Amazon Mom Changes

[mommylamb]

This was on the Amazon Mom FB page just now. The first change is something they've already instituted, but looks like they won't be letting people earn more than the 3 months of free 2 day shipping. They just want you to pay for prime.

We're posting today to tell you about some upcoming changes to Amazon Mom. People who join once membership reopens in 2012 will see a different Amazon Mom program, and some of these changes will also affect your membership.

Here is a summary of the forthcoming changes:

* Starting on January 24, 2012, the maximum discount available on diapers and wipes subscriptions will be 20%. This includes a 5% Subscribe & Save discount and an additional 15% exclusively for Amazon Mom members.

* New customers who join Amazon Mom in 2012 will get three months of FREE Two-Day Shipping benefits. Any current Amazon Mom members are still eligible to continue earning up to one year total of FREE Two-Day Shipping benefits.
(Hint: if you're not sure how many months you're still eligible to earn, you can check your account: http://www.amazon.com/mom-account).

* Once the free period is over, customers can join Amazon Prime for $79/year to continue to receive full access to Amazon Mom and Amazon Prime benefits.

You should also receive an email today, outlining how these changes impact you personally.

As you are likely aware, Amazon Mom currently is closed to new members. We'll begin accepting new members later this winter. If you'd like to be notified when our membership opens, please join our waitlist: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000748341

If you'd like additional info, we encourage you to read our FAQ http://www.amazon.com/mom-faq. And if you still have questions, please post them below. We will monitor them and update our FAQ page as needed, based on your input.

And thanks, as always, for being an Amazon Mom.

[GvilleGirl]

From my email:
Since your free shipping benefits have ended and you have not yet joined Amazon Prime, the additional 15% Amazon Mom discount on diapers and wipes subscriptions will expire on January 24, 2012.

No more Amazon diaps for me after the 24th!

[wendibird22]

I just was coming here to post this because I received an email with the same message (my Amazon Mom expired back in Nov). I figured the gravy train would run out at some point. All that free prime was just too good to last.

[mommylamb]

I currently have DH signed up for Amazon Mom since my AM account ended last October, so he can still earn up to his full year. But, I really think this stinks. I've considered purchasing prime in the past, and still might do that, but I'm annoyed that they would change the program so much for new people signing up.

ETA: DH has prime extended through this until October. I guess we'll have to decide at that point whether to buy prime or get diapers at Costco.

[BayGirl2]

I always had the sense that the free Mom benefits were a marketing campaign to get people hooked on Prime. (I was a paid Prime member before Mom started.) Based on the changes at the end of last year and now I do think that was the case. I'm guessing the Mom program had more success than they anticipated. I don't fault Amazon for that, it worked great for them I bet and it benefited the customers who took advantage of it.

I'm sure people will be PO'd because they lose their free benefits, especially since the benefits are somewhat intangible. But really, if a restaurant handed you a free dinner, or even a discounted dinner, for 12 months and then said "sorry, no more free dinner" or "we can only discount 15% off our competitors", most people would still say thanks and not be too mad. Or maybe they'd be mad and not go to the restaurant anymore, who knows. Bottom line - a program like Amazon Mom is probably not a sustainable business model over the longer term and Amazon is being smart in curtailing it while people still have memory of paying full price and haven't yet started taking it as a given.

[lil_acorn]

So that I'm clear, does this mean we only get 5% discount on subscribe and save if we don't have prime? That stinks :-(

[mommylamb]

So that I'm clear, does this mean we only get 5% discount on subscribe and save if we don't have prime? That stinks :-(

That's what it looks like. So every other item in Subscribe and Save is 15% off, but diapers are just 5% off. They're saying that if you currently get 20% off, 15% is from Amazon Mom and the other 5% is from Subscribe and Save.

See, I totally get that the Amazon Mom perk of 30% off with free prime was an awesome deal, and not one that would stick around forever, but I think it's a bad idea for them to switch it so that even if you just do S&S without prime that you now only get 5% off. That makes stores like Costco way cheaper than Amazon, especially for those of us with executive memberships at Costco who get an extra 2% cash back.

[elbenn]

It sounds like the current subscriptions that are still getting 30% off will be switched to 20%.

