Author Topic: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry  (Read 9089 times)

taking fire

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Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« on: December 02, 2015, 06:19:14 AM »
A few months ago, we ended up with a prime membership from Amazon. In short, we do not have cable TV, but we still have internet for things like Netflix and Amazon prime. We received a notice saying our current device we were using to access Amazon Prime content would be out of date soon, and gave us a special offer on a Fire Stick. We took the deal because there are some things we watch. Fire stick came and all was good - it really is neat if anybody is wondering about it. It does game apps and stuff the kids like, along with the other features you'll have to read about. Anyway, it came with a free month of Prime.

Now I know that prime has been discussed here in length and I have read some about it. We decided to let it ride to see what it was about. I have to say, I have not been all that impressed. I'm sure there are all sorts of things it has that actually benefits, but I am struggling to find them.

My family doesn't watch a lot of TV, but we do occasionally sit down and watch a show. All the shows that we are interested in still cost money. They will be like $1.99 - $3.99 an episode. Movies that we really want to see..cost money. Very few things we want are actually included in prime.

They say they offer free book borrowing or whatever you call it in the cloud. I have searched for several books and none of them I want to read are free.

So anyway, we were not very mustachian like and let the trial period run out without cancelling. They charged me $99 for the year for the Prime membership. I still let it go, and said I would research and try to find as much stuff as possible that we could actually order verses buying at the store. That has not been too exciting either. I have not had much time to actually sit down and really look, but after a little bit of studying, I'm finding that a lot of things cost nearly the same on Amazon as they do in a local store. Some even cost more. This makes no sense to me.

I have noticed this trend on ebay as well when looking for specific items. For some reason, it is like some sellers prey on stupid people. I can be looking for, say, a lightbulb that costs $1. That is the average price. I know I can usually find some ebay power seller that has it for $.85 shipped, along with all the other sellers that have it for $1. Then, somewhere in the list is some jack leg seller offering the same bulb for $4! I always scratch my head and think "Why do they do this? Do they do it because they think some unsuspecting customer will search, and this is the first that will pop up, so they just buy it without further research?" I mean really!

I was surprised to see the same thing on Amazon this morning. I am searching for things I think I might be able to find cheaper on Amazon, and looking at Angel Soft toilet paper.  Most of it is around $.45-.55 / count. Well down at the bottom of the list is a four pack for $8.69! What in the world! That works out to about $2.17 / count!

Bottom line is, I am not seeing much better prices than I see in the store. About the only thing I gain, is having one less bag to carry home from the store. Since the items I am looking at are Prime, the shipping is free, but the price is the same as it is in the store..roughly.

And then there is the Prime Pantry thing. This seems dumb to me. The first reason it makes me mad is because it charges a flat rate of like $5.99 shipping, once I fill a box up. This pisses me off for two reasons. 1.) I have t pay for shipping when I already paid $100 for Prime membership and shipping should be free. 2.), The having to fill the box to get it to the point where it will ship is just a marketing trick to make me spend more money.

Sneaky folks..

I am just not sure prime is worth it.


Argyle

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #1 on: December 02, 2015, 07:12:22 AM »
And yet, you bought it, and a Fire Stick too.  (My computer that gets Amazon Prime just fine is six years old — how old was your device?)  But before I signed up for it, I already knew that what I wanted was free on Amazon Prime.  I guess, as you say, they profit from people who don't do their research.

MgoSam

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #2 on: December 02, 2015, 07:52:00 AM »
The end game for things like the kindle and Prime is to get customers to just buy it on Amazon. I'll admit it works for me, though I do price compare to ensure that it's reasonable. For office supplies, I've found their prices to be better than Office Depot, Max, and Quill, so I'm happy to continue purchasing from them.

MgoSam

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #3 on: December 02, 2015, 08:44:58 AM »
On that note, I had to buy a printer cartridge for my office, it was like $10 and bought it through Amazon because they had the best price. We don't need the cartridges for a while (still have a few in reserve) and so instead of getting it on Friday through 2 day shipping, I put it for no-rush, which comes with a $5.99 pantry credit.

I realize that this is their way of trying to increase sales, but $6 store credit on a $10 order is something I don't plan on passing on.

ketchup

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #4 on: December 02, 2015, 08:55:31 AM »
I have Prime now, but I know as of a few years ago at least, if you cancelled, they would refund you a pro-rated amount.

lbmustache

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #5 on: December 02, 2015, 11:18:16 AM »
I have Prime because I use it to shop for most household items. Yes, you are correct that most things are the same price, a few things are cheaper, and a few are more expensive (I don't buy anything that is more expensive than the store counterpart).

