Amazon’s recent “Prime Day” is the latest in a series of retailer-created sale events designed to move merchandise.
GREEN MONDAY
Started by eBay in 2007, this event occurs on the second Monday of December. It pulled in sales of $1.6 billion in 2014.
SINGLES’ DAY
E-commerce titan Alibaba created this Nov. 11 event as an anti–Valentine’s Day holiday for China’s single population. Last year it racked up $9 billion in sales.
CYBER WEEK
Home Depot’s event, which began as a 24-hour sale in 2010, now encompasses a full seven days of deals.
BLACK FRIDAY IN JULY
The tradition of offering door-buster deals in the middle of summer (under “Black Friday” branding) was started by Target in 2010; it has since been adopted by Best Buy and others.
–VICTOR LUCKERSON
More Must-Reads from TIME
- Why Trump’s Message Worked on Latino Men
- What Trump’s Win Could Mean for Housing
- The 100 Must-Read Books of 2024
- Sleep Doctors Share the 1 Tip That’s Changed Their Lives
- Column: Let’s Bring Back Romance
- What It’s Like to Have Long COVID As a Kid
- FX’s Say Nothing Is the Must-Watch Political Thriller of 2024
- Merle Bombardieri Is Helping People Make the Baby Decision
Contact us at letters@time.com