Amazon’s Prime Day, usually held in July, began Tuesday—timing that could hurt the company’s brick-and-mortar rivals as consumers look to do their holiday shopping early and avoid the usual Black Friday crowds. (BNN Bloomberg)

Talking point: Amazon’s timing could start the crucial holiday shopping season significantly earlier than usual. The so-called Christmas creep could see shoppers rush their purchases to avoid supply and delivery issues. Amazon has generated double-digit sales growth during the pandemic as consumers turned to e-commerce, and some analysts expect that trend to continue over what is normally its busiest time of year—assuming its shipping network can withstand the strain. Meanwhile, some Amazon warehouse workers planned to strike during the company’s annual sale. A German trade union asked workers at seven warehouses to walk out in protest for better pay and conditions. Most employees continued to work, an Amazon spokesperson told Reuters. The company recently said nearly 20,000 of its U.S. workers have had COVID-19 between March 1 and September 19.