[Momit]

I though Prime and Amazon Mom were separate but yes, it sounds like if your Prime through Amazon Mom has expired and you haven't bought Prime the 15% discount will end.

Kicking myself for not signing up DH while it was still the 12 months free.

[BayGirl2]

That's what it looks like. So every other item in Subscribe and Save is 15% off, but diapers are just 5% off. They're saying that if you currently get 20% off, 15% is from Amazon Mom and the other 5% is from Subscribe and Save.



It sounds like the current subscriptions that are still getting 30% off will be switched to 20%.

That seems like the case. I don't buy diapers so not sure if that is treated differently than other items. I have an active Prime membership so I got a slightly different email:

Dear x x,
The Amazon Mom program is changing and we want to make sure you know about it. Starting on January 24, 2012, the maximum discount available on diapers and wipes subscriptions will be 20%. This includes the standard 5% Subscribe & Save discount and an additional 15% exclusively for Amazon Mom members who are earning free shipping benefits or have an active Amazon Prime membership.

As a paid Prime member, you will continue to receive the additional Amazon Mom discount on diapers and wipes subscriptions for free. Please note that if you cancel your Prime membership, you will no longer be eligible to receive the additional Amazon Mom discount, though you will continue to get other deals and discounts associated with your Amazon Mom membership.

To learn more or make changes to your Amazon Mom membership, please visit www.amazon.com/mom-faq.

To see details on your current subscriptions, please visit www.amazon.com/manageyoursubscriptions.

Sincerely,
The Amazon Mom team

[mommylamb]

I'm wondering what this will mean when we start ordering diapers. DH has his Amazon Mom account and prime that extends through October 2012. But right now we do not have any diapers set up on S&S because the baby hasn't been born yet. I wonder if when he goes to set up S&S for diapers if he'll only get 5% off or if he'll get 20% off.

[AnnieW625]

I currently have DH signed up for Amazon Mom since my AM account ended last October, so he can still earn up to his full year. But, I really think this stinks. I've considered purchasing prime in the past, and still might do that, but I'm annoyed that they would change the program so much for new people signing up.

ETA: DH has prime extended through this until October. I guess we'll have to decide at that point whether to buy prime or get diapers at Costco.

:yeahthat: I did the exact same thing. Our prime is good through at least March but the Costco diapers are just as good as Huggies Little Movers (but I won't pay more than the current AM price for them). If I lived in the middle of nowhere or a large city like San Francisco that doesn't have a Target then I'd consider paying for Prime, but with Targe, KMart and Wal Mart I can't see spending $79 on Prime.

[lucybabymamma]

So that I'm clear, does this mean we only get 5% discount on subscribe and save if we don't have prime? That stinks :-(

:yeahthat:
Yup...huge bummer. Guess Costco for us from now on! It would take a long time for paying $79 to be worth it for us....

[BayGirl2]

:yeahthat: I did the exact same thing. Our prime is good through at least March but the Costco diapers are just as good as Huggies Little Movers (but I won't pay more than the current AM price for them). If I lived in the middle of nowhere or a large city like San Francisco that doesn't have a Target then I'd consider paying for Prime, but with Targe, KMart and Wal Mart I can't see spending $79 on Prime.

I think Prime is not worth it if you are only using it to get a discount on diapers. Prime has other benefits and the S&S discount is like icing on the cake. We had the membership for years just for the free 2day shipping. Now they've added streaming movies (steams to our DVD player) so that makes it more valuable. With an additional 15% on the S&S stuff its even more worth it.

I think Prime is being shaped up to be like an airline frequent flyer program. The company uses it to retain frequent customers. It benefits those who use Amazon a lot, but not so valuable/worthwhile to those who don't.

[star04]

My DH has Prime, and I am linked to his account. But the email said I didn't sign up for Prime. Is this a generic email, or am I supposed to sign up for my own Prime to keep the savings?

[lhafer]

I think Prime is not worth it if you are only using it to get a discount on diapers. Prime has other benefits and the S&S discount is like icing on the cake. We had the membership for years just for the free 2day shipping. Now they've added streaming movies (steams to our DVD player) so that makes it more valuable. With an additional 15% on the S&S stuff its even more worth it.

