amazon for groceries?

[hollyh]

I just realized that you can buy groceries on amazon. I'm noticing that most things are bulk purchases. However I was wondering what foods are less expensive on amazon vs. costco? What all do you buy food-wise on amazon? (fyi we do not have any food allergies so things like gluten free don't really matter to us)

[Debbie in OR]

It really varies. We use Costco for anything we possibly can. What we can't get at Costco, I will look for on Amazon. Some of their stuff is a really great deal (cereal, soap, gravy mixes, jello, coconut oil, birch sugar) if you can find it as a subscribe and save (auto shipments at a 15% reduction with free shipping).

 

However, the subscribe and save can change at any point: there are several items we were using that aren't available by the next shipment date or the price goes up/down, etc..

 

 

Anyhow, I would say if you have time to spend on the sight looking for things you use a lot that you can't get at Costco, you should be able to find at least a couple of good deals.

[KirstenH]

We live pretty far from Costco and the better grocery stores, so I do use Amazon for bulk grocery purchases at times. I have three warnings about this:

 

1. Their packaging SUCKS for heavier items. I ordered laundry detergent and the box broke open, allowing one entire 64 oz. bottle to escape, and UPS just left it like that on my doorstep. Fixing the problem was such a hassle I just let it go.

 

2. Sometimes they'll send you items in bulk that are close to their use-by date. This is fine for restaurants and stores that will use them quickly ... but not so much for a small family. Example: 12-pack of sweet potato chips that were a month or two from their expiration date. By the time we got to the last three bags, they were chewy and stale.

 

3. SHOP AROUND. I used to buy all my Keurig coffee in bulk from Amazon until I realized Target was WAY cheaper on a per-K-cup basis. Lots of things can be had cheap on Amazon, but some things are inexplicably more expensive, so be careful to do your homework.

[Rbsmrter]

We've had a lot of luck purchasing groceries on Amazon; usually they are organic, hard to find items. Every once in awhile I will find what we need at Costco, but since it's hit or miss I tend to rely on Amazon. Between the subscribe and save discount, the mom discount (when it applies) and no taxes, I find that Amazon is usually the better deal. Although I will agree with a PP that their prices are constantly changing, so it can be unpredictable at times. It might help to make a list of your commonly purchased items and then record their prices at Costco. That way you always have them as a comparison when you are checking Amazon. There is a site called camelcamelcamel.com that lets you watch the prices of particular items, so you can set the price limit and it will alert you when the item drops below that price.