However, the time savings is massive. I don't have to go to the store, wait around etc. It is un-mustachian but it's just a lot more convenient, and yes I am paying for that convenience. I think in terms of gas, the savings evens out. I feel like Prime is most beneficial to those who have very busy schedules, parents who might not have time or energy to trek to the store, or those who live far away from stores.

I do watch some movies/tv on it too, I don't see how it's much different from Netflix in that aspect.

taking fire

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #6 on: December 02, 2015, 12:35:41 PM »
I could see it saving money in the respect of some of the things we would otherwise get from the store. My ultimate goal is to quit shopping at walmart altogether. Problem is, I'm in a small town, so there are not many options. We do most of our shopping at a local grocery store, but there are some things they don't have. Some things they do have, but walmart has cheaper. I just don't agree with walmart's business practices, and I would rather buy elsewhere.


Davids

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #7 on: December 02, 2015, 04:53:42 PM »
I am currently on a 30 day trial of prime. It is OK but I will cancel it when the 30 days is up. The selection on Netflix is better and I do not order that much from amazon. It is probably great for people who buy a lot from amazon.

vhalros

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #8 on: December 02, 2015, 06:46:24 PM »
I got Prime because it was included with my phone. I've gotten a couple of 5.99 prime pantry coupons in exchange for slower shipping, but I can't find anything worth using them on. The coupon cancels out shipping, but their prices seem worse on almost everything I might want to buy, so there is no actual savings.

TomTX

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #9 on: December 13, 2015, 05:45:56 AM »
If you have working legs/bicycle and a reasonable grocery store nearby, Pantry isn't worth much. We used it (once!) because of an introductory deal of $20 off $50, AND free shipping. Still wasn't a great deal, but MrsTX wanted to try it out. Didn't cost us more than the grocery store.

Anyway, you are going at the Prime content (movies, books) backward. You don't start with "Hey, what's that hot new show I wanted to see? Is it free on Prime?" - you go into Amazon, you filter so that you ONLY see the shows/books that are free on Prime, and then look to see if something interests you. It's typically older content, obscure content or Amazon original programming that you wouldn't see elsewhere.

We use Prime a lot for educational kids shows such as Tumbleleaf (Amazon original) Wild Kratz (PBS) and Word World (only a few on there.) When the toddler is asleep, my wife and I have been slowly working through True Blood (HBO original gothic/supernatural thriller show) - the first 5 seasons of True Blood are included on Prime. We found a friend who has the last two on disc we could borrow once we finish 5 seasons. We also watch some stuff like cooking shows, house rehab/flipping where it just doesn't matter that the show was first on the air 2-5 years ago.

Hell, you have Firefly on there! Have you seen Firefly? Go watch it!
 

Bucksandreds

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #10 on: December 13, 2015, 06:14:09 AM »
Diapers, diapers, diapers. 20% off Amazon mom plus they always have a $2-$3 off coupon on some name brand every month.  I then look for coupons for stuff like coffee, nuts, baby food, toilet paper (for great prices need to do both coupons and subscribe and save) etc and if I can find 5 items total, I get 15% off the order. Amazon music is like an ok version of Spotify and we use it as we have no music subscription. Better than pandora and no commercials.  Amazon prime video is far inferior to Netflix but the Man in the High Castle is probably one of the top 10-20 shows ever made and only on Prime. (Highly recommend) Amazon 5-10 years ago was best prices. Now it's about convenience and the ability to get the best prices when you work for it.

DeltaBond

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #11 on: December 13, 2015, 06:50:59 AM »
I personally have not found it all that useful other than ordering items less than $25 and getting free shipping.  I used to get the free shipping just ordering enough to get it normally, and $25 used to be the cut off amount.  The first year it was $75 or so, and I didn't see any renewal reminder, they just automatically renewed for close to $100!  So here I am close to my end date and I tried to go on there today to cancel it - it won't let me cancel, just said it will end on my end date, that I don't have the option to end it early "It won't benefit you to end your membership early as you don't qualify for any refund".  I am tempted to just cancel that credit card that's on there, since I don't use it anymore.

The videos never have anything I want to see, the music I downloaded will be lost, I'm sure, once I cancel my membership.  Amazon books never has what I want to read, etc etc.

lizzzi

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #12 on: December 13, 2015, 07:48:13 AM »
I like it for certain things, but as the OP said, you have to know your prices, and in terms of grocery shopping and sundries, I usually do better locally with Aldi's and even the more expensive Giant Eagle. These stores are only minutes away from me, so there isn't much expense for my vehicle use. Sometimes when I can't find an item locally--a certain cinnamon tea, for example, that I drink in the colder months and send to the family for Christmas--I'll just click and use my Prime. I've used it for larger items, too, when I'm in a hurry and just want it delivered to my door...like personal care items and paper products when I was caring for an elderly relative at home and had very little opportunity to go out and shop.