I think Prime is being shaped up to be like an airline frequent flyer program. The company uses it to retain frequent customers. It benefits those who use Amazon a lot, but not so valuable/worthwhile to those who don't.

ITA :yeahthat:

We've had a Prime membership for years until Amazon mom came out, and I cancelled my membership to switch over. The diapers/wipes have been nice and convenient, but I use Amazon WAY more on other stuff. The discount on diapers/wipes was just an added bonus. I will definitely go back to paying for a Prime Membership.

It all depends on what order online. I tend to order bigger bulky stuff, so the free shipping always pays for itself. At less than $7/mo for Prime, with no shipping/tax costs, it saves me money big time in the long run.

[arivecchi]

The gravy train had to end.

Prime is $6.58 a month for 2 day shipping. That is still a massive deal. One would likely spend way more than that for gas and unnecessary purchases by going to a B&M store.

[lhafer]

My DH has Prime, and I am linked to his account. But the email said I didn't sign up for Prime. Is this a generic email, or am I supposed to sign up for my own Prime to keep the savings?

I'd like to know as well, as this is how we are set up in my house as well.

[AnnieW625]

I think Prime is not worth it if you are only using it to get a discount on diapers. Prime has other benefits and the S&S discount is like icing on the cake. We had the membership for years just for the free 2day shipping. Now they've added streaming movies (steams to our DVD player) so that makes it more valuable. With an additional 15% on the S&S stuff its even more worth it.

I think Prime is being shaped up to be like an airline frequent flyer program. The company uses it to retain frequent customers. It benefits those who use Amazon a lot, but not so valuable/worthwhile to those who don't.

We don't have HD tv so no reason for streaming video to tv; when our tv dies I might consider it. We could do streaming on our computer but the selection isn't so great. Since I have had prime since July, 2011 I have increased my Amazon shopping so I am not just buying diapers and wipes, but yeah it is different for everyone.

[BayGirl2]

Totally agree, the value of Prime really depends on your buying habits. I just bought 3 diaper bags off Prime with free returns that I'll look at, select, and ship back for free. I tried to find them in my area (which has many, many retailers) but they aren't even stocked here. They are bulky, so the shipping cost is high with other sellers. Same with many bigger baby items. I like shopping and go to Target and Costco and other retailers, but don't have time to run around when there's something specific I want. Now we get tissues, shampoo, and other household stuff from Amazon too because its just easier than timing a trip to Target, the only store that carries the specific tissues I like. We CD 100% so the diaper savings don't even factor in. Its all about your buying habits.

Annie - you don't need an HD TV to stream movies, you just need some kind of digital device. I can stream, either through Amazon, Hulu, or NetFlix, via my DVD player, my TIVO (although not the free prime stuff yet), my xBox, or my digital TV. More and more devices are App enabled now to allow it.

[AngB]

I bought a lot on Amazon this past year with the free shipping, but honestly, it benefited Amazon more than me (getting sales that I would not have bought from them otherwise). I have an author friend who despises Amazon because they treat authors very crappy and a lot of the drama with ebooks and libraries/publishers is thanks to Amazon, so I will have no problem no longer buying from them, I felt kinda guilty about it anyway. (She says that Amazon makes Walmart/Sams seem like a mom and pop operation.)

Their diapers stopped being a deal for me when they stopped putting out all the coupons, I haven't bought diapers from them since then, so this won't really affect me much except I'll be buying less from Amazon now.

[AnnieW625]

Annie - you don't need an HD TV to stream movies, you just need some kind of digital device. I can stream, either through Amazon, Hulu, or NetFlix, via my DVD player, my TIVO (although not the free prime stuff yet), my xBox, or my digital TV. More and more devices are App enabled now to allow it.

Thanks. Even at $6 a month it is pretty cheap, but most of what I buy from Amazon less diapers is usually stuff I can wait a couple of days for or over $25 so I just used the free super saver shipping, but overall yeah it is still a bargain esp. if something is deeply discounted and I can't get that locally, but AngB made some really good points. I used to shop at Amazon to avoid sales tax, but now that they are being d!cks about it with my state now that the state is making them pay for it has also sort of soured me on Amazon and I still hate paying sales tax, but if it is the law I have to do it. I wish that Amazon Prime had the same amount of streaming that Netflix does as that would save us some money as we do a bit of streaming on our computer through Netflix.

