By comparison, Google sends me an e-mail every month reminding me how much I'm paying for Google Play Music. I don't mind it, but I wonder if it affects their retention rates to do that.
They seem to artificially add delays to processing to discourage me, but I don't really order anything that I need immediately.
Not having prime also prevents me from impulse buying.
Also, majority of things that you purchase on regular basis, such as cleaning supplies, vitamins etc are often much cheaper in local store and are less likely to be knock offs.
> They've developed a prioritization process for picking which take items ordered _later_ via prime and picks them first.
What I meant to say is that with prime the order is shipped within hours, when without it takes days and it seems to be calculated toward the end of of the time range, but still so it will arrive before the deadline.
Actually any items that are not fulfilled by Amazon are delivered much faster when you don't have prime. When you do it is the reverse, which feels suspicious.
Yes, there's no way for me to completely prove, but statistically without prime items arrive at the later date of the spectrum given, but they also never late than the date given. This could be explained that when deadline approaches they start treating my order as if it was higher priority, but then that would still prove my point.
Non-prime items won't see similar shipping priority until near the end of their deadlines.
It's to minimize prime-order shipping latency as much as possible. Incenticizing prime is a happy side-effect.
Only downside is that the incentive rotates and some of them are simply terrible (prime pantry, women's fashion, and home services for example).
I love Amazon subscriptions. Never having to think about buying all those staples, and just having them show up at the right time every month is worth a little extra money, which is at least partially offset by the subscription discounts.
All those other extras they throw in are just junk to me. Apart from The Grand Tour there's nothing on prime video I care about, have never used their music much because the interface is an absolute joke (same with video).
Prime Now is nice but for some reason my area doesn't get restaurants despite being in the Portland Metro.
So just looking at shipping costs, I think I've at best broken even. Rarely get things in two days anyways. Usually takes them 3 days.
You stop price checking. Amazon is far from the cheapest place to order things now. Depending on the item of course.
Next time price check an item before just grabbing it on Amazon, I did. Saved over 40% by doing so.
The Google method of sending a yearly notification is the idiomatic and proper way of selling a service. The Amazon way is the scumbag way because that's how they charge you without you knowing.
My amazon activity is much less than it used to be. Too much cheap and down right counterfeit products.
The 2 day Prime shipping is great...but it’s been taking forever to just get my stuff shipped out.
Anyway, have been debating cancelling the last several months and this headline was the impetus I needed.