In 2015, Amazon held the first-ever Prime Day, a 24-hour savings bonanza that marked the online retailer’s 20th anniversary.
That singular event changed the landscape of seasonal sales.
Where department stores used to hold end-of-season discounting events twice a year, typically in August and December, they’ve now adjusted the timing of those sales to better compete with Amazon and other e-commerce retailers.
Kohl’s is the latest company to make this change, announcing that its summer savings event will be held earlier than ever this year.
Kohl’s announces its summer savings event
Kohl’s will be holding its annual summer savings event from June 23-28, making it the perfect time to shop for summer essentials and back-to-school necessities.
The sale typically takes place later in the season, to be closer to back-to-school weeks, but it has been moved up to better compete with Amazon Prime Day, which will run from June 23-26 this year.
Over the course of Kohl’s six-day sale, shoppers will be able to save on hundreds of discounted items ranging from t-shirts to kitchen appliances. The savings are better than ever, according to a press release from the retailer, with many items under $20 or marked down by up to 50%.
Discounted merchandise isn’t the only treat the retailer has planned.
During the final two days of the sale, on June 27 and 28, Kohl’s is bringing back its Ultimate Kohl’s Cash Giveaway, with millions of dollars of Kohl’s Cash up for grabs. In-store shoppers will receive cards with values between $5 and $100, which can be redeemed for an additional amount off same-day purchases.
And for those who prefer to do their shopping online instead of in person, Kohl’s is also offering free shipping.
The death of the impulse buy
For retailers, major savings events have become about much more than just getting rid of out-of-season merchandise.
What started as retailer-specific promotions, to celebrate things like an anniversary, have evolved into occasions that consumers actively plan around.
Events like Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday now serve as anchors in the calendar, generating surges in traffic and creating opportunities to capture consumer spend that might otherwise go to a competitor.
“Prime Day is a key date in the retail calendar,” Neil Saunders, managing director at GlobalData, told Axios. His comment underscores just how deeply ingrained large-scale sales events have become in consumer shopping habits.
That shift has also changed how shoppers approach purchases.
Rather than making impulse buys throughout the year, consumers are increasingly timing them with promotions and discounting events.
“Today’s consumer is more focused on planning and prioritizing on their quest for value,” Circana Chief Retail Advisor Marshal Cohen said in a 2025 report. “Even with lower prices, consumers have become less impulsive.”
As a result, major sales events have become less about short-term revenue bumps and more about competing for a share of a more deliberate consumer budget.
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Why Kohl’s is moving its summer sale
The timing of Kohl’s event also highlights a growing consensus among retail leaders about the health of the American consumer.
CEOs of major companies across the sector, from Dollar General to Best Buy, and Williams Sonoma, all agree that while the consumer is still spending, they’re becoming much more selective about when and where they’ll do that spending.
That tension has triggered a competitive race to capture spending earlier in the year.
With its early summer event, Kohl’s is hoping to capture spending before consumers direct those dollars elsewhere, whether that be to Amazon during Prime Day or on other discretionary items like vacations or other recreational experiences.
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“We need to continue to show up for our customers every day as they continue to put an importance on value and remain under financial pressure,” Kohl’s CEO Michael Bender said during the company’s first quarter fiscal year 2026 earnings call.
Major promotional activities like the summer savings event are one key way the company says it plans to show up for those budget-conscious customers.
Regarding promotions through the remainder of the year, Kohl’s CFO Jill Timm told investors, “We know value is core to what our customer is looking for. These customers are choiceful.”
“We need to make sure that Kohl’s is in their consideration set, that’s really going to be done through value,” she continued. “We serve a middle to lower income customer, [discounting and value] is very important to them. We’re going to make sure that we continue to lean in on that.”
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