3 Reasons Not to Shop on Amazon Prime Day

It may be time to ignore those bargains and stay off your phone or laptop.

There are certain shopping events consumers tend to look forward to every year, like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Amazon Prime Day is another mega-shopping event that tends to draw in consumers, even though it's specific to only one retailer.

This year, Prime Day is slated to happen in July. As of this writing, the specific dates for the 48-hour event have yet to be released. And if you're the type who loves a good bargain, then you may be eagerly awaiting the event's launch.

But tempted as you may be to shop on Prime Day, you may be better off skipping it. Here are three reasons not to shop on Amazon Prime Day.

1. There's nothing specific you need

It's one thing to go shopping on Prime Day because there are specific items on your wish list, like household appliances, apparel, or even holiday gifts you're looking to purchase in advance. But if there's nothing specific you want to buy, then shopping on Prime Day could mean spending money for no good reason.

These days, living costs are sky-high, and consumers are spending more money than usual on basics like food and gas. And so rather than shop for the heck of it, it pays to conserve cash and reserve your money for the things you really need and want.

2. You already have a lot of debt

Many people have racked up debt since the start of the year due to inflation. Or, it may be that you have leftover credit card debt from last year's holiday season.

Either way, if you already owe money on your credit cards, then the last thing you should be doing is spending on anything other than essentials. Rather, your spare cash should be going toward your nagging credit card balance so you can knock it out as quickly as possible and limit the amount of interest you're forced to pay on it.

3. You haven't saved for it in advance

If you've been socking money away in savings to cover some fun purchases on Prime Day, then by all means, move forward with them. But if you've yet to save any money for Prime Day, and you won't have an opportunity to do so in the next few weeks, then it pays to sit this one out.

In the absence of having dedicated savings for Prime Day, you could end up with a pile of debt you could struggle to pay off. And now's really not the time to take on credit card debt given that consumer borrowing rates are likely to keep rising as the year progresses.

Avoid temptation

It's possible to score some great deals on Amazon Prime Day. But if the above situations apply to you, then you're better off skipping Prime Day and waiting for another big shopping event.

Remember, too, that Prime Day isn't your only opportunity to snag great deals on Amazon. The reality is that the site features different sale items often, so you shouldn't feel pressured to specifically shop on Prime Day if it's just not the right time for your wallet.