Amazon wants the world to know that they’ve been working their robot shipping army hard this holiday season to deliver our purchases. This week, Amazon announced that they have saved their customers $2 billion in shipping fees through their Prime two-day shipping program and free shipping for orders over $35. That’s a nice caclulation and all, but it’s still largely imaginary savings. [More]
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Amazon Prime Now: One-Hour NYC Delivery So New, Only One ZIP Code Has It (So Far)
By 12.18.14
UPDATE: A rep for Amazon tells Consumerist that while the new service was only available in the 10001 Manhattan ZIP code when it launched this morning (and of this writing), the company is adding other areas of the city throughout the day.
Here’s a hypothetical: You wake up one morning to find that you’ve run out of toothpaste, what do you do? Sure, you could walk the two blocks to the local drug store and pick up a box. Or if you’re an Amazon Prime member you could just sit on the couch and wait an hour for some paste to be delivered, that is, as long as you live in a small section of Manhattan and feel like paying a shipping cost double that of the toothpaste. [More]
Amazon Offers Special Deal On The Perfect Gift: Sticks
By 12.17.14
Wooden sticks are a wonderfully versatile item. You can use them to hit people you don’t like, or to knit homemade mittens for people you do like. You could use one to stir paint, or use a pile of them to build a house for dolls. Only your imagination limits the possibilities. [More]
USPS Workers Say They’re Overworked Thanks To Delivering Your Holiday Packages On Sundays
By 12.17.14
Once upon a time, Sundays provided a much-needed day of rest for the nation’s postal service workers. But that all changed when the United States Postal Service and Amazon kicked off a partnership to deliver packages seven days a week, and now, a year later, workers say the deal has resulted in long hours and weeks without a single day off. [More]
Seller Hit By Amazon Glitch Reportedly Threatens Buyers With Debt Collection If They Don’t Pay Full Price
By 12.16.14
Following a major software glitch that allowed consumers to purchase hundreds of items on the Amazon UK marketplace for mere pennies, it appears that some retailers are trying to recoup their lost income from customers, even going as far as to threaten debt collection if purchasers don’t pay full price. [More]
Amazon’s ‘Make An Offer’ Button Could Do More Than Sell A Few Collectibles
By 12.16.14
Earlier this year, Amazon began offering one of the very few categories of items not already available from the mega-retailer: collectibles, including the famous Saddle Ridge Hoard of rare gold coins. This may or may not catch on with Amazon shoppers, but raises an interesting question: what if you could easily make an offer on any item on Amazon, or even any item for sale online? [More]
Amazon Extends Free Holiday Shipping Deadline, But Still Can’t Control Weather
By 12.16.14
With the countdown to Christmas officially in the single digits, procrastinators of the world had better get a move on ordering their gifts if they want them delivered by the holiday. That is unless you plan to shop with Amazon, apparently. The online retailer is giving those dragging their feet a little extra time by extending their free Christmas delivery. But, as we’ve learned in the past, just because the company says you’ll get your gift in time doesn’t mean it will actually happen. [More]
HBO Go Now On Amazon Fire TV Boxes (Not So Fast, Comcast Customers)
By 12.15.14
The Amazon Fire TV set-top box just got a lot more worthwhile for people wanting to add HBO to TVs without getting additional cable boxes. That is, unless you’re a Comcast customer. [More]
Today Is The Biggest Shipping Day Of The Year
By 12.15.14
Today is it: traditionally, December 15 is the highest-volume shipping and mailing day of the entire year. The U.S. Postal Service will process 640 million cards, letters, postcards, periodicals, catalogs, and packages today alone. FedEx is doing its part, processing 22.6 million packages today. UPS says that its busiest day will be next Monday, as people try to get last-minute Christmas gifts to their destinations. [More]
Amazon Marketplace Glitch Brings Early Christmas To Shoppers, Nightmare For Sellers
By 12.15.14
Every once in a while a company will suffer an online glitch that leads to consumers purchasing items at bargain-basement prices. While most of the recent buying free-for-alls came courtesy of deeply discounted airline tickets, an issue on Amazon’s UK marketplace Friday gave new meaning to the idea of a holiday fire sale when thousands of items went were priced for a little as one penny (or 2 pennies if you’re in the United States). [More]
Here’s Why You Should Always Read The Details Of Free Trials
By 12.11.14
When you sign up for a free trial of a service, but don’t have to hand over your payment information on the spot, do you assume that the free trial will simply go away? That’s what many people who signed up for a trial of Amazon Prime seemed to do, and the Iowa Attorney General has arrived at a settlement with Amazon over auto-enrollment in Prime. [More]
Supreme Court: Amazon Warehouse Workers Shouldn’t Be Paid For Security Screening Time
By 12.9.14
Two months ago, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in the case of Integrity Staffing Solutions v. Busk et al., concerning the question of whether employees at a warehouse–an Amazon distribution center, in this case–should be paid for the time that they spend waiting for security checks when they leave work. The Supremes issued a unanimous decision earlier than expected, and they say that security checks should not be considered part of the job at a distribution center. [More]
Amazon Dips Toes Into Ultra HD Streaming Waters
By 12.9.14
If you recently threw down some cash on a sleek new Ultra HD (or 4K) TV and you’re still waiting for content to show off to your friends (or justify the expense to yourself), here’s some mixed news for you. Amazon is finally getting into the 4K-streaming game, but the offerings aren’t really anything to celebrate right now. [More]
Amazon’s “Make An Offer” Option Lets Customers Haggle Over The Price Of Collectible Items
By 12.9.14
While it’s not uncommon for customers to haggle over the price of items at garage sales, most of us wouldn’t dream of walking into a prominent national retailer and asking them to cut the price of an item just because – that is until now. Amazon unveiled a new option that allows customers to bargain over the price of thousands of collectible items sold on the site. [More]
Amazon Dangles The Option Of Upscale Diapers To Lure New Prime Customers
By 12.5.14
It’s not always easy convincing people to pay $99 a year for anything, but if you can tap into an existing need, the customers will often come running. And in the case of Amazon Elements, the new program rolled out to lure in new Prime subscribers, that prize it’s dangling is upscale diapers and baby wipes. [More]
Roku, Apple TV Losing Ground To Chromecast & Amazon Fire TV Streaming Devices
By 12.3.14
A year ago, Roku and Apple TV dominated the market for streaming video devices, accounting for nearly 75% of all video streaming products sold in the U.S. in 2013. But in the last 16 months, Google’s Chromecast and Amazon’s Fire TV devices have stolen a significant chunk of Apple and Roku’s business. [More]
Amazon Confuses College Student’s House With Return Depot, Gives Him $5K In Free Stuff
By 12.3.14
One would think that Amazon would have a good handle by now on which addresses are its own return depots, and which are its residential customers. Apparently not, at least in the U.K., as packages that were meant as returns to Amazon have instead ended up on the doorstep of a student in south London. How does that happen? No one is quite sure. Including Amazon. [More]
Amazon Launches Marketplace Connecting Consumers To Local Service Providers In Seattle, NYC & LA
By 11.25.14
Back in June, Consumerist reported that Amazon was getting into the business of connecting consumers with everyday service providers like plumbers and electricians through a new marketplace. Well the time has come for the online retailer to unveil its new service, that is if you live in Seattle, New York or Los Angeles. [More]