[crl]

The gravy train had to end.

Prime is $6.58 a month for 2 day shipping. That is still a massive deal. One would likely spend way more than that for gas and unnecessary purchases by going to a B&M store.

It is worth it for me on this basis. But I live in San Francisco with no Target or WalMart in city limits so gas adds up to go to a B&M store and I do tend to just throw things in my cart when I am at Target anyway. We do have a Costco membership and I am sure this will make diapers cheaper there again. Dh stops by on his way home from work every three months or so to stock up on wipes, paper towels, etc so we will just add diapers back to the Costco list.

Catherine

[larig]

The gravy train had to end.

Prime is $6.58 a month for 2 day shipping. That is still a massive deal. One would likely spend way more than that for gas and unnecessary purchases by going to a B&M store.

This is my rationale for starting a paid prime membership in the fall. I share it with my mom, who for part of the year shares an address with me. I figure not only does it save me gas and unnecessary purchases, but also it saves me guaranteed aggravation of some sort either with parking, or DS not wanting go be there and screaming to leave, etc.

[edurnemk]

I just got the email, too. I never used the subscribe and save because a) DS has been out of diapers for 18 months, and b) we CD anyway, I did however benefit a lot from the free Prime. But I was hoping on using my AM benefits for all the stuff I'll be getting for DC2. Oh, well.

I always thought Amazon Mom was created to compete with Diapers.com and now that they own it, there's not much point in continuing to give those benefits.

[ast96]

I contacted Amazon because although I don't have a Prime membership, I share one with my dad. They said they will not extend the S&S discount to me because it is shared. I told them I would no longer buy diapers through Amazon, then. Oh well. I go to Costco all the time anyway.

[mommylamb]

I think Prime is not worth it if you are only using it to get a discount on diapers. Prime has other benefits and the S&S discount is like icing on the cake. We had the membership for years just for the free 2day shipping. Now they've added streaming movies (steams to our DVD player) so that makes it more valuable. With an additional 15% on the S&S stuff its even more worth it.

I think Prime is being shaped up to be like an airline frequent flyer program. The company uses it to retain frequent customers. It benefits those who use Amazon a lot, but not so valuable/worthwhile to those who don't.


BayGirl, do you mean that you get an additional 15% off on top of the 15% subscribe and save for other items if you pay for prime? So for example, I get my cat food from Amazon with 15% off for S&S. If I were to pay for prime, would I get 30% off cat food? If that's the case, it makes the paid prime more worthwhile to me.

We go to Costco about 1/month anyway because we buy all our meat there, so it's no skin off my nose to buy my diapers at Costco. But if I can get the other things I buy on subscribe and save for 30% off, I'd pay for prime. The streaming videos really doesn't help me because I don't have a streaming device in the house. The free kindle book/month would be a nice perk though.

[arivecchi]

but also it saves me guaranteed aggravation of some sort either with parking, or DS not wanting go be there and screaming to leave, etc. Now this is PRICELESS! Worth way more than $79 a year!

[arivecchi]

There is no additional discount with Prime. Don't you have a kindle though? You could use the kindle lending library.

[bekahjean]

There is no additional discount with Prime. Don't you have a kindle though? You could use the kindle lending library.

The Kindle Lending Library is a bit of a joke, in my opinion. The amount of books in it are fairly limited and you are only allowed one book per month. IMO, it is designed to let you read the first book of a series/author for free so that you will buy the rest. I use my kindle all the time, but have never found a book on the KLL that I really wanted to read.

[Rainbows&Roses]

I bought a lot on Amazon this past year with the free shipping, but honestly, it benefited Amazon more than me (getting sales that I would not have bought from them otherwise). I have an author friend who despises Amazon because they treat authors very crappy and a lot of the drama with ebooks and libraries/publishers is thanks to Amazon, so I will have no problem no longer buying from them, I felt kinda guilty about it anyway. (She says that Amazon makes Walmart/Sams seem like a mom and pop operation.)

Their diapers stopped being a deal for me when they stopped putting out all the coupons, I haven't bought diapers from them since then, so this won't really affect me much except I'll be buying less from Amazon now.

