Amazon-shopping parents are in an uproar about new changes in the Amazon Mom program that cut out extra savings on diapers and wipes for those who don’t want to pay for Amazon Prime. Parents are wondering whether they’ll now find the best deals on diapers at Amazon or in store. I did a little number crunching to try to answer that question:
The difference between Subscribe and Save with Amazon Mom and without for both Huggies Little Movers and Pampers Cruisers as listed on this week’s Top Diaper and Formula Deals of the Week post is about three to four cents per diaper for size 3. Current online premium diapers range from .19 to .24 with Amazon Mom and .22 to .29 without after any available coupons are figured in.
Shopping in-store sales with coupons you’ll pay .20 to .29 each for size 3 premium diapers this week.
The answer? It’s a wash this week. Weekly sales, prices and coupons will determine which is the better deal.
Next Question: Is it worth paying for Prime to get the extra .03 to .04 savings per diaper? The exact figure is hard to discern, since there are so many variables, including how many diapers you go through in a year, how the price changes over time, and how else you take advantage of Prime membership. Nonetheless, here’s one scenario:
Assuming a .03 difference with Amazon Mom and without:
- At 10 diapers per day, you’d pay an extra $109.50 per year without Amazon Mom at current prices for size 3.
- At 8 diapers per day you’d pay an extra $87.60 per year.
- At 6 diapers a day you’d pay an extra $65.70 per year.
Amazon Mom costs $79 per year.
One thing is for sure: budget-conscious parents won’t be able to assume that Amazon the best deals anymore. For a company whose success depends in part on being able to offer lower prices than its competitors, that’s sure to sting.
Find the latest and best diaper and wipes deals online and off at BC’s weekly Top Diaper and Formula Deals of the Week posts.
I just posted about this, too.
See, it’s hard to determine if it’s worth it, because once we lock into the Prime, what if the in-store deals are awesome? What if the price on Amazon goes up anyway?
I’m going to have to shop it around and figure out where I can consistently get a good deal.
One thing to consider. If you are a college student, you can get an amazon prime membership for $39 a year. I know a lot of parents are going back to school so this may be worthwhile for them.
I just got the email that my amazon mom membership is expiring on jan 24. So disappointing. We were getting some great deals on wipes. I buy target diapers. I am definitely NOT paying for prime. Not worth it for me. I also have a feeling that prices on amazon are going to slowly creep up and maybe go head to head with store prices.
You can split the amazon prime membership with people. We do this with 2 other people. Its just a thought. I use amazon for so much more than diapers though, so its worth it to us.
Roni- I saw it says you can share it with other household members.. do you share it with others outside of your home (with a different address?). If so, how does that work? That would be the only way it would be worth it for me, is if I split it with friends who also buy diapers…
I share with my mom(amazon mom prime) and she lives 3 hours away from me.Its a great bonus to be able to share. We too end up buying other things so $40 for a year and a lot of streaming movies/tv for free is great once our prime runs out
How do you share the prime membership with someone who lives at a different address?
So I’m confused. If you don’t pay for Prime, you don’t even get the 20% discount on diapers/wipes/etc.? (Down from 30% when I signed up)? What about existing subscriptions, will they change too? (I still get the 30% off my subscriptions because they haven’t changed since before the 30-20 drop). We lost our free-Prime last year but my husband is in school so now we’re on Amazon Student. It expires its free Prime membership in another 3 months or so. So does this mean if you don’t have Prime (e.g. don’t pay for it and don’t have it through student or mom) then you don’t get 20% discount at all? Are they charging for Amazon Mom now (like, you have to pay for Prime to get the 20% discount of Mom so you’re basically paying for Mom discount that’s free now)?
Yes, you have to pay for Prime to get the discount — 5% because of Ship & Save, 15% because of Amazon Mom. So basically $79 for Amazon Mom, but you get all the other benefits of Prime. I think with streaming, 2-day shipping and Kindle lending, might be worth it for me.
If you don’t pay for a Prime membership or have the intro free shipping, your discount is going to drop from 30% to 5%! Subscribe and Save is going from 15% to 5% and the 15% for Amazon Mom is only going to be offered to Prime members. The discount on existing subscriptions expires on Jan 24th, though it sounds like you’re all set until your Amazon Student intro free shipping runs out.
Just got the email too! Awful for sure! I buy LUVS and Pampers Extra Protection on the subscribe and save. My son is 19 months and I don’t see him potty training fully any time soon., My savings decrease will be about $11.00 a month–so I suppose to buy the prime, might be cheaper. We get our Huggies wipes at costco for pretty cheap–but diaper prices in my area aren’t much cheaper than Prime. I suppose I might enjoy a movie or two–maybe a book. LOVE the 2 day shipping though–Shoot, I think I’ve talked myself into it!
