Amazon Transitions its Prime Pantry Service to a Monthly Membership

DooKey

DooKey

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Amazon is once again testing the waters with another perk of Prime membership. They are changing the Prime Pantry program from a flat-fee of $5.99 per $40 delivery to a subscription price for Prime members of $4.99 extra per month and unlimited $40 deliveries. Considering that they just raised the cost of a Prime membership to $120 per year this might be a bridge too far for some Prime members. However, if you were already using Prime Pantry for your groceries this is a pretty good deal. I haven't tried Prime Pantry, but I think I'm going to give it a go with a 30-day free trial.

The downside for people who don't want to subscribe is Prime Pantry's flat-fee is increasing to $7.99. That applies to any orders that don't reach the $40 minimum or any customers, Prime members included, who aren't subscribed specifically to Prime Pantry.
 
How the hell is this better instead of worse than just buying the stuff off Amazon and getting prime shipping? They actually expect me to pay $5 per month so that I can buy 4 rolls of toilet paper at time instead of 12? That's fucking retarded.

Also, Walmart will eat their lunch.
 
EODetroit said:
How the hell is this better instead of worse than just buying the stuff off Amazon and getting prime shipping? They actually expect me to pay $5 per month so that I can buy 4 rolls of toilet paper at time instead of 12? That's fucking retarded.

Also, Walmart will eat their lunch.
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Yeah, I guess I don't fully understand what Prime Pantry is.

For that extra fee you must receive something above and beyond just ordering things manually on amazon, but what is that service you get?
 
If Prime Pantry were available in my area, I'd likely use it. However, it is not. I'd love to have my groceries delivered. I hate going out for them.
 
EODetroit said:
How the hell is this better instead of worse than just buying the stuff off Amazon and getting prime shipping? They actually expect me to pay $5 per month so that I can buy 4 rolls of toilet paper at time instead of 12? That's fucking retarded.

Also, Walmart will eat their lunch.
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Prime Pantry is more of a local thing. You can have perishable groceries delivered from a local source. It's a different setup than standard Prime. So, you can have eggs, milk, and a birthday cake delivered from Amazon in a matter of a couple hours.
 
EODetroit said:
How the hell is this better instead of worse than just buying the stuff off Amazon and getting prime shipping? They actually expect me to pay $5 per month so that I can buy 4 rolls of toilet paper at time instead of 12? That's fucking retarded.

Also, Walmart will eat their lunch.
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I actually love it. I can buy all my non perishable goods and beverages, etc for the lowest price around, and usually they had a free shipping promo or coupon I had. It cost me less to get most of my non perishables directly to my door than at the grocery store. Since I order at least once per month, $4.99 per month is actually a better deal because shipping on one large box without a coupon or promo was $5.99, so now I pay even less.

Walmart will continue to be eaten for lunch by Amazon, especially once Fresh is more widespread if the price is right. Whomever said that is insane, we're literally seeing Walmart start their stage IV cancer treatment now, and they'll be around for a long time in places... but nothing near the juggernaut they were once, where they hurt people all around the world with price forcing and fixing due to their volume. Maybe Amazon does the same, but people don't seem to be complaining about it if they do.

Amazon is scary because it's TOO good. It won't last forever (their goodwill treatment of customers), but yet will be the only game in town at that point. Then it's time to start running FROM their drones, not TO them! haha.
 
dgingeri said:
Prime Pantry is more of a local thing. You can have perishable groceries delivered from a local source. It's a different setup than standard Prime. So, you can have eggs, milk, and a birthday cake delivered from Amazon in a matter of a couple hours.
Click to expand...

Prime Pantry is something completely different than Amazon Fresh. Prime Pantry is usually a box with a storage limit that you fill up as you add various items to it like canned good's, cereal, cookies but nothing perishable. Amazon Fresh is the one that uses locally sourced produce.
 
dgingeri said:
Prime Pantry is more of a local thing. You can have perishable groceries delivered from a local source. It's a different setup than standard Prime. So, you can have eggs, milk, and a birthday cake delivered from Amazon in a matter of a couple hours.
Click to expand...

That's "Prime Fresh" I think (something like that). Prime Pantry is for non-perishables (beverages, soups, home cleaning and care products, sopes & other cosmetics, etc), but still a fantastic deal if you buy more than $40/month of those. I can't wait until Prime Fresh is available in my area, but I'm not in a city, so it might be a long time before it's feasible or cost effective to get it to my suburban area... except if they pull some magic with their Whole Foods acquisition, which I guess they plan to do.
 
NickJames said:
Prime Pantry is something completely different than Amazon Fresh. Prime Pantry is usually a box with a storage limit that you fill up as you add various items to it like canned good's, cereal, cookies but nothing perishable. Amazon Fresh is the one that uses locally sourced produce.
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Oh, I got those mixed up then. Thanks for correcting me.
 
