I rejoined Amazon Prime for Whole Foods delivery

Whole Foods deals convinced me to rejoin Amazon
Prime.
Business
Insider

• In January,
  I quit Amazon Prime because I didn’t think I was getting my
  money’s worth. 
• I didn’t miss the service for months — until I starting
  thinking about the deals and free delivery I was missing out on
  at Whole
  Foods. 
• Amazon‘s
  Whole Foods deal is a ploy to become more fully entrenched in
  customers’ daily lives.. I’m living proof that it is
  working. 

In January,
I quit Amazon Prime. I just wasn’t getting my money’s worth,
I decided, especially with the price hike to $12.99 a month, up
from $10.99 a month. 

As is often the case, many people disagreed with my decision.

“If Amazon bothers you that much to write that drivel
you really ought to get a real life,” one person emailed me.

“I bet you could order one on Prime and get it
in two days!!!” he added, in truly a sick burn.

Despite my alleged lack of a real life, for months I held strong
in the knowledge I had made the right decision.

If I needed something on Amazon,
I waited the extra days for it to be delivered. When I moved
apartments, I didn’t even think about getting an Alexa device
(which my roommate had preemptively banned for security reasons).
And, despite the Emmys hype, I skipped the Amazon original “The
Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” to rewatch Netflix’s “American
Vandal.” 

Then, Prime finally started rolling out its Whole Foods
deals. 

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The first ones were admittedly disappointing. The fact that

discounts for Prime members were only for items that were
already on sale helped reinforce my conviction that I was right
to quit. Getting
$30 in free cash for Prime Day sounded nice, but not really
necessary. 

However,
missing out on free grocery delivery nagged at me. Sure, you
had to tip the delivery person, but not having to lug groceries
home on the subway seemed worth it. The delivery fee itself was a
mental block I wasn’t willing to jump over; tipping someone for
delivery is. 

Finally, in late September I broke down and rejoined Prime. I may
be weak, but I’m not the only Whole Foods shopper that Amazon
sees as a potential cash cow. 

“This is part of the broader consumer flywheel strategy … that
will enable Amazon to become further entrenched in the daily
lifestyle and spend cycle of consumers worldwide,”
Daniel Ives of GBH Insights wrote in a research note about Amazon
and Whole Foods in July.

I’m living proof that Amazon’s strategy is working. 

Already, I’ve started ordering more things on Amazon. Why spend
two hours of my weekend shopping for running shoes when I can get
exactly the same pair on Amazon? And, if it’s going to be here in
two days anyway, why wouldn’t I get some vitamins online instead
of getting upcharged at the pharmacy? 

I know I’m playing exactly into Amazon’s hand. But, as the
company’s offerings grow ever larger, I’m ready to accept my fate
as another pawn in the e-commerce giant’s masterplan.

At least I’ll get my groceries delivered for free.