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> Why would you buy this stuff from Amazon? You can purchase products in larger sizes for lower $/[unit] and in many circumstances set them to be automatically

> Why would you buy this stuff from Amazon? You can purchase products in larger sizes for lower $/[unit] and in many circumstances set them to be automatically purchased and shipped on a periodic basis for even greater savings all from the comfort of your couch. You can additionally get 5% back on top of all of this if you use an Amazon Prime credit card and pay it off monthly. The savings add up over time and it also results in a cart that is considerably less full during the weekly grocery shopping trip. Paper towels eat up a great amount of the volume in a standard US grocery store shopping cart. The easiest way to avoid the pain many users experience is to exclusively purchase products shipped and sold by Amazon and to make use of third party sellers only when necessary.

cdubzzz 9y ago
My specific example (from the article) seems to counter some of what you suggest, though. E.g. - - Of the 37 sizes, only three are available for subscription. - Even the 5% subscription discount is not the best deal. - The lower $/unit on larger quantities does not consistently hold true. I was unaware of the additional 5% back on the Amazon Prime card, but I'm not sure that should really factor in here. My AmEx, for example, gives 6% cash back at grocery stores and I'm sure other cards have comparable offers. Also, Amazon Prime, like my AmEx card, has a yearly fee that will eat away at some of those additional savings. If we accept that the amount of choice Amazon.com provides is a good thing (and I think it is), does the subscription model not defeat that advantage? I think it does, at least to some degree. Since the 15% discount subscription price is the best deal (on Amazon.com), why even have the other 36 "sizes"? What you suggest as the "easiest way to avoid pain" is precisely what I fear - that Amazon.com may eventually become "shopping".

cdubzzz 9y ago

My specific example (from the article) seems to counter some of what you suggest, though. E.g. - - Of the 37 sizes, only three are available for subscription. - Even the 5% subscription discount is not the best deal. - The lower $/unit on larger quantities does not consistently hold true. I was unaware of the additional 5% back on the Amazon Prime card, but I'm not sure that should really factor in here. My AmEx, for example, gives 6% cash back at grocery stores and I'm sure other cards have comparable offers. Also, Amazon Prime, like my AmEx card, has a yearly fee that will eat away at some of those additional savings. If we accept that the amount of choice Amazon.com provides is a good thing (and I think it is), does the subscription model not defeat that advantage? I think it does, at least to some degree. Since the 15% discount subscription price is the best deal (on Amazon.com), why even have the other 36 "sizes"? What you suggest as the "easiest way to avoid pain" is precisely what I fear - that Amazon.com may eventually become "shopping".