Maybe I'm the strange one, but I'd rather go get my own groceries. Items like paper products, soap, etc. Sure I'd buy online. Items like vegetables and meats no way. I want to check that I'm not getting something in the process of rotting thanks. I don't trust a low paid worker for that. So that means a trip to the store anyway. Might as well get it all myself at that point.
 
Does Pantry Prime make good damage or loss caused by Porch Puppies attracted by the wonderful smells?
 
disemboweler said:
Walmart will continue to be eaten for lunch by Amazon,
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Based on their last earnings... not so much. You juts made that up.

especially once Fresh is more widespread if the price is right.
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WMT grocery pickup is awesome, and free.

we're literally seeing Walmart start their stage IV cancer treatment now,
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See first comment, you just sound ignorant at this point.


price forcing and fixing due to their volume.
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Proof? Price fixing is illegal, i don't see any successful class action lawsuits on behalf of 99% of america.
 
I tried prime pantry a couple times. one can smashed into the pineapple can into the crackers, breaking open the pineapple can and soaking the crackers with pineapple juice and a corner of the box.

I wonder when someone will find a water bottle with urine in it in one of their boxes one day?
 
Never got the point of prime pantry. They aren't much cheaper than walmart, and they charge for the worst shipping I can imagine. Picture a 3'x3'x4' box... toss in two family size bags of lays, a 12pk of coke, and a loaf of bread. Tape that bitch up (no filler of any kind, the chips will work) and mail it half way across the country. THAT is my prime pantry experience.
 
The most annoying part for me is that Prime Pantry items still come up when I choose to narrow it down the “Prime Delivery” items. If it’s not just Prime, then don’t lump this crap in with the things I’be Already paid for to get free delivery.

Sure, there are external search engines to get around this but, really?
 
Not sure if it's everywhere, but Amazon is now doing Whole Foods free 2 hour delivery.
 
I order from Prime Pantry when I need a super stiff box to hold the stuff I have to bring to my parents' place to install. (I'm their Tech Support.)
It's much stiffer than their normal boxes and survives the gentle treatment of airport workers.

The regular pantry prices are usually way more expensive than Walmart, but every once in a while some stuff is cheaper... but not enough for me to get $40 of stuff together in one order easily.

Every so often I used to get $5.99 off prime pantry if I chose "Super Slow" delivery, and I'd apply it to my order and just get a bag of chips and a 12 pack of coke, just to get the box.
 
I think on the Pantry side, Amazon won't be able to compete with Aldi anytime soon. I hope I"m wrong but I just don't see it. On the Fresh side, I really love a local market I found in the "bad" side of town but has super cheap prices & TONS of selection. I picked up two large jalapenos a few weeks ago and my cost? $0.15. ($0.59/pound)...Not sure Amazon can make any money at all at those prices.
 
prime pantry always seemed like a way for amazon to increase shipping costs for a lot of its items. Sure there are somethings that are pantry like, but they also moved items that used be included in normal prime to pantry.
 
Prime Pantry is not something I've found of much use. I admit that my grocery needs are more specific than most in that I buy nearly exclusively Organic/natural foods, which seem underwhelming even for the dry-goods variety on Prime Pantry.

I admit I WOULD pay extra for an upgrade to Amazon Fresh if it was available in my area. Taking a trip to a major west coast city that supported Fresh and taking advantage of it while I was there really was a nice feature. Likewise, Prime Now - which doesn't have any fee but is an app-only Prime feature that allows you to have many local things, from groceries to carry-out delivered to you for FREE within 2 hours or for a small fee if you want it faster. It was really nice - I found a local organic co-op while I was out there that was within range (note that Prime Now doesn't force you to use only Amazon businesses or anything; it wasn't a Whole Foods) , set up a shopping list, and the Prime Now guy basically brought me my groceries for free in an hour or two (its good form to tip the driver though). Later when I went shopping myself, I saw employees (I wasn't sure if they were Prime Now drivers or employees of the store - forgot to ask when I talked to them) bustling around stocking various orders for people, with many of the easily identifiable PrimeNow tagged shopping bags in their carts being filled as requested . Seems like a useful thing especially for the "I dont' feel like going shopping / I'm already home and forgot X at the store / Damn we need X for dinner tonight" kinda situation.

IIts really a pity I live somewhere that is likely to be extremely late in supporting this kind of thing. Having access to that convenience for the slight surcharge of Prime Fresh (or no surcharge for Prime Now last I checked) seemed well worth it. Prime Pantry at least so far though..not too much.
 
I used to have Amazon Fresh where I live. It was fantastic. I detest going to the grocery store. Call me lazy if you want. I work a ton and am a single father. Time is a luxury I'd rather not waste on standing in line at the store while people small like poison and try to find their Stop & Shop card. Unfortunately they canceled Fresh service to my area. Probably had something to do with the fact that they screwed up every single order of mine bar none in some small way.
 
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