Yeah, I bought a lot of things on Amazon because of the prime that I probably would not have bought otherwise so really it is their loss.

We have been getting our diapers exclusively from Amazon for the last 1.5 years, but that will stop now. Costco, Wal-mart and Target are all within 15 minutes and I am at those places regularly anyway.

[swissair81]

Anyone who is a student and is able to get Amazon Student (have to have a .edu email) can get a free year and then up to 3 years of Prime at $39/year.

[mjs64]

Okay, so after I got the email, I immediately went to manage my subscriptions on my Amazon page to stock up on diapers and wipes while I still have the 30% discount. And guess what? It won't let me send an extra delivery! There's no way I can order any more at my current 30% off discount. That button is grayed out. And just for diapers and wipes. I can order extra deliveries on other subscriptions, just not diapers and wipes. So basically, my 30% off is done now. Those sneaky b&*t$@ds!

[lil_acorn]

Okay, so after I got the email, I immediately went to manage my subscriptions on my Amazon page to stock up on diapers and wipes while I still have the 30% discount. And guess what? It won't let me send an extra delivery! There's no way I can order any more at my current 30% off discount. That button is grayed out. And just for diapers and wipes. I can order extra deliveries on other subscriptions, just not diapers and wipes. So basically, my 30% off is done now. Those sneaky b&*t$@ds!

yep, my only positive is that I just happened to pull in my delivery two days ago so at least I get one more box of diapers @ 30% off.

[Kitten007]

Okay, so after I got the email, I immediately went to manage my subscriptions on my Amazon page to stock up on diapers and wipes while I still have the 30% discount. And guess what? It won't let me send an extra delivery! There's no way I can order any more at my current 30% off discount. That button is grayed out. And just for diapers and wipes. I can order extra deliveries on other subscriptions, just not diapers and wipes. So basically, my 30% off is done now. Those sneaky b&*t$@ds!

First hi ladies!! Haven't been on the boards lately (will explain in a post), but yeah Amazon has stopped us from getting extra deliveries.

I went to get my DS2 some diapers with the 30% before it ends and nope. When you hover over the Extra Delivery option it says, "This item is currently not eligible for extra deliveries." All my S&S for anything Amazon Mom is locked so that I can't get anything even if I needed it.

[kellyd]

If you change the delivery date of your s&s to the 24th of the month, then change under units / month to jan. you can get extra shipments that way. you can also change # of boxes.

But yes I agree, costco and sam's are working out to cheaper. It's disappointing.

[BayGirl2]

BayGirl, do you mean that you get an additional 15% off on top of the 15% subscribe and save for other items if you pay for prime? So for example, I get my cat food from Amazon with 15% off for S&S. If I were to pay for prime, would I get 30% off cat food? If that's the case, it makes the paid prime more worthwhile to me.

We go to Costco about 1/month anyway because we buy all our meat there, so it's no skin off my nose to buy my diapers at Costco. But if I can get the other things I buy on subscribe and save for 30% off, I'd pay for prime. The streaming videos really doesn't help me because I don't have a streaming device in the house. The free kindle book/month would be a nice perk though.

See the letter I posted above. Its no longer 15%+15=30%, but its 5%+15%=20% for diapers and other stuff. As a Prime member there definitely is a better discount on S&S items than non-Prime.

I don't use it for diapers but I do have S&S for tissues, shampoo, and a couple other things that I have specific preferences for and can't find at Costco.

[secchick]

Hey everyone, tomorrow is when the change is effective and I am even more ticked off. It used to be that you could cancel your Prime and get it pro rated back, but now it is the case that if you have used your Prime at all, you get no refunds. As a paid Prime member for years (DH and I only) I cancelled my Prime to go on Amazon Mom, and then we put the paid prime in his name last fall, for convenience at the time, when my Amazon Mom prime maxed out. Now that he can't cancel, I would have to pay for a second prime membership to keep my Amazon Mom discount. After pricing Costco, it's just not worth it, and I have zero confidence that Amazon won't further change Prime and/or Amazon Mom at this point, so I am letting my benefits lapse tomorrow.

