Amazon reported $14.3 billion in profit in its fourth quarter, and Prime members are paying for it.
According to MSN, this trillion-dollar company is raising its Prime membership prices, raising eyebrows.
In comparison to its $10 delivery fee that comes with one major advantage that helps save the environment, the $20 per year fee comes with one major perk that will save you hundreds to thousands of dollars in the long run.
Because of the above, I learned how to save hundreds, if not thousands of dollars per year when I learned that new and existing members would now have to pay $139 per year for the must-have membership. It doesn’t require coupons or illegal means to save money.
Many depend on Amazon for a wide variety of items, from pet supplies to toothpaste, just like millions of other Prime members. But despite the convenience of shopping from home-without stepping foot outside-Amazon is not the only modern-day mall where you can find practically anything online all in one place.
Therefore, Amazon’s short-sighted mistake led to me having to do something I adamantly dislike. I had to buy something. Fortunately, it wasn’t on Amazon.
So, I changed into my yoga pants for the adventure because I am an adult.
Having shopped on Amazon for years, I knew it was convenient, but not the cheapest. However, I was unaware that a number of products I buy on a regular basis are significantly more expensive than they used to be.
Read More: Amazon Increases the Cost of Its Prime Membership on Annual Plans Up to $20
I could save $65 on shampoo alone per year, for example. The product I’m referring to is not fancy salon-quality stuff, but my late dad’s favorite (and extremely practical) pick-Pert Plus. One bottle costs $8.30 on Amazon-a price my father would have considered outrageous. The price at Walmart, however, is $2.88.
There was more to it than just a strange price difference. The savings from dozens of common items can add up to $20 to $100 or more each per year. Walmart sells two-packs of Bounty Select-A-Size paper towels for $4.92, and Amazon offers them for $16. Other items like toothpaste, deodorant, and surge protectors are all cheaper at Walmart. Ignore things like clothing, electronics, plants, toys, and home goods.
It took some time before I realize that I did not have to wear pants to shop at Walmart.
Walmart offers more than just in-store shopping, not because it has a loose dress code. For orders over $35, Walmart offers free 2-day shipping. To compete directly with Amazon Prime, Walmart offers Walmart Plus. With Walmart Plus, a same-day shipping is free.
Walmart may not even be the cheapest. Despite Amazon status as a necessary evil – just as Walmart used to be (and for many of us still is), Amazon is making a mistake that no company should: it’s becoming complacent from its comfort.
Even though the $20 per year price increase is nominal at just $1.67 per month, it isn’t that price increase that will drive away customers. This is because Amazon doesn’t just ignore its consumers, it ignores its competitors, too. You don’t want your customers running to your competitors, even though your competitors shouldn’t run your business. Nonetheless, Maybe lower-priced competitors may sway away majority of costumers soon enough.
Despite its price, I still consider a Prime membership worth its value for its unique products, extensive product reviews, and other features. There are also a number of items there that are at a discount compared to their competitors. As a conscious consumer, however, I will save more money by taking advantage of its competitors who are offering the same products for less cash.
After all, the time has come for some healthy competition against Amazon.
