Overall, it depends on what kind of shoppers you are.
As much as I love to support local business, life with two young
children means convenience trumps just about everything, at least for
now.
I earned a year of free Amazon Prime by subscribing to Amazon Mom in
2009 when my daughter was a baby, and watched as Prime membership
quickly became one of life's necessary luxuries.
Along the way additional benefits like free streaming of movies and
TV shows were added, and the annual membership fee increased from $79 to
$99.
Here's how and why we keep using
Amazon Prime in our house.
Ship it to me.
These days I buy everything except haircuts on Amazon.
A swift moving current of household essentials arrives at our door
all year: detergents, toothpaste, soap, tissues, toilet paper, cat food.
We spend an average of $160 a month on Amazon, comprised mainly of
these household items, birthday gifts, clothing, and craft supplies.
I spot check prices from time to time, and for non-perishables like
these, Amazon continues to meet or beat any store I could drive
to. Often you'll see the note "Available at a lower price without free
Prime shipping from other sellers" but when I check, the lower prices
almost always come with a shipping fee that brings the total price up to
or over the Amazon fulfillment price.
Finally, my favorite trick for confirming the lowest prices online —
Invisible Hand is
a free add-on for your web browser that displays an unobtrusive
notification at the top of the page when it finds a lower price
elsewhere on the web.
Birthday party hero.
With two kids on the birthday party circuit, two-day shipping has come through for me more than a few times. I need a
pair of walkie-talkies — STAT! This item is currently Amazon Prime eligible and listed at $24.48, with the
next best price according to Invisible Hand at $27.43. (Boys love walkie-talkies, by the way.)
I've tried stockpiling favorite toys in the past, but somehow gifts
on hand always seem not quite right for the recipient, or I simply
forget that I have them. The "just in time" strategy works better for
our lives right now.
Does it really save money?
Samantha Sand / Digital Pen StudioThe author estimates she spends about $160 a month at Amazon.
Now, you say, why pay $99 a year for "free" shipping when most
orders over $35 qualify for free shipping anyway?
Plus, you can enjoy free shipping without Prime membership by using the Subscribe and Save program — and I do, every month.
The honest answer is really not about saving money. If all I need is a
$15 item, I'll spend way too much time optimizing my shopping cart in
order to earn the free shipping.
What else do I need? (Spend time looking around house.)
Am I putting unnecessary things in the cart? (More second-guessing and editing.)
Prime membership minimizes the hoops between me and the "Buy Now"
button. I save time and most likely money on items I don't need anyway.
You might say that for $8.25 a month what I'm really buying is a bit of
relief from the decision fatigue I experience everyday — and you'd be
right.
Interestingly, the more cost conscious the buyer, the more valuable
Prime membership might feel. A less frugal shopper won't agonize as much
over meeting a $35 minimum. Just throw in some extra stuff you might
need and be done with it! Which strategy saves the most money at the end
of the year really depends on what kind of shopper you are.
Free shipping, with a side of entertainment
Included with a paid subscription to Amazon Prime is the
Prime Instant Video library: unlimited, instant streaming of thousands of
movies and
TV shows.
Prime Music offers millions of ad-free songs, and for Kindle owners the
Prime Lending Library includes thousands of books to borrow for free. Finally the newest benefit is
Prime Photos, unlimited photo storage with automatic backup.
One day when I have time to consume media not already available on
the Cartoon Network, I'd like to try out some of these
entertainment extras.
Keeping it green
Samantha Sand / Digital Pen StudioThe author's son reuses an Amazon Prime box.
At first I worried about the environmental impact of a steady stream of packages delivered right to my door.
But then I realized that the UPS truck cruises our neighborhood daily
anyway, and home deliveries keep my car off the road just a little bit
more.
Fortunately we have the storage space and buying in bulk means less packaging, more product.
The boxes go to good use as well — we recycle, burn, or get creative
with them, as demonstrated in the picture to the right by "Mr.
Cherrywood" the postman.
One day I'll have time to thoughtfully shop local markets and craft
fairs again, and watch movies at the art house downtown. For now I'm
caught in the currents of modern family life and find Amazon Prime
membership well worth the expense, particularly for household and kid
essentials. Good value and convenience team up well here, and
entertainment extras like free movies, books, and music help sweeten the
deal.
