Subscribe and save

[verklempt]

Anyone have any input about Amazon's subscribe and save program? I have been using it for my toiletries for a little while (soap, shampoo, toothbrushes, razors, etc) and I was thinking about starting it for groceries. It seems like a lot of food for just the two of us, but I wonder if the convenience of having it delivered and the discount make it worth it.

[LittleDarlings]

I personally wouldn't trust an Internet shop to send food to me that's me. As far as if it's worth it I have used their subscribe and save for other things like vitamins and stuff and I do think that's worth it. Not sure about groceries. At least if it's a lot and just 2 of you you can freeze some and save it

[TakeruK]

We did look into this when we first moved to the US and didn't have a car. I notice that you can "subscribe and save" and have it come every 1-6 months, for example, instead of just every month. This would make it more feasible for the two of us to not have way too much food! Whether or not it's worth it can really depend on the product though. Here are some examples I looked up and compared to my grocery store trips:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Quaker-Instant-Oatmeal-Raisin-10-Count/dp/B001M09BOS/ref=sr_1_46?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1387410328&sr=1-46

Quaker's oatmeal. Amazon price $10 for 4 boxes = $2.50 per box. At my grocery store, the regular price is $5/box, but I just wait until they go on sale and then buy 2 boxes for $5. 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Arm-Hammer-Clumping-Unscented-40-Pound/dp/B004U8Z7DI/ref=sr_1_10?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1387410229&sr=1-10

Cat litter--when we used to have cats, this would be a decent (but not the best price) for the 40 pound box. However, without a car, carrying a 40lb box home is super difficult!

 

I was going to write more but I realised I would say the same thing about every item. So, I will stop boring you with my grocery list now, actually  

 

Overall, our impression of Amazon's Subscribe & Save is that it does not always beat the best prices we can find in a traditional grocery store. There are a few cases where it would win (e.g. Campbell's soup) but we would not be able to rely on groceries from Amazon solely. Thus, we would have to go to the grocery store anyways (and I'd prefer to pick out my own produce!) and with careful planning, we can snatch up good deals when they appear. In the end, we decided that committing to regular deliveries of items was not worth the 5-15% discount, especially since they come in pretty large quantities. 

 

We decided that we would prefer to keep an eye out for deals and just get those instead. This allows us to adjust our shopping to account for changing tastes (we don't really like a routine in our meals--we might do oatmeal one week but might not go back to it again for a few weeks). So the freedom to adjust our meals is worth the 5% lost in savings, we think! 

[verklempt]

I agree about the loss of variety. I guess it doesn't matter with toothpaste, but it might matter more with food. I do get a good deal on my CSA (community supported agriculture) box that changes each week, so that provides us with some variety. 

 

I don't enjoy going to the store that much, so the delivery aspect appeals to me. I think I might just stick with it for staples like rice, pasta, beans, etc. I really like not having to think about what I need to buy, making a list, and then having to go to the store. My experience has been mostly positive for my other subscribe and save items except when it's raining!

[raneck]

I use it for cat litter and a few other non-food household items.

[TakeruK]

I don't enjoy going to the store that much, so the delivery aspect appeals to me. I think I might just stick with it for staples like rice, pasta, beans, etc. I really like not having to think about what I need to buy, making a list, and then having to go to the store. My experience has been mostly positive for my other subscribe and save items except when it's raining!

 

My wife thinks I'm crazy but grocery shopping is one of my favourite times of the week!! I do all of our cooking and it's really fun for me to see what looks good / is cheap and figure out what I can make that week. So I guess I should have disclosed my love of groceries above because it is probably hugely biasing me against Amazon (for groceries) haha.

Edited December 19, 2013 by TakeruK

[LMac]

I love the subscribe and save option. I'm finally going to the grocery store once a week, instead of every couple days. It seems like the selection is dwindling though, as I suspect eating the shipping costs makes it quite a bit less profitable for the seller.