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Amazon Prime has definitely lowered my "impulse shopping" threshold. One Friday morning last summer, I decided to do some work around the house that weekend, b

by ben1040 15y ago

Amazon Prime has definitely lowered my "impulse shopping" threshold. One Friday morning last summer, I decided to do some work around the house that weekend, but I didn't have a big enough ladder. A couple clicks later, I have a 22 foot extension ladder being delivered to me on a Saturday. Even with Saturday overnight delivery it was $2 cheaper than Home Depot, and I didn't have to try to figure out how to cram the ladder into my econobox car to bring it home.

MBCook 15y ago
I've done that kind of thing a few times. But unless I really want something, I find I still fall into the old habit of "I'm ordering from Amazon, I might as well get a few things to make up for shipping." If I can't find enough things to make it "worthwhile", I often won't buy it. I've been a prime member for years. Shipping is free. But my mind is still usually stuck in the old ways (even if I'm only 28). I have to fight my instinct to tell myself "It's OK to order just one small thing."
- Lewisham 15y ago
  I find one-click is very helpful for this. Know what you want, find it, one-click, leave.
  - MBCook 15y ago
    That's probably true. I have it turned off because I'm pretty sure I'd end up buying far too much.
- ben1040 15y ago
  I've been a Prime member for about five or six years, and for a while I shopped there the same way you did (sat down and spent time on a "shopping trip" to pile up the cart to make it "worth it"). The tipping point for me was in early '09 or so when Amazon introduced their iPhone app. At that point if it came to my mind that there was something I needed, I'd just pull out the phone and buy it immediately on Amazon. That changed my habits too when browsing their normal desktop site. From then on, the vast majority of my Amazon purchases have been one-off purchases where I knew what I wanted, spent two or three minutes searching, bought it, and got out. And I do it often; between me and my wife's purchases there's an Amazon box on the front doorstep 2-3 times a week.

by ben1040 15y ago

MBCook 15y ago

I've done that kind of thing a few times. But unless I really want something, I find I still fall into the old habit of "I'm ordering from Amazon, I might as well get a few things to make up for shipping." If I can't find enough things to make it "worthwhile", I often won't buy it. I've been a prime member for years. Shipping is free. But my mind is still usually stuck in the old ways (even if I'm only 28). I have to fight my instinct to tell myself "It's OK to order just one small thing."

Lewisham 15y ago
I find one-click is very helpful for this. Know what you want, find it, one-click, leave.
- MBCook 15y ago
  That's probably true. I have it turned off because I'm pretty sure I'd end up buying far too much.
ben1040 15y ago
I've been a Prime member for about five or six years, and for a while I shopped there the same way you did (sat down and spent time on a "shopping trip" to pile up the cart to make it "worth it"). The tipping point for me was in early '09 or so when Amazon introduced their iPhone app. At that point if it came to my mind that there was something I needed, I'd just pull out the phone and buy it immediately on Amazon. That changed my habits too when browsing their normal desktop site. From then on, the vast majority of my Amazon purchases have been one-off purchases where I knew what I wanted, spent two or three minutes searching, bought it, and got out. And I do it often; between me and my wife's purchases there's an Amazon box on the front doorstep 2-3 times a week.