Amazon and Target Sales Have Low Prices on Tide and Kleenex

It's a great time to stock up on Tide laundry detergent, Bounty paper towels, Glad trash bags, Kleenex tissues, Clorox cleaning products, Ziploc bags, and many more household staples. For the second week in a row, Target and Amazon are offering basically the same deal on dozens of popular brand name essentials right now: This time, when you spend $50 or more on qualifying items, you'll get an easy $15 off, or $15 back via gift card. It's the equivalent of 30% off stuff you always need in the house.

Target and Amazon have been fierce retail rivals for years, but lately Amazon appears to be stepping up the competition by matching Target's quirky promotions. Two weeks ago, Amazon rolled out a "buy two, get one free" deal on dozens of books, movies, and video games that mimicked the one promoted in Target's weekly circular. That showdown was followed by more copycat promotions last week, when Amazon launched a "save $10 when you buy 3 items" deal that was eerily similar to a "buy 3, get a $10 gift card" sale promoted at Target. In both cases, the items that qualified included top household brands like Bounty, Tide, Lysol, Cascade, Glad, Kleenex, Clorox, and Swiffer.

Right now, Amazon and Target are matching deals with similar promotions on many of the same items; instead of giving shoppers a third item for free, you'll get $15 off (at Amazon) or a $15 back via gift card (at Target) when you spend $50. It's a no-brainer of a deal for many shoppers, considering that these are products you always need in the house, and you can mix and match any qualifying items to reach the $50 threshold.

Target's $15 gift card deal is valid now through Saturday, February 29, on traditional in-store purchases, as well as online purchases picked up at the store and same-day delivery orders. If you've never used same-day delivery from Target, you can try it out during a four-week free trial. The service, which normally costs $99 annually, gives online Target shoppers free same-day delivery on most items so long as the purchase is $35 or more.

Amazon's $15 off deal has no specified expiration date, but we're guessing it will last just as long as Target's promotion — meaning it will be available through this Saturday, February 29. Amazon Prime members get free one- or two-day delivery on most Amazon purchases, and non-members can opt for free standard shipping (delivery in about a week) from Amazon on most purchases of $25 or more. Unlike Target's sale, which gives shoppers savings in the form of a $15 gift card for use on a future purchase, Amazon's deal gives you a straightforward $15 discount on current purchases that include qualifying items. So you don't have to worry about losing a gift card or remembering to use it.

Take note that Amazon's site may automatically default your purchase to its "Subscribe & Save" option, which offers lower prices but also registers you to make repeat purchases of the items in your virtual shopping cart every two months or so. Despite the promise of easy savings, there are good reasons you may want to avoid "Subscribe & Save" at Amazon, starting with the fact that prices are subject to change over time and the strategy may not save you money in the long run. More importantly right now, if you order with "Subscribe & Save" this week you are ineligible to take advantage of the $10 off sale.

Here are some of the items that qualify for the $15 savings deals from Amazon or Target this week, after you hit the $50 minimum purchase. For most products, prices for the same product were identical or within pennies of each other at both sites. In select instances, some products qualified for the discount from one retailer but not the other, or they were in stock only with one or the other, so it's a good idea to shop around and examine the fine print. Check out the web pages at Target and Amazon to see the full list of exactly which items qualify.