Last week a neighbor came by to ask me a question and, when she noticed the Amazon box on my porch, said, “Oh, it looks like you have some new books to read!”
“Um,” I replied somewhat sheepishly. “That’s actually cat food.” I suppose I could have lied and bragged that I was finally getting around to re-reading Proust, but instead I told her about Amazon’s “Subscribe & Save” program. Thanks to this program, a box full of cat food arrives at my door once a month with enough food for the next 4 weeks or so. Shipping is free, and the price is comparable to what I see in the “bricks-and-mortar” stores where I live.
However, the reason I “subscribe” to cat food through Amazon is not because I want to save money but rather because I want to save time (and—I’ll admit—because I always feel terribly guilty when I run out of my cat’s favorite food). It turns out that there are plenty of other products I could subscribe to on Amazon. A rather short list of candidates would include such items as the following: pens, breakfast cereal, energy bars, razors, toilet paper, and dish detergent.
Of course, Amazon is not your only choice for this kind of convenience service: other sites—like Peapod and Netgrocer, to name only two—will do the same sort of thing for you, depending on where you live. (And we might even put into the same category the deliveries of fresh produce you can get from community support agriculture groups like the kind Heather wrote about last year.) Nor is this kind of service new: I can still remember reading with interest this NY Times article on the subject when it first came out in 1996.
How about you?
If you’re the kind of person who finds appealing the idea of stocking up on a pantry full of nonperishables, then you might also be the kind of person who uses an online service to keep your household stocked with supplies. Do you use Amazon’s “Subscribe & Save” program (or something similar)? If so, what are your thoughts? Have you tried out something like this and decided it wasn’t for you? Why? Let us hear from you in the comments!
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6 Responses to Save Time and Effort by Subscribing to Products You Use Regularly
cfrear - September 20, 2010 at 9:33 am
YourSmartCart.com created by two University of South Carolina students does the same thing, even more. Save your whole routine shopping list, not just cat food. Recently featured on the CBS affiliate in Columbia, S.C., and on city’s NPR.
heatherwhitney - September 20, 2010 at 3:36 pm
I love Amazon’s Subscribe and Save. I get Scott Towel Mega Roll Choose-A-Size, 102-Sheet Rolls (Pack of 24), Philips Sonicare ProResults HX6013 Brush Head Standard 3pk, Cottonelle Double Roll Toilet Paper, White 260, 24 Pack (Pack of 2), and Kleenex Facial Tissue With Lotion, 3-Ply Tissues, Case Pack, Twelve 3 Packs, 130 Tissues Each (36 Packs) all through the program. I just wish there were more things I could get through it.
oldcommprof - September 20, 2010 at 4:11 pm
I’m not sure why, but I have no interest in Amazon for anything other than books. However, I do use Dunkin Donuts Regular Refills service to send us a 5-lb. bag of coffee beans every 10 weeks; it’s the best. I occasionally catch the office staff sniffing the box, so it seems they agree.
evergreeners - September 20, 2010 at 7:08 pm
We subscribe to Amazon’s delivery of Keurig Coffee k-cups.
japesos - September 20, 2010 at 11:58 pm
It might save you time but does this help our environment at all?One of the reasons I participate in a Community supported agricultural farm is that I’m not buying vegetables that are flown in from all over the country/world thus saving on fuel.
george_h_williams - September 21, 2010 at 6:33 am
@japesos: I’ve thought about that, too, with regard to using this service. I think it ends up having about the same impact on the environment, aside from the packaging (which I put in the recycling bin). The nonperishable goods are going to be flown in to the town where I live one way or another, whether I have them delivered to my door or whether they’re delivered to the store.