Bye, bye Amazon.....

[Bobbie54]

Living in a rural area my options are often drive an hour north (gas and time); take the ferry south ($ and time) or Amazon. So Prime pays off for me. I don't stream a lot though. As Donna says- safer to order than to go shopping, and especially when you have to go to 3 or 4 stores 10 miles apart to find (or not find) what you want.

[Eggscape]

Our Costco hotdog and drink is also $1.50 So with your US dollar being worth more…your paying more.

Also our Canadian Amazon yearly fee is under $80 (plus tax) in Canadian dollars of course and we get the video and music stuff included as well as the free shipping.

“If you sign up to a monthly membership, your membership charge is $7.99 (plus any applicable taxes). For an annual membership, the charge is $79 (plus any applicable taxes)”.

[kernwig]

To each their own on whether Amazon Prime membership is right for you, but there's a couple points missing from this thread.

Membership gives you Prime Video, Amazon Music, and other things along with the one to two day shipping. I stream from Prime Video. I also pay for Netflix. Prime membership costs less than Netflix, and I get all those other benefits too.

Besides, that shipping is quite valuable. I live 10+ miles from any "local" shopping and work from home.

Second point: Jeff Bezos doesn't get your prime membership fees. Never did, but especially since he stepped down as CEO last year. (He's busy putting celebrities on rockets these days...)

Shipping does cost money. Labor costs have shot up, inflation is raising, so of course membership fees will too. I don't like the massive accumulation of wealth by a few billionaires, but that doesn't mean a company covering their costs is evil.

All that be as it may, obviously, if the value you get from a service doesn't add up for you, then don't pay for it!

[Ooshkaboo]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I was spending maybe $400/month avg with Amazon. No more....

Why such disdain for a business passing down it’s increase in operating cost down to those who can choose to be a customer or do as you have and opt out. I have a couple of rental properties and it’s mind blowing how much I’ll be having to increase the rents just to keep up with the increase cost of materials, labor, insurance and taxes.

I don’t agree with Bezos politics, but clearly he’s putting that out as a front to appease the mob or he would have a different lifestyle and unionize his workforce. The way emotions trump logic nowadays the woke front is probably just another good business move.

Hopefully he’s having a good life and doesn’t become just another Citizen Kane movie.

[sunrisetrucker]

A friend of mine needed a part for his motorcycle and so he went to the local Yamaha dealership and ordered the part. They told him it would be 3 weeks before it would arrive and because it was a special order he would have to pay up front. When he told me about it I went on Amazon's website found the exact same part for a third of the price and ordered it. It arrived 2 days later and we proceeded install it. We then discovered that the problem was different from what my friend had originally thought and the part that I had ordered was not needed. My friend then went to the dealership and tried to cancel the order that was still over two weeks away from delivery. They told him that he couldn't cancel the order and that he wouldn't receive a refund. I was able to return the unused part to Amazon and got a full refund. Local is not always the best and Amazon does have many plus's and easy returns is just one of them.

[Iowa Dave]

When I hear no refunds and pay upfront I walk away . If it’s pay upfront and a posted restocking percentage I can live with that depending upon the percentage. I guess working with people since I was 15, selling TBA and watching the old guys, stood me in good stead and kept me from being unhappy with purchases for the most part. If I can’t get a little help from the counter man and can’t get straight answers, I’m headed for the door. People can read me too and have to decide if they want my money or not. Works out.

[escape artist]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

When I hear no refunds and pay upfront I walk away . If it’s pay upfront and a posted restocking percentage I can live with that depending upon the percentage. I guess working with people since I was 15, selling TBA and watching the old guys, stood me in good stead and kept me from being unhappy with purchases for the most part. If I can’t get a little help from the counter man and can’t get straight answers, I’m headed for the door. People can read me too and have to decide if they want my money or not. Works out.

Hi: Iowa Dave... I just walked away from my fav. building supply store. They can't be bothered to clean the washrooms... Close 'em. I can't be bothered shopping there. SIMPLE!!! Alf
escape artist N.S. of Lake Erie

[Fender]

Originally Posted by kernwig

To each their own on whether Amazon Prime membership is right for you, but there's a couple points missing from this thread.

Membership gives you Prime Video, Amazon Music, and other things along with the one to two day shipping. I stream from Prime Video. I also pay for Netflix. Prime membership costs less than Netflix, and I get all those other benefits too.

All that be as it may, obviously, if the value you get from a service doesn't add up for you, then don't pay for it!

+1 for this!

I just finished season 3 of Bosch and plan on starting the new Reacher series tonight!

