In a strategic move to further revolutionize its grocery services, Amazon has officially announced the commencement of a trial for an unlimited grocery delivery subscription exclusively for Prime members. This development marks the latest in a series of transformative updates to Amazon’s grocery division.
Under the pilot program, Prime members can enjoy unlimited deliveries from Whole Foods, an Amazon-owned entity, and Amazon Fresh on orders surpassing $35. Notably, the subscription also offers an expedited 30-minute pickup option for orders of any size.
This experimental initiative is set to debut initially in select locations, including Denver, Colorado; Sacramento, California; and Columbus, Ohio. Amazon aims to assess the feasibility and gauge the level of interest in this new subscription add-on.
This announcement comes hot on the heels of recent strategic shifts by Amazon in the grocery sector. Just last month, Amazon extended access to Amazon Fresh to non-Prime members for the first time. In a move to enhance accessibility, the company, in October, revised its free grocery delivery threshold from $150 to $100 and introduced changes to its fee structure.
As Amazon continues to reshape the landscape of grocery shopping, this trial subscription program stands as a pivotal experiment that could redefine convenience for Prime subscribers and potentially reshape the future of grocery delivery services.
Is Amazon Prime grocery delivery worth it?
So will an unlimited no-fee grocery delivery subscription be worth it? Currently, Prime subscribers pay $6.95 for each order of $50 to $100 and $9.95 for those under $50. (Shoppers who don’t subscribe to Prime pay $7.95 and $13.95, depending on the order size and delivery window.)
The average weekly grocery spend for a family of three or four easily tops $100, which would already qualify it for free delivery. For singles, couples with no children and those who tend to prefer smaller orders but make them more frequently, Amazon’s new unlimited delivery program might make financial sense and allow for impulse orders without delivery fees adding up.
In general, grocery delivery is still more expensive than shopping in person when you factor in fees and tipping, but not by much. We compared the cost of 39 typical groceries when ordered from Amazon Fresh, FreshDirect and bought in person at Stop & Shop. The totals were remarkably similar.
So is buying groceries online cheaper than in person?
After tallying the grocery costs for my order with all three retailers, the results were remarkably similar. See below for a breakdown of the differences in cost including membership and delivery fees for both.
Is Fresh Direct cheaper than a grocery store?
The FreshDirect total amounted to $208.27, just $1.63 more than Stop & Shop (but with no trip to the store, time spent shopping or money spent on gas). If you subscribe to FreshDirect’s DeliveryPass, the total would be more like $198 and a few bucks cheaper than Stop & Shop. FreshDirect was the cheapest before fees and only slightly more than Stop & Shop with the $10 tip and $6 delivery charge added
Is Amazon Fresh cheaper than a grocery store?
Amazon Fresh was the priciest, clocking in at $218.63 for the same 39 items including the $15 monthly Prime membership fee and a $20 driver tip. If you already have Prime and don’t consider that an “extra” cost, Amazon Fresh would fall to $203.63.
