Buying in bulk – an everyday shopping practice that has truly become a phenomenon over the last three decades.  I even know people who make a point to drive 20 or 30 minutes from their home just to benefit from “wholesale prices”, even if their shopping trip is double the expense due to the increased quantities required to receive said savings.

I guess I can’t argue the decreased cost per ounce on a lifetime supply of dill pickle chips, but I personally have rarely chosen to spend more on a shopping trip in the name of saving money.  I am just that black and white.  Big surprise.

HOWEVER – I have recently been enticed to buy in bulk, increased cost and all.  Something has actually changed my mind with such a life-altering shade of gray that I can’t ignore it.

It’s called Amazon Subscribe & Save and I think I’m in love.  Honestly, I only learned of this service at the recent United Fresh Expo during a workshop on consumer shopping trends.  I was intrigued by the idea that I could literally have shampoo and toilet paper (albeit, often times in bulk quantities) show up at my door on a schedule of my choice at the same price I would pay for it in the store and no shipping.  WHAT?!?!?  Did you say there was NO added cost?  You mean I may actually never have to make a 9pm run to the grocery store for necessities that I have had zero time to go and grab during the hours when all the good moms go to the store?  I might really cry right now.  Tears.  Real tears.

But because I always examine an opportunity with a skeptical eye, I did a little research to see if this “same price” story was really true.  Please excuse my narrow scope of research, but in my pessimism, I expected Amazon to at least be more expensive than Wal-Mart.  Here’s what I found:

Store	Product	Price	Unit Price
Amazon Subscribe	4.4 lb bag of Puppy Chow (pk/3)	$15.72	$5.24
Walmart	4.4 lb bag of Puppy Chow	$5.24	$5.24
Amazon Subscribe	Pampers Swaddlers, size 2, 204 ct	$47.19	$.23/ea
Walmart	Pampers Swaddlers, size 2, 100ct	$24.94	$.25/ea
Amazon Subscribe	Cascade Action Pacs, 60ct	$10.97	$10.97
Walmart	Cascade Action Pacs, 60ct	$10.97	$10.97
Amazon Subscribe	Puffs Plus Lotion Facial Tissue, 6ct pk, 744ct tissues	$13.77	$.02/ea
Walmart	Puffs Plus Lotion Facial Tissue, 3ct pk, 372ct tissues	$4.97	$.01/ea

Who knows, this service could be a copycat of something else that’s been around for years – or maybe Amazon Subscribe has been around for an embarrassingly long amount of time, too.  I really don’t care.  I’m unashamed in my joy and anticipation of not thinking I’m well stocked on something only to find out that we ran out of it yesterday.  J-O-Y.

So here’s the moral of the story.  My propensity for overbooked schedules and poor shopping habits aside, I know I am not the only busy consumer out there who would love the for the grocery fairy to show up at her door with all the necessities her family needs.  Retailers definitely understand this sentiment and have responded to our hectic lives with convenience items and quick meal solutions, and I commend them for that.  But at 9pm at night, the grocery fairy is looking pretty darn good.  Continuing to look for ways to sprinkle a little fairy dust in our lives will win our hearts every time.
Posted by The Analyst (Marci Allen)

Tags: Amazon, Amazon Subscribe, Amazon Subscribe & Save, Convenience, Convenient Meals, mom tools, moms, quick meal solutions, United Fresh Expo, Wal-Mart

Posted Wednesday, May 30th, 2012 at 7:00 am and is filed under Culture & Creativity, Health & Fitness, Marketing Tools & Trends.