We actually purchased Amazon prime this past fall when our free year of it through Amazon Mom ran out. Honestly, it is actually quite nice to have for the convenience factor. Our daughter’s favorite toy broke, and boom! we had a new one delivered in two days without me figuring out when I’d have time to go shopping at a store. I echo others’ thoughts above- we have shared our Amazon Prime benefits with our parents this year, and already they are finding it very convenient to have. Perhaps we will start alternating who buys it each year, which will give everyone a break.
and wait til laws get passed and they charge tax too! Question: I seem to have prime but never paid for it…any idea how that happened and will that go away too?
They already charge tax in NY state for Amazon shipments and usually the amazon coupons aren’t available for NY state residents.
In most states you’re supposed to pay taxes on goods purchased over the internet when you file your state income taxes. It’s called a “use tax” or “internet use tax” in the states I’ve lived in.
Please pay your taxes, folks.
We have had Amazon Prime for a couple of years now so the Amazon Mom thing and Subscribe and Save is a bonus. We love the included streaming videos (tv and movies), free two day shipping on all those lightning deals and since my husband is a student we buy all his textbooks and get better deals than the bookstore and free shipping. I use Amazon to send gifts to family and friends and never have to pay postage.
For diapers, I try to keep a small stockpile with great in store deals, but if we NEED diapers and wipes, amazon is usually our go to place and I never have to leave my house!
I switched to cloth diapers this week and am loving them! They are so much easier than I thought they would be. Apparently I did it just in time.
There is a petition here, http://www.change.org/petitions/amazoncom-ceo-remove-the-79year-charge-for-amazon-mom-and-restore-the-original-program . Please go and sign it.
Thanks.
I just ordered a diaper shipment from Amazon but I’ll definitely be comparing the prices with the Costco brand diapers. It’s not clear if the student prime membership will count for the extra amazon mom discount. It’s not a full prime membership (doesn’t come with streaming or kindle lending unless you pay extra).
I have a paid amazon student membership (in my second year) and I get all of the benefits of paid prime (kindle lending, streaming). The email I received regarding the diapers stated that I would be getting the discounts as I would if I had paid the full amount for prime.
I would love to know how Diapers.com compares. They have a new program where you get $5 off plus they have coupons.
Amazon bought diapers.com a year or so ago so I wouldn’t count on any super competitive deals there.
Thank you for doing the math and keeping us posted on which would be the best way to go. When I received the sad email from Amazon this afternoon, I immediately headed to your site to see your opinion on the matter. Thanks so much for your help in getting us the best deals on diapers!!!
Lucky me my husband got amazon prime now to figure out how to share it. We got it to check out the streaming movies and tv shows which has not been impressive so far. I also do Target diapers for the day and pampers overnight so not too buggy a loss. Guess it is time to get this 3 year old potty trained!
OK, my two cents is that shopping in stores is almost always cheaper than Amazon…even when it was the 30% discount. The only time I used Amazon was when the 20% coupons were floating around in the Baby Talk and Parenting magazines. I was literally getting giant boxes of diapers for over 50% off. That was amazing. Anyhoo, since those coupons have not been seen in many months, I have been shopping primarily in the stores and saving about 40% or more. My daughter is in a size 4 and I shoot for $5 or less for a jumbo pack. With coupons and sales it can be done. I just stock up when I see the “rock bottom” deals and try to always have enough diapers to last us a few months until the next “rock bottom” deal comes around. With all the Huggies wipes coupons I can pick up a pack of wipes at any time for about $1 at Kroger. When Kroger runs sales, I get them for under a dollar or free. That’s cheaper than Amazon and buying the generic brands. Yes, it’s disappointing that Amazon made these changes, but I just think they are the ones who will be losing out…they won’t be able to compete with the stores as much anymore in my opinion. I don’t think buying the membership is worth it at all. Shop the stores, pay attention to deals, and use coupons!
You can share a Prime subscription with 3 people, bringing the price down to $19ish.
“Amazon Student and Amazon Mom members are not eligible to share their Prime benefits.” — Just pulled this off the Terms & Condidtions on Amazon.
Just tried to order an extra delivery of some diapers and that option is disabled. The only item that is eligible for an extra delivery is a grocery item. So it seems like they already cut off some of the mom benefits
We never buy diapers from Amazon anymore. They always seem to do something to make them more and more expensive. We just wait until Babies R Us/Toys R Us has one of their $5 a pack diaper sales and stock up. It’s worked out great! If we run out, which hasn’t happened in a long time, we’ll usually just order from Diapers.com. They have much better customer service and the price we pay is usually slightly less than we would have paid with Amazon Mom.
Anyone who wants to fight Amazon on these ridiculous changes- please sign and share my petition:
http://www.change.org/petitions/amazoncom-ceo-remove-the-79year-charge-for-amazon-mom-and-restore-the-original-program
FYI, Diapers.com was purchased by Amazon.com at the end of 2010.
