Why I love Amazon

by Claire on June 9, 2012

When I post product reviews on this site, you will see that I often point to Amazon. I do this because Amazon is who I use and who I love to use. I wanted to let you know why I love Amazon.

Before Samantha, I would use Amazon every now and then, but was not a loyal Amazon customer. I also often went to Target, Fred Myer’s, Home Depot, Sears, Costco, and Barnes & Nobles. I would hunt for the best deal around, driving from one store to another store.

When I became pregnant with Samantha, I had all this new stuff to shop for, without the energy to go from store to store. At about this time, I learned about Amazon Mom – a free program which, among other things, included a year of Amazon Prime free two day shipping at the time (It now includes 3 months).

It turned out that I love Amazon Prime two day shipping. After the second hand crib did not work out in the last week of my pregnancy, I simply jumped onto Amazon, and had the crib delivered two days later. The crib arrived while I was in labor, and was set up before Samantha's first night home.

I was worried we were spending more than if I looked locally, but realized that most items were either the same price or cheaper on Amazon. This was before you take into consideration the cost of gas to drive to the store. The items that were not cheaper seemed to be highlighted as such in the comments, and I have bought a few items from different sources (all online) based on Amazon comments.

Add to this that I am extremely picky about what I buy. Both my husband and I have a habit of researching and choosing just what we want. The problem with this is that it is often very hard to find what we want locally without a special order (and sometimes with one). Amazon takes care of this problem.

Outside of Costco and the grocery store, I rarely buy from any large store except Amazon these days. So when I am linking to a product at Amazon, I do that because I buy from Amazon. It is important to me that I give you my honest view of any product I review, so I started with the place I do most of my shopping.

I had no problem buying the Amazon Prime Membership when the Amazon Mom promo time ended, it is well worth the money to me.

Comments (8) -

Kimberly

6/10/2012 9:17:39 PM #

Do you receive anything when someone uses your amazon links?

Claire

6/10/2012 10:01:32 PM #

Hi Kimberly,

Yes, I do. As you know, there are costs associated with self-hosting a blog. Additionally, I am currently taking a class to improve my ability to help my visitors by improving my writing. I love blogging and will do it as long as it does not cost me too much. But it would be great to even out the costs of the site and be able to afford to send out emails to as many challenge takers as possible. That said, I choose who I use very carefully. My last article included links to Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon. I did not feel right doing affiliate links for Hulu or Netflix as they do not provide any core service to my goals (enriching your child’s life through food). I feel Amazon does. In fact, I bought both the books I am giving away through Amazon (I buy what I give away), and most recently bought a microwave through them.

Thanks,
Claire

(here is the information on my affiliate usage: http://www.yourchildsfood.com/page/TermsofUse.aspx )

Elise Adams

6/10/2012 9:40:26 PM #

This is a great perspective. We live in a small town so gas isn't usually much of an investment to get to a store. However, there are tons of stuff that I can't get a good price on locally that IS available on Amazon...I love Amazon's customer service too!

Claire

6/10/2012 10:09:28 PM #

Thanks Elise,

My parents live in a small town, and needed a shower chair they could not get locally after my mom had both her knees replaced. They were trying to figure out how to make due, and were grateful when I bought the item on Amazon, and had it delivered to them within two days.

Thanks,
Clare

Crazed in the Kitchen

6/13/2012 10:17:09 PM #

I have always loved Amazon, but it has been a lifesaver since I had kids. The idea of dragging a toddler and an infant to Target or anywhere else on a regular basis was more than daunting--I got almost everything from Amazon for a while! I love how I can find absolutely. anything.

Claire

6/14/2012 7:32:53 AM #

That is exactly what got me interested in Amazon. I had a newborn and didn't feel like going to the store (I actually had my groceries delivered for the first 6 months after Samantha was born - until I wanted to teach her how to shop for groceries.) I also like that I don't have to wait for the weekend to find what I am looking for. My Microwave broke Sunday night, and the new one was here by Wednesday.

Thanks,
Claire

Kenya G. Johnson

6/14/2012 4:49:48 AM #

I do love Amazon too. I review check all the time but I don't buy that often. I don't feel like I have gotten my moneys worth on the Prime yet. I was disappointed by how the movie part worked. I don't really want to sit in front of my computer to watch a movie. Pessimism aside I do love Amazon and I have something begin delivered tomorrow that I ordered yesterday. Gotta LOVE that!

Claire

6/14/2012 7:37:56 AM #

Thanks Kenya,

You bring up a good point about using Amazon for research even when you are not buying from them. Before I had Samantha, I did that allot as well. I think it really depends on what you do and how much you shop at Amazon as far as how worth it Prime is.

On the movie front, I've had that issue as well. We have an Xbox (from when I used to work on the Xbox), and Amazon now streams to it, making Amazon movies easier to watch comfortably for us. I would not give up my Netflix yet, but might at some point if Amazon keeps improving their selection.

Thanks,
Claire

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Why I love Amazon

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