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
- Welcome to the Golden Age of Scams
- Introducing TIME's 2024 Latino Leaders
- How to Make an Argument That’s Actually Persuasive
- Did the Pandemic Break Our Brains?
- 33 True Crime Documentaries That Shaped the Genre
- The Ordained Rabbi Who Bought a Porn Company
- Why Gut Health Issues Are More Common in Women
- The 100 Most Influential People in AI 2024
Contact us at letters@time.com