By Erick Amazon India announced Prime Day for 2025 to be over three days – July 12 – 14.
My very first blog post (okay it wasn’t all that long ago, but feels like it!) was about how Black Friday was a stain on humanity. What I wrote in that post applies for Prime Day as well, except that Prime Day has absolutely no history whatsoever.
Amazon calls it the “biggest shopping event of the year.” But just like Black Friday, beneath the deals and countdown timers lies a carefully designed machine to exploit our psychological vulnerabilities and fuel unsustainable consumption patterns – all for corporate greed. What I’m saying is, the people behind Prime Day do it only to make you spend more money while they make more money, where they make you believe that all this is ‘for your own good’.
Creating Urgency Where None Exists
Prime Day exploits the concept of ‘artificial scarcity marketing’. Those lightning deals with ticking timers and limited quantities create a FALSE sense of urgency that bypasses rational decision-making and nudges you to make rash purchase decisions. The pressure to “act now or miss out” drives people to purchase items they don’t need, often haven’t researched, and sometimes can’t afford (I’m making another post on EMIs later). This fake emergency turns shopping from a thoughtful process into an adrenaline-fueled race against time.
The Illusion of Savings
Many “Prime Day exclusive” deals are simply regular prices marketed as steep discounts. Retailers routinely inflate prices weeks before the event, only to bring them back down to normal levels during the sale. Consumers walk away feeling like savvy shoppers while actually paying market price for items they might have bought anyway. The psychological satisfaction of “winning” a deal masks the reality that the house always wins.
Environmental Costs Hidden in Plain Sight
The environmental impact of Prime Day is staggering. Millions of additional packages flood the shipping system, increasing carbon emissions and packaging waste. The event encourages impulse purchases of cheaply made goods that often end up in landfills within months. Fast fashion items, electronic gadgets, and plastic household goods pile up in shopping carts, contributing to a throwaway culture that our planet simply cannot sustain.
Exploiting Economic Anxiety
Prime Day preys on economic insecurity by framing overconsumption as financial wisdom. The messaging suggests that not participating means missing out on essential savings, turning shopping into a form of financial self-defense. This creates guilt and FOMO that drives people to stretch their budgets or go into debt for deals that primarily benefit Amazon’s bottom line.
The Real Winner
While consumers stress about cart timers and checkout processes, Amazon reaps massive profits from increased sales volume, Prime membership sign-ups, and valuable consumer data. The event serves as a powerful customer acquisition tool, hooking new users into Amazon’s ecosystem while extracting maximum value from existing customers. Similarly, in the US Amazon introduced ‘Alexa+’ for USD 20 per month but free for Prime users – this was clearly done only and only to increase the number of Prime memberships.
Breaking Free from the Cycle
True financial wellness comes from mindful consumption, not from chasing artificial deals. Instead of treating Prime Day as a shopping opportunity, consider it a reminder to evaluate what you actually need versus what clever marketing tells you to want. The best deal is often the purchase you don’t make.
Your worth isn’t measured by your shopping prowess or our ability to snag a “limited-time offer.” And if there are people around you bragging about getting a ‘good deal’ on Amazon, don’t associate with them. It’s time to recognize Prime Day for what it really is: a corporate event designed to separate us from our money while making us feel grateful for the privilege.
Share this with someone who pays for Amazon Prime. And stay tuned – I’m working on a blog series about the dangers of online shopping over the next few weeks, each post packed with tips to stay safe during online shopping.