Right now I am watching Stargate SG-1, which has 10 seasons...and I'm only on season 2. So I'll keep the Prime for that. My biggest use of Prime, though, is for used books. I am a hopeless bookaholic, and in finding favorite authors whose backlists go back many years and have titles out of print...I use Amazon to find those titles used...and just click and get them in two days. Our local library is small, and while I use interlibrary loan to some extent, I hate the wait. And so much that I read is just not available anyway. So Prime it is! (I also order a lot of books that aren't Prime...for a few cents plus $3.99 shipping I have the reads I crave...love soaking in the bathtub with an old hardcopy...and then just donate them later.) So I agree with the points the OP made, but will keep my Prime for certain things.

La Bibliotecaria Feroz

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #13 on: December 13, 2015, 08:03:28 AM »
On that note, I had to buy a printer cartridge for my office, it was like $10 and bought it through Amazon because they had the best price. We don't need the cartridges for a while (still have a few in reserve) and so instead of getting it on Friday through 2 day shipping, I put it for no-rush, which comes with a $5.99 pantry credit.

I realize that this is their way of trying to increase sales, but $6 store credit on a $10 order is something I don't plan on passing on.

I had the same thought and took the same deal. But then I realized that $5.99 is the SHIPPING CHARGE. No savings.

We have Prime for free, the fake kind where you can't watch anything but your stuff gets shipped.

hops

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #14 on: December 13, 2015, 08:17:29 AM »
I've gotten a couple of 5.99 prime pantry coupons in exchange for slower shipping, but I can't find anything worth using them on. The coupon cancels out shipping, but their prices seem worse on almost everything I might want to buy, so there is no actual savings.

The only (current) way to realize any substantial savings with the $5.99 Prime Pantry credits is to look at that month's list (usually linked to on the Pantry homepage) of items that qualify for free shipping. If you buy four of them (you can buy four of one item or mix and match) and therefore qualify for free shipping, the $5.99 credit is applied to the balance of your order.

Write Thyme

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #15 on: December 13, 2015, 11:03:08 AM »
For Prime Pantry you have to look for the deals. When you have that slow shipping credit, you need to put $12+ worth of product in your box with 4 of the "buy 4 of these specific items for free shipping with coupon" so you get free shipping with that coupon code in addition to the $6.99 off for for the slow shipping credit. Sometimes they have a 4lb bag of cherries for $1.44 and recently a bottle of fancy water for free after coupon. I'm still new to pantry, but there are some good deals to be had sometimes.

In regards to prime in general. Subscribe and Save! With 5 subscriptions a month you get an additional 15% off. I get 20% off diapers with Amazon Mom. When you match up coupons to the subscriptions you can save a ton. You can get vitamins, snacks, household supplies, etc. with subscribe and save. Definitely check into it.

I do product reviews for Amazon products so when I "buy" those products I choose the slow shipping credits. When Amazon offers the $1 digital credit I use those for ebooks or to buy my toddler full seasons of Prime shows.

My husband and I love the Prime music. Free streaming with no ads. Great selection.


Spork

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #16 on: December 13, 2015, 11:53:46 AM »
Movies that we really want to see..cost money. Very few things we want are actually included in prime.

Never tried Pantry.  But the above was my exact experience with Amazon video.  I think we've watched one show total on it.

The other downside is: If you look for stuff you like that is included in Prime for free (**IF** you can find it) and add it to your watch list...  When you come back to it a few weeks later, it's no longer free.  We probably added 30+ shows.  The first time we sat down: none of them were free any longer.  So effectively you have to re-run your searches every time you sit down.  Nope.  Not for me.

At least with Netflix there is some amount of predictability of what will be available.  Things do get added/deleted, but it isn't as turbulent.  I'll stick with Netflix.

lbmustache

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #17 on: December 13, 2015, 12:12:41 PM »
For Prime Pantry you have to look for the deals. When you have that slow shipping credit, you need to put $12+ worth of product in your box with 4 of the "buy 4 of these specific items for free shipping with coupon" so you get free shipping with that coupon code in addition to the $6.99 off for for the slow shipping credit. Sometimes they have a 4lb bag of cherries for $1.44 and recently a bottle of fancy water for free after coupon. I'm still new to pantry, but there are some good deals to be had sometimes.

In regards to prime in general. Subscribe and Save! With 5 subscriptions a month you get an additional 15% off. I get 20% off diapers with Amazon Mom. When you match up coupons to the subscriptions you can save a ton. You can get vitamins, snacks, household supplies, etc. with subscribe and save. Definitely check into it.

I do product reviews for Amazon products so when I "buy" those products I choose the slow shipping credits. When Amazon offers the $1 digital credit I use those for ebooks or to buy my toddler full seasons of Prime shows.

