Amazon Lowers Free Shipping Minimum to $35

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by issybird

It was one thing when I could amortize Prime over two people, but I couldn't justify it for just me. It's turned out to save me a boatload of money - the hundred bucks up front and then, like Zod, all the impulse purchases and rounding-up purchases I no longer made. I really don't miss it.

I have Prime for the videos. Everything else it offers is just icing on the cake.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I have Prime for the videos. Everything else it offers is just icing on the cake.

Just out of curiosity, have you ever added up what it would cost to rent or buy what you've watched on Prime, if you didn't have Prime?

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by ApK

Just out of curiosity, have you ever added up what it would cost to rent or buy what you've watched on Prime, if you didn't have Prime?

No, but it would be a lot more than $99 a year. I use it daily.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by Catlady

Sheesh, being a Prime member, I completely missed the increase from $35 to $49!

I didn't. I used to order at least 4 times a year from Amazon, getting to 35 each time to qualify for free shipping. When it went to 50, that cut me down to once last year (other than an order from a third-party retailer on Amazon that didn't require a minimum and had free shipping).

It was cheaper for me to order from ebay where free shipping can be found often just by shopping around. And yup--from walmart too. I just got a walmart order last week and I'm already putting together another one.

[Alpha o]

I'll pay the shipping. Where I live has nothing I want. The Science section at B&N is thin. I don't read romance novels which the stores are full of. No other bookstore in town.

I don't do Wally World. They had pets when the store first opened here and no one knew how to take care of the fish.

I don't use Kindle, I don't do movies nor Amazon TV. I already have Major League Baseball through MLB itself. We have a Roku. We could get Sling, but have no interest.
It's not worth subscribing to anything unless you can get multiple programs like Smithsonian or Nova without movies.

The other half likes his Kindle.

I've been using more of the independent sellers.

[Apache]

You expect Wal Mart to train their employees???????
I am in the jewelry business. Wal Mart used to change watch batteries. Their employees were damaging so many watches that they put up a sign saying that they were not responsible if their employees damaged your watch while changing the battery. I had a customer bring in a Seiko watch that he took to Wal Mart to have the battery changed. The dial was bent in half. It appeared that the employee tried to pry the battery out. She then handed the watch back to the customer and told him they were not responsible. I explained that since the employee was obviously untrained in how to change the batteries in watches then, legally, Wal Mart was responsible. I suggested that they talk to the store manager. He did and Wal Mart had to have the watch repaired. It cost them $400.00 to repair it. They then stopped changing watch batteries. They would still sell you one, then offer you the use of their tools so you could change it yourself. Do not get me started on the quantity, quality and condition of their tools.
Apache

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Alpha o

I don't do Wally World.

And your life is better for it. They opened a megastore within two miles of my house and I did my grocery shopping there for years due to the convenience. Recently I realized "What am I doing?" and started shopping elsewhere. The other store is much more pleasant and the prices are the same.

I recently went back in to Walmart for the one item I couldn't find at the other stores (beef chorizo) and it is just such a depressing place. I grabbed my one item and skedaddled.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

And your life is better for it. They opened a megastore within two miles of my house and I did my grocery shopping there for years due to the convenience. Recently I realized "What am I doing?" and started shopping elsewhere. The other store is much more pleasant and the prices are the same.

I recently went back in to Walmart for the one item I couldn't find at the other stores (beef chorizo) and it is just such a depressing place. I grabbed my one item and skedaddled.

Our Walmarts aren't depressing but they are all very different. You can tell the type of shopper by the store. Our rural store (caters to poorer side of town and the outlying small towns) has much less than the closer to the mall store. Now in the next town over, both stores are well stocked and staffed due to one being near all the expensive houses and the other one being on the interstate. The interstate store has a larger selection of travel stuff and for some odd reason more clearance stuff and way more dvds.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

Our Walmarts aren't depressing but they are all very different. You can tell the type of shopper by the store. Our rural store (caters to poorer side of town and the outlying small towns) has much less than the closer to the mall store. Now in the next town over, both stores are well stocked and staffed due to one being near all the expensive houses and the other one being on the interstate. The interstate store has a larger selection of travel stuff and for some odd reason more clearance stuff and way more dvds.

I guess so. I live in a fancy-pants neighborhood and have gone to several Walmarts in rural Texas and the shoppers look pretty darn similar in both.

But I'm not purposely running down the shoppers. When I say it's depressing, I mean the store and the atmosphere of it.

There's also a Sam's Club (Walmart's take on Costco) and I got a free membership there. I didn't like to shop there either because it was depressing. Costco finally opened a store and the difference between the two is night and day. And others I talk to have the same opinion.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by ZodWallop

I guess so. I live in a fancy-pants neighborhood and have gone to several Walmarts in rural Texas and the shoppers look pretty darn similar in both.

But I'm not purposely running down the shoppers. When I say it's depressing, I mean the store and the atmosphere of it.

There's also a Sam's Club (Walmart's take on Costco) and I got a free membership there. I didn't like to shop there either because it was depressing. Costco finally opened a store and the difference between the two is night and day. And others I talk to have the same opinion.

I wasn't talking about the shoppers. I was talking about the merchandise (especially groceries) and how Walmart treats their shoppers. Because rural and the perceived poor people will settle for what they have in the store. You want vanilla ice cream. They only have 2 choices in the poor store. They also as it turns out gets the worse produce. Though I have to say that is slowly changing since last year their sales really dropped by about 50%.
HEB put in a very nice store less than 2 blocks away. Prices are very comparable.

Now on the shoppers, do not go to pretty much any store between noon and 2 on a Sunday. You can't walk down an aisle without smelling what seems to be several broken perfume bottles.