The second week of October brings Amazon's two-day fall sale — "Prime Big Deal Days."
The company promises discounts of up to 40% off, but as you scroll through deals, it's important to watch for pitfalls that could have you spending more than you intended.
That's because those flashy price tags, add-on suggestions and warnings about low inventory may be tactics to get you to buy.
New way to see if a deal is real
Thanks to Amazon's new internal AI helper, it is now easy to check and make sure you're actually getting a good deal.
Watch as Amazon's new AI assistant shows us some markdowns are really a great price:
Kyle James of Rather-Be-Shopping said all the deals you find in the coming days may not be great deals.
"What happens is we end up overspending," said Kyle James of Rather-Be-Shopping.
James claims those red markdowns you see have often been that same price for months.
He found that Amazon's new AI helper "Rufus" may help you get to the truth.
By clicking the Rufus button at the top of the page, once you log into your Amazon account, you can ask for the price history of what you are looking at.
"It will immediately bring up the 30-day and 90-day history," James said.
How Rufus can sort out great deals and bad ones
He showed us a Nespresso coffee maker that appeared to be at a good price. But James said it was not.
"I can look and say wow, this is the most expensive it has been in some time," James said.
So I gave it a try, looking up a couple of things I had been planning to buy: Bil-Jac treats for my dog, and a tire pump for my car.
The tire pump showed 18% off, for $53. I clicked the Rufus button, asked for "price history," and according to the AI bot, that was the lowest price in 90 days, so it was a good deal.
The Bil-Jac treats claimed 41% off. But Rufus showed me it has never sold for the full list price the past 90 days, and they were cheaper in mid-August.
"That list price, no one is selling it for that, and no one sure as heck is buying it at that," James said.
Also beware "only a few left" notifications
And James says don't be lured by the "only 4 left" notice you'll often see. He said that's there to create urgency.
"I ran about 10 different experiments on products, with 2 left, 4 left, and kept an eye on them. They never went out of stock," James said.
So he suggests you check Rufus for price history, and if it doesn't look like a great deal, then check other web retailers.
Like a lot of shoppers, mom Jacqueline Berry will be checking out the October sales at Amazon and Walmart this week.
"A new baby and a move, so I'll see if I can get it all done," Berry said.
Amazon's new assistant Rufus can let her — and you — know if it's really a great deal.
That way you don't waste your money.
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This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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