That’s not entirely accurate. Amazon bought the parent company, Quidsi.com. The companies under Quidsi remain independent from Amazon when it comes to their operations. That’s why they have separate (and much better) policies and customer service.
Diapers.com prices still don’t match Amazon’s though for diapers we need (Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive).
Please sign the petition to ask Amazon to restore the Amazon Mom program! Every signature counts! As of now, it is not possible to “stock up” on extra deliveries – despite Amazon’s claim that the program does not start until 1/24, all accounts are barred from requesting new shipments.
That’s not true, I just ordered new shipments and got 20% off, these were not existing as I always cancel my subscriptions after I place an order.
I had some 30% off subscriptions and couldn’t request an extra delivery. The option is disabled, so I agree with Jennifer – they have already taken away some of the Mom benefits.
You can share Amazon Prime and I’m not sure if it has to be with a family member or not, but definitely not in the same household. My brother apparently buys a lot of stuff through Amazon so he paid for a Prime membership in 2011 and put my mom and I on there. It was great, especially when Christmas shopping. I should actually check with him to see if he’s going to do it again!
For everyone who has now decided that it just might be worth it to pay the $79 for a Prime Membership, you are doing EXACTLY what Amazon intended. As someone on the petition said, they played the old “bait and switch” and got everyone used to a great deal and then turned around and decided to charge extra for it and that is WRONG. If you decide to pay for the Prime membership to keep benefits you already had for free, you have been SCAMMED!
Stand strong everyone, stop shopping at Amazon until they reinstate the full benefits of Amazon Mom!
I was able to get an extra delivery in (with my current subscription at 30%) by changing the delivery date to Jan 19th!! Please ladies, get your extra delivery in before it is too late.
How did you do this? Mine will only let me select February….
I just stocked up on 4 boxes which should last me a while, after that, I will use my target card and get 5% off and free shipping online, then shop through ebates and get another rebate. I will shop instore when I have coupons, they stack manufacturer and their own coupons which is a bonus Right now the only benefit amazon has is no tax which saves 7.5% for me in CA. Plus they are maybe 2 dollars cheaper in base price and with decent coupons floating around, it’s not hard to match them with target.
I guess it was too good to be true, and I took full advantage of amazon mom from the get go with those 20% offs and totally stocked up. My child should be close to done with diapers in the next 6 months anyways, just pull ups at night hopefully if potty training goes as well as it did with my first girl. They have realized they are not mKing that much money so have stopped it. It was good while it lasted!
Amazon Student and Amazon Mom members are not eligible to share their Prime benefits. — Quoted from the T&C page at amazon.com
I think if you are ONLY using Amazon for diapers and wipes then the $79 prime isn’t really worth it at all. I’m still on the fence because I buy A LOT from Amazon and diapers are but only one of those things. In all honesty, the only sad thing for me is that I am not seeing the really large boxes of pampers baby dry out in-store or comparable on other websites. However, I am not stuck on Pampers and will use other brands. Huggies and Kirkland are comparitive when they are on coupon at Costco (except I have to buy a size 4 in those brands vs size 3 in Pampers and emotionally I’m not ready to buy size 4, as weird as that may sound….). There are still good deals out there and Amazon is still a great company. I for one will not be signing a petition. They offered coupons for awhile which were awesome but they didn’t have to (and I don’t blame them one bit for cancelling that. Too many people went crazy and became selfish and then flaunted it all over the net. Did they REALLY think Amazon wouldn’t catch wind of this?! Why would they continue? People can’t be trusted! Why would any company continue to offer something that lost them significant money?!) They then created Amazon mom which was great…but they are not obligated to continue it. I really believe there will be some other new thing coming along. Amazon is not obligated to give us any discount at all and I don’t understand the crying and complaining. Nothing lasts forever folks so enjoy things as they come and be optimistic for the next great thing!
When my child was born 1 year ago, Amazon Mom was a great deal and life saver. It was easily cheaper for wipes and diapers than in-store and it was shipped to our house so we never ran out. However, the new “discounts” are laughable. Costco is easily cheaper for wipes and usually diapers. I hate shopping around for different sales and deal with coupons again but unfortunately Amazon Mom is not really a good deal anymore.
We’re expecting triplets, so even with the cost of Prime, it will be worth it for us to continue using Amazon. Plus the convenience factor will be huge. I can’t tell you how helpful the free shipping was at Christmas time too. I think for an entire year, we’ll definitely get our money back but I know out situation is different than most others.
Wow, triplets!! Congratulations!!
Real nice Amazon! After receiving their email I went to my account to have an extra delivery sent out (since my other one isn’t due to ship until 1/29). I still have the 30% discount so I wanted to get at least 2 more shipments! They have turned that feature OFF on my subscription page! So terrible! Times are tough as it is, and this is the only way we can save money. Why do this to your best customers? Ugh!