It sucks a little bit because I have been buying diapers from them since 2006, and I did love the convenience, but I have tried to be fair (as in I don't share my Prime with strangers (which I personally find to be unethical as it is against their terms) and I did not sign DH up to get on Amazon Mom when mine expired, we just went back to paying). I find their policy of requiring a second prime membership solely to keep the discount to be unreasonable and the difference in price, given that I already have all the other benefits of prime, isn't worth it.

[wellyes]

Hey everyone, tomorrow is when the change is effective and I am even more ticked off. It used to be that you could cancel your Prime and get it pro rated back, but now it is the case that if you have used your Prime at all, you get no refunds. As a paid Prime member for years (DH and I only) I cancelled my Prime to go on Amazon Mom, and then we put the paid prime in his name last fall, for convenience at the time, when my Amazon Mom prime maxed out. Now that he can't cancel, I would have to pay for a second prime membership to keep my Amazon Mom discount. After pricing Costco, it's just not worth it, and I have zero confidence that Amazon won't further change Prime and/or Amazon Mom at this point, so I am letting my benefits lapse tomorrow.

It sucks a little bit because I have been buying diapers from them since 2006, and I did love the convenience, but I have tried to be fair (as in I don't share my Prime with strangers (which I personally find to be unethical as it is against their terms) and I did not sign DH up to get on Amazon Mom when mine expired, we just went back to paying). I find their policy of requiring a second prime membership solely to keep the discount to be unreasonable and the difference in price, given that I already have all the other benefits of prime, isn't worth it.
Couldn't he order the diapers? Or, because he's paid but not a Mom, he doesn't get the 20%? Can he sign up for Mom if he's paid prime?

[secchick]

Couldn't he order the diapers? Or, because he's paid but not a Mom, he doesn't get the 20%? Can he sign up for Mom if he's paid prime?

Amazon has also suspended anyone joining Amazon Mom. All you can do is ask to be put on a waitlist and they'll let you know when they reopen the program. It's been that way for months. If we could do that, I would have done it in a heartbeat. If they offer a reduced price prime once my benefits expire, I may do it. We'll see.

I really don't care for how they clamped down on both programs at the same time. I am not the only one in this situation, and I recognize their right to run their business however they want, but they will get fewer purchases from me because of the way they did this. I am sure I will come back to the fold eventually, probably when DC#3 is out of diapers.

[mommylamb]

Amazon has also suspended anyone joining Amazon Mom. All you can do is ask to be put on a waitlist and they'll let you know when they reopen the program. It's been that way for months. If we could do that, I would have done it in a heartbeat. If they offer a reduced price prime once my benefits expire, I may do it. We'll see.

I really don't care for how they clamped down on both programs at the same time. I am not the only one in this situation, and I recognize their right to run their business however they want, but they will get fewer purchases from me because of the way they did this. I am sure I will come back to the fold eventually, probably when DC#3 is out of diapers.

I thought they were going to reopen Amazon Mom by the end of the month to new participants.

[secchick]

I thought they were going to reopen Amazon Mom by the end of the month to new participants.

I hadn't heard that. As of right now, it's still a waitlist (just put DH on the waitlist 15 minutes ago).

[mommylamb]

Of course, I have no idea where I heard that, but I thought that was the plan for them. Hopefully your DH will get on it.

ETA: Just looked at their FB page, and it says they'll begin accepting new members "later this winter" so who knows what that means. I think when I read it, I thought they meant later this month.

[wellyes]

It was part of the announcement of the changes:

As you are likely aware, Amazon Mom currently is closed to new members. We'll begin accepting new members later this winter. If you'd like to be notified when our membership opens, please join our waitlist: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.htm...cId=1000748341 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000748341)


Hope that solves your problems, secchick!

[secchick]

It was part of the announcement of the changes:

As you are likely aware, Amazon Mom currently is closed to new members. We'll begin accepting new members later this winter. If you'd like to be notified when our membership opens, please join our waitlist: http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.htm...cId=1000748341 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?ie=UTF8&docId=1000748341)


Hope that solves your problems, secchick!

Thanks! That just solidifies my decision to not pay for a second Prime. Those 7 boxes of diapers I expedited last week at the 30% off should be enough to get us through until DH can join Amazon Mom.