[pkgman51]

To each their own...
I don't like the Prime price increase either. But, the benefits still outweigh the cost. Amazon is easy to shop, I don't have to burn gas going from store to store to shop availability and price, returns are very easy, and delivery is pretty quick.
Given the price increase, my family is going to try reducing our memberships from three to one. We'll all share one account. We'll see how that goes for a while...

[Rockhead]

Originally Posted by Fender

+1 for this!

I just finished season 3 of Bosch and plan on starting the new Reacher series tonight!

+ 2 what I save with the free shipping outweighs this increase n I’m still paying .$99.

[Eggscape]

Originally Posted by sunrisetrucker

A friend of mine needed a part for his motorcycle and so he went to the local Yamaha dealership and ordered the part. They told him it would be 3 weeks before it would arrive and because it was a special order he would have to pay up front. When he told me about it I went on Amazon's website found the exact same part for a third of the price and ordered it. It arrived 2 days later and we proceeded install it. We then discovered that the problem was different from what my friend had originally thought and the part that I had ordered was not needed. My friend then went to the dealership and tried to cancel the order that was still over two weeks away from delivery. They told him that he couldn't cancel the order and that he wouldn't receive a refund. I was able to return the unused part to Amazon and got a full refund. Local is not always the best and Amazon does have many plus's and easy returns is just one of them.

The local guy…if smart would be ordering from Amazon as well.

[Mike G]

Now that I think of it, I also have a Prime Visa card for which I get 5% back on all Amazon purchases. So that reduces the price of everything there by 5%. If I discontinue the Prime service, the discount is discontinued. Hmmmm. That's generally more than the cost of the membership.


They have a good business model, I'll give them that.

[Mike Lewis]

It is interesting that a couple of people cite their rural locations as the reason they have Prime. It is partly the reason I don't have it, due to the seeming impossibility of getting stuff shipped here overnight. It never happens. I still get free shipping from Amazon, I just have to wait longer. Sometimes it's not longer than regular paid shipping anyway. I don't care about video or streaming.

A few years ago I tried to make a list for a monthly order from Amazon, but I gave up because I had to return so much stuff because it was not what I wanted. Now their return process is much easier so I might start doing that again.

[cpaharley2008]

I'm thinking that Amazon may change their membership fee structure once they realize some consumers have stopped purchasing....time will tell!

[Centex]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I'm thinking that Amazon may change their membership fee structure once they realize some consumers have stopped purchasing....time will tell!

I'm thinking Amazon's consumer data and analytical power gave them a very accurate metric of the impact of their decision before it was announced....time will tell!

[sunrisetrucker]

Originally Posted by Iowa Dave

When I hear no refunds and pay upfront I walk away.

He was desperate to get it on the road in time for an extended bike ride we had planed. That dealership has now lost both his and my business.

[Chasing Trials]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

This was my thought about Amazon Prime from the beginning. I've read that there are one billion Prime subscribers worldwide. So Amazon has convinced a billion people to pay them extra in order to make it easier to buy more stuff from Amazon. I didn't see the appeal.

Same here. Never had Prime, & RARELY shop Amazon. I'll research there.........then try to find it somewhere else. But sometimes can't.

[cpaharley2008]

Being immune compromised, I do a lot of "on line" shopping to avoid interaction with others. Although missed, this is on the advice of my doctors. Covid is something to avoid. That said, I am going to expand my search on line parameters, as Amazon makes it so easy, but adding a surcharge is greedy on their part. Hopefully, with time, I will be able to venture out.

[RangerMan]

Originally Posted by Centex

I'm thinking Amazon's consumer data and analytical power gave them a very accurate metric of the impact of their decision before it was announced....time will tell!

Time passes and we will grow to accept just about anything because that's just the way it is.

Went to HEB store in Kingsville yesterday, First time in a couple of weeks. Everywhere I looked had noticeable price increases since I was there. Milk, eggs, meat, everything! Next week, that will seem the norm to me.

Price of cotton went straight up this year, but we farmers are not complaining about that. )

[Ooshkaboo]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Being immune compromised, I do a lot of "on line" shopping to avoid interaction with others. Although missed, this is on the advice of my doctors. Covid is something to avoid. That said, I am going to expand my search on line parameters, as Amazon makes it so easy, but adding a surcharge is greedy on their part. Hopefully, with time, I will be able to venture out.

Amazon is just a business, and as a business there has to be a profit or the business will no longer exist. Your health issues are real and something for you to be concerned with, but it has nothing to do with the business Amazon is in. If anything the yearly fee is little compared to the benefit they just happen to provide for you in your particular situation.

If this helps, Walmart has some better pricing on many everyday goods. The $35 minimum delivery fee waver isn’t hard to achieve with the prices of everything rising nowadays.