Going Grocery Shopping On Amazon Prime Pantry?

grocery shopping on amazon prime pantry

So amazon sells a bunch of stuff huh? Over 200 million items in total (according to google). Among the books and garden gnomes amazon also offers grocery items.

I’ve avoided doing too much grocery shopping on amazon because the prices tended to be higher or I could only buy the item in bulk and just couldn’t use that much before it expired. Well recently, I discovered Amazon Prime Pantry, which I guess, seeks to remedy those problems and others that people have had with doing their grocery shopping online.

Prime Pantry promises that it can deliver low bulk prices and additional coupons with normal everyday sizes. So was this the truth? Could I really do my grocery shopping on my phone? Was it going to cost an arm and a leg or would the cost be comparable or even less than my local supermarket?

With grocery list in hand, I was going to give it a shot and find out.


Hey there! Just wanted to let you know that I link to amazon and receive a small commission when someone buys from amazon on my suggestion. This doesn’t change the price or my opinion of a particular item, just helps to pay the bills. You can read more here if your really bored.</disclosure>


my grocery list
My list: tea, cereal, iced coffee, butter, detergent, toothpaste, soup, flour, snacks…

So the whole program seems to revolve around the Prime Pantry Box, which is basically just a large box (4 cubic feet) which takes the place of the shopping cart. The box fills up as you shop showing how much room is left and each box delivered costs $5.99 regardless of weight (up to 45lbs) making it possible to ship heavier liquids like soda or ketchup which use to be cost prohibitive because shipping would cost more than the item itself.

$5.99 seemed steep when I get free 2 day shipping with my prime amazon account but I realize that some stuff just costs more to ship and this would probably be a good deal for heavier items but maybe not so much for some of the lighter stuff.

Amazon was having a deal where if you selected any three particular marked items, that the box they were in would be shipped for free, which was nice. Also nice, it seemed like many of the items needed for the free shipping could be on a normal persons list anyways.

Anyhow, with that all sorted, I began to fill up my first box.

Each product tells you how much of the box it takes up.
Each product tells you how much of the box it takes up.
Filling up... will I be able to fit it all?
Filling up… will I be able to fit it all? (that’s what she said?)

Each item tells you how much room it will take up in the box, to keep costs down I was gonna have to try and fit everything into one.

“If you shop on amazon routinely I think it really pays to get on amazon prime. For most things you get free two day shipping so the service ends up paying for itself over time and your items get to you quicker…”
– This Guy I Know

If a coupon is available, amazon notifies you.
If a coupon is available, amazon notifies you.

I noticed while shopping some of the items had coupons available that amazon subtracts when you put it in your cart. You can even shop only the items that have coupons available (by clicking here) which makes it easy to get the products that offer extra savings.

I continued to fill up my box and for the most part I was finding everything I had on the list. Obviously, butter was going to be an issue. Refrigerated and frozen goods aren’t available with Prime Pantry, so if this was going to replace a grocery trip I was going to have to do without. Besides that problem though I was finding my usual brands or brands I was willing to try out and finding that the prices seemed comparable to when I shop at Target or my local supermarket.

With everything on my list accounted for (well, minus butter) I still had 14.4% of my box available. Not bad considering I had 16 items.

close enough... they can put bubble wrap in the extra space.
close enough… they can put bubble wrap in the extra space.

Tea
3 boxes 20 count (average price) $3.02 ea
1 box 40 count $6.10

Cereal
Fruit Loops $3.98
Oatmeal Variety Pak $4.88

Butter
NA

Laundry Detergent
Gain $9.97 (w/ .50 coupon)

Toothpaste
Crest x2 6.2oz $4.97 (w/ .75 coupon)

Soup
Amy’s 4x $2.69 ea

Flour
x2 King Arthur’s Bread 5lbs $3.98 ea

Snacks
FritoLay Variety Pak 32 count $12.89

Total with $5.99 Prime Pantry Fee $80.30

Could Amazon Prime Pantry be more convenient and cheaper than my local supermarket?
Could Amazon Prime Pantry be more convenient and cheaper than my local supermarket?

I wasn’t quite ready to purchase just yet as I needed to see how Amazon stacked up to my local options. Specifically, the supermarket closest to my house and a Target about 10 minutes away. For Amazon Prime Pantry to make sense for me, it was going to have to cost about the same or less than what I am normally paying.

So join me in part 2 (coming soon!) where I shield my eyes from the sun and go for an adventure… outside!

  

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