Voices: How I spent Amazon Prime Day at Walmart

It was supposed to be Black Friday in July.

It wasn't that. In fact, Amazon's much-heralded Prime Day was almost a bust for this shopper: I clicked through "deals" that didn't seem like deals at all.

Amazon billed Prime Day as a celebration of its Prime membership, which I've subscribed to for nearly four years — primarily for the discounted shipping. I've found my share of deals over the years, so I don't mind the $99 annual subscription rate.

As it happens, I'm in the market for a 40-inch Samsung smart TV, and although I'm a Costco devotee, I was eager to see what deals Amazon might have. I believed that even if I didn't find a TV, I would probably find something fun to put in my cart. So I was psyched going into Prime Day.

Then I signed in.

"See all Lightning Deals!"

Yes! Wait — what's a "Lightning Deal"? Allow me to quote Amazon's terms and conditions: Lightning Deals "are short-time offers of items that may be deeply discounted and of limited availability." They're not kidding about the "short time," either: After you put an item in your cart, you have a small window of time to complete the transaction, then the deal expires. You better be ready to commit.

"Prime-Exclusive Deals of the Day."

Lord of the Rings Trilogy. 77% off.

No, not committing to that.

"Available Prime-Exclusive Lightning Deals."

Crockpot. Diaper Genie.

Not electrifying. Oh, wait! They have a chef hat for $3.93!

I think I'll pass.

"Upcoming Prime-Exclusive Lightning Deals."

Upcoming? Yep, upcoming. These are the deals you have to wait for with bated breath.

Available in five minutes, 33 seconds: Quilted Northern Ultra Plush Bath Tissue, 48 Double Rolls, and the Hamilton Beach Open Ease Automatic Jar Opener. Only five minutes and 26 seconds to go!

None of these items was my TV. I wanted only to view eligible electronics. After some hunting, I found a dropdown to "Sort by Category."

First item to appear in electronics: the Amazon Echo — with this: "Deal is 100% Claimed. Join Waitlist."

I don't even know what this is — but I want it. Turns out it's an audio speaker with "immersive sound" that is always "connected to the cloud so it's always getting smarter." That's completely creepy, but I still want it.

"Your place on the waitlist: 500+."

What does that mean?

"Your chance of getting this deal: poor."

Don't have to make me feel like a loser, Amazon!

A few more clicks through deals that were "100% claimed," and boredom sets in.

Let's see what Walmart's doing.

"Thousands of new rollbacks! No upfront fees! Pick up as soon as today! Plus free shipping on orders of just $35!"

These thousands of "rollbacks" — Walmart's word for discounts — are Wally World's answer to Prime Day. The retail giant announced its sale Monday, calling out Amazon for making its lower Prime Day prices available only to Prime members. "We just don't believe you should pay a fee to get a better price," Walmart spokesman Ravi Jariwala said.

Ouch!

There are indeed thousands of deals on Walmart's site. I don't need the Danskin ladies' bike shorts or the Bissell 3-in-1 Stick Vacuum, but hello! There are some great search options on the left.

I search "free store pickup" and "rollback": 3,597 results. Then I narrow it down to electronics: 234. I add a brand search and quickly find a refurbished Samsung 50-inch smart TV. It's too big, but I like the $391.29 price tag and free shipping. If I buy it today, I have the option to pick it up July 23 from one of three stores within a 10-mile radius of my home.

Even though the TV won't work for me, I like the prices I see in my searches, so I do a sitewide search for item, brand and size, and boom: 23 results for Samsung TVs that are 40 to 49 inches. If I want, I can purchase a brand-new Samsung 40-inch LED Smart HDTV for $397 on the way home. It's not discounted, but it's exactly what I want, and I don't have to buy it today. I like that freedom of choice when it comes to shopping.

I thought I was done with my so-not-Black-Friday purchases. As I closed out the browser tabs, I refreshed the Amazon window and sorted for electronics under available deals. There it was: a GoPro accessory I had wanted for a while and couldn't bring myself to buy. It was a steal at $14.99 — less than half-price.

I added it to my cart.

Barrineau is the audience engagement editor at USA TODAY. Follow her on Twitter: @jbnotes.