Big news for shoppers – online and in the store.

Amazon’s Prime Day sales event will be held June 21 and 22, the company said Wednesday.

Meanwhile, free samples are returning at Sam’s Club.

Amazon usually holds Prime Day in the summer, but last year it was postponed until October because of the pandemic. Amazon said that last year’s Prime Day was its best on record.

Prime Day, which has taken place since 2015, only makes up around 1% to 2% of Amazon’s annual sales, analysts say. The vast majority of the company’s offerings on Prime Day in the past are exclusive to Prime members — the $120-a-year subscription that offers customers music, movies, TV shows and free shipping. Amazon holds the event each year to build loyalty with Prime subscribers and hook new shoppers to the program.

Amazon will offer upwards of two million deals on products to Prime members this year — more than it has offered in previous years— Jamil Ghani, vice president of Amazon Prime, said during a press event Tuesday.

The company is also using Prime Day to highlight how the savings event benefits independent merchants that sell goods through its website.

Prime members will get a $10 credit on Prime Day if they spend $10 at select small businesses from June 7 through June 20, Amazon said. The company said it was part of a new $100 million investment the company was making to boost small businesses.

“This is our biggest promotion for small business sellers in our history,” Keri Cusick, head of small business empowerment, said at the press event Tuesday.

Amazon faces intense scrutiny from lawmakers about its power over third-party sellers on the site.

The District of Columbia filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon last week, alleging that Amazon’s contracts prohibit sellers from offering their products at a lower price on other websites. Amazon has said “sellers set their own prices for the products they offer in our store.”

Sam’s Club resumes free samples

Sam’s Club is the latest warehouse chain to bring back food samples, joining rival Costco in returning to a pre-pandemic shopping staple.

Beginning this week the company is relaunching its sampling and demo program, called “Taste & Tips,” across its roughly 600 US locations. The perk was discontinued in March 2020 as the pandemic hit America.

It won’t be exactly like pre-pandemic times, however. For now, at least, “Taste & Tips”will be available only on weekends, and it will include sealed samples in limited quantities. Sam’s Club said in a press release that it’s also planning “new, immersive sampling experiences,” including food trucks that will hand out samples from its private label, Member’s Mark.

“Over the past year, our members’ shopping behaviors have evolved. Today, more than ever, members want to do more than just shop when they come to our clubs — they want to have an experience,” said Megan Crozier, chief merchandising officer for Sam’s Club, in the release.

Sam’s Club, which is owned by Walmart, also said that it’s testing “new ways to sample items” including bringing samples to members as they check out at the register.

Last week, Costco announced it’s “beginning a phased return to full sampling” this month after a 14-month hiatus. Roughly 170 US locations — or about 30% of its stores — will bring back food samples this week, with “most of the remaining locations” doing so toward the end of June. The discount club implemented new safety measures that including Plexiglas protectors and samples delivered to customers one at a time.