Amazon Lowers Minimum Order for Free Grocery Deliveries
Amazon is continuing to experiment with ways to leave a mark in the grocery industry. The company’s latest tweak lowers the minimum price for free grocery deliveries to $35. However, most customers using the service will also need to pay a $10 monthly subscription in addition to having a Prime membership.
To participate, customers must live in one of the 3,500 supported cities and towns in the US. The service offers unlimited grocery deliveries from Amazon Fresh, the Amazon-owned Whole Foods, and various local and specialty partners.
The subscription includes one-hour delivery windows where available, unlimited 30-minute pickup orders, and priority access to the company’s Recurring Reservations. This feature lets customers pick a guaranteed weekly grocery delivery window.
To use it, customers need to pick their weekly two-hour slot at least 24 hours in advance. Amazon also offers reduced-price subscriptions for people using the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and other government assistance programs.
It remains to be seen if this latest iteration of the program will stick since Amazon’s strategy has been in flux. However, the company says over 85 percent of survey respondents who used the service were “extremely” or “very” satisfied, leaving high marks for its convenience and savings on delivery fees.
