  It was just me, another server, 1 hostess, 1 cooks, 1 manager.  A bus came in. The restaurant filled up. why they kept seating people I’ll never know.  Of course people had to wait for food, there was only 1 person cooking and 2 servers for the ENTIRE restaurant.  People were yelling, complaining that the wait was too long.  Brought out a check for a table and a woman proceeded to lecture me that “When you see 4 ladies at a table you should bring out 4 separate checks not one” (They never told me they wanted separate checks.  I was too overwhelmed to ask.)

Those are just a couple of the stories.  Honestly, I work in a trauma hospital now.  I deal with the public every day. People in pain, in bad situations.  I still say being a server was the worst job I ever had.  I love my job now.

Many times I had guys make disgusting comments to me.  Some guys want to hit on you and it’s pretty uncomfortable.

I had been called stupid usually because I forgot to bring a dip out for the chicken fingers or something silly like that.  I’ve been talked to like I was beneath them.

So with that in mind I just wanted to put these little tips out there:

  1.  For any job, put yourself in their shoes.  Is it really worth getting bent out of shape over not having enough vegetables in your soup?
  2.   Your server is not a mind reader.  Sure some with more experience might be able to anticipate some things more than others but if you want separate checks tell them.  If you want extra breadsticks tell them.  If you don’t want ice in your drink tell them.
  3.   Unless your server is a real so and so consider leaving a tip. I can speak for Pennsylvania, in that if you don’t tip your server, your server is only making $2.15 to serve you and try to make your experience the best they can.
  4.   Your server does not cook the food.  They only bring it out.  It’s not your servers fault if it’s too salty, the steak isn’t done to your liking, or the restaurant no longer has that dessert you used to like.  If you have an issue, tell them, don’t yell at them.  Can’t fix it if they don’t know and they’re more likely to go the extra mile for you if you don’t call them stupid, or berate them in other ways

Were you ever a server?  Tell me your server stories in the comments below