My husband and I love the Prime music. Free streaming with no ads. Great selection.

Pantry is a great deal once you get the free shipping! I shipped a bunch of things to a local dog charity (amazon wishlist) and I was able to get the free pantry shipping x2 since it didn't matter how fast they got the items.

Vanguards and Lentils

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #18 on: December 13, 2015, 12:20:31 PM »
I've gotten a couple of 5.99 prime pantry coupons in exchange for slower shipping, but I can't find anything worth using them on. The coupon cancels out shipping, but their prices seem worse on almost everything I might want to buy, so there is no actual savings.

The only (current) way to realize any substantial savings with the $5.99 Prime Pantry credits is to look at that month's list (usually linked to on the Pantry homepage) of items that qualify for free shipping. If you buy four of them (you can buy four of one item or mix and match) and therefore qualify for free shipping, the $5.99 credit is applied to the balance of your order.

This. Here's my latest prime pantry order and the price:

Item(s) Subtotal: $14.13
Prime Pantry Delivery: $5.99
Your Coupon Savings: -$0.50
Your Coupon Savings: -$0.67
Your Coupon Savings: -$0.75
No-Rush Credit: -$5.99
Free Shipping Promo: -$5.99
Total before tax: $6.22
Estimated tax to be collected: $0.00
Grand Total: $6.22

I got the no-rush credit of $5.99 by forgoing 2-day shipping on a previous amazon order, and the coupons by just browsing around. So getting things for much cheaper than the grocery store is possible, you just have to jump through some hoops.

Noodle

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #19 on: December 13, 2015, 02:36:22 PM »
I live in a second-floor walk-up condo, fairly far from the parking garage, in a part of the world where the weather is miserable six months of the year and where the traffic is awful twelve months of the year. Prime is worth it to me to have someone bring me things (especially when I need heavy items) and carry them up the stairs. Prices are similar to what I would spend in a local store. I have enjoyed some of the video but wouldn't pay extra for it...and I agree, one of the things I dislike about Amazon's streaming video is that the interface is terrible and the free and paid content is mixed together. With iTunes, you know you are paying by the item, and with Netflix and Hulu, you know you will never be charged by the item.

reader2580

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #20 on: December 13, 2015, 03:09:36 PM »
I have read you can't use more than one $5.99 shipping credit per Prime Pantry order.  I have a Prime trial right now and was going to take the $5.99 Pantry credit on one order until I read about the $5.99 shipping fee.

Villanelle

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #21 on: December 13, 2015, 04:43:13 PM »
I've never used Pantry, but I save a zillion dollars every year with Prime.

Excepting an 8 month period of which I'm in the middle, I live overseas and yet can still use Prime because I have an overseas USPS address.  I do so very, very much shopping this way.  Also, we don't have cable, so we use the Prime Streaming a lot.  I keep meaning to look in to the data storage, which I learned about from posts here, and had I known about Amazon Now when I was basically bed ridden due to an allergic reaction to a bee sting and then the ridiculous meds they put me on, I would have used that. (Not available in all areas.)  It's not mustachian, but I was home and couldn't walk to the store (4 minutes) and had little food in the house I could eat without significant prep.  It would have been worth it to have groceries show up at my doorstep in an hour.

I too have been taking the slow shipping, in exchange for the credits, even though I may never use them.  Yesterday, I got a $1 credit toward ebooks instead of a Pantry credit.  I didn't read the details, as they are gifts I don't need ASAP, but given what I spend on Kindle books since library selections are limited, that seems like it will be useful. 

TomTX

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #22 on: December 13, 2015, 07:13:31 PM »
I live in a second-floor walk-up condo, fairly far from the parking garage, in a part of the world where the weather is miserable six months of the year and where the traffic is awful twelve months of the year. Prime is worth it to me to have someone bring me things (especially when I need heavy items) and carry them up the stairs. Prices are similar to what I would spend in a local store. I have enjoyed some of the video but wouldn't pay extra for it...and I agree, one of the things I dislike about Amazon's streaming video is that the interface is terrible and the free and paid content is mixed together. With iTunes, you know you are paying by the item, and with Netflix and Hulu, you know you will never be charged by the item.

Want to just see Prime shows? Here is a one-click method if you are already logged in.

On the Amazon.com main page:

Near the upper right hover your mouse pointer over "Your Prime", then click "Watch" on the popup menu.

Voilà - only the free Prime shows.

Setters-r-Better

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Re: Amazon Prime / Prime Pantry
« Reply #23 on: December 13, 2015, 07:40:50 PM »
We keep it for the free 2day shipping. If we need something that isn't available at Walmart, it's a 20 mile drive each way, so it's nice for random stuff like that.
We haven't been too impressed by the shows available, but we could definitely make more of a point to watch them.

 

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