Amazon to kick off holidays with Prime Day-like shopping event in October

Amazon said Monday that next month it will hold a second Prime Day-like shopping event, making it the latest major retailer to offer holiday deals earlier this year to entice cautious consumers struggling with tighter budgets.

During the October 11-12 event, Amazon Prime members will get early access to discounted items. The "Prime Early Access Sale" follows Amazon's annual Prime Day in July.

The Seattle-based e-commerce giant has long used these kinds of sales events to lure people into its Prime membership, which offers faster shipping and better deals for $139 a year. But October's event will be the first time it has holds a major sales drive twice in a year.