As I noted in Wednesday’s newsletter, this makes me an oddball. Nearly 98 percent of Americans who are members of Amazon’s shopping club for at le

How I Quit Prime and Survived

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2022-01-14 17:30:07

As I noted in Wednesday’s newsletter, this makes me an oddball. Nearly 98 percent of Americans who are members of Amazon’s shopping club for at least a couple of years keep renewing. Prime is one of the most resilient consumer products in the United States.

I was a Prime member for roughly three years until I stopped renewing in 2019. Friends and colleagues are often stunned when I tell them this. But don’t worry. I’ll be OK.

This doesn’t mean I live without Amazon. Here’s a secret: You are legally permitted to order from the site without being a Prime member — although it takes a bit more planning to get orders delivered without paying for shipping.

Why am I spilling my shopping habits to strangers? (Although On Tech readers are not strangers!) Each of our personal experiences is a way to reflect on whether we stick with Prime out of love or habit. For me, once I questioned the value that I was getting out of the subscription, it was relatively easy to stop.

This is not advice for you to quit Prime. You do you. And my experience is not representative. I don’t have children and I live in New York, where many things that I might need quickly — a roll of aluminum foil or a new phone charger — are often a short walk away.

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