How to Shop Amazon Better

Nowadays, being Amazon Prime members seems to be the norm and sure their super fast shipping – and added perks – are awesome, but sometimes you don’t need everything that quickly. Instead, consider ways to help you shop better that benefit you and the environment.

• Fill Your Cart – We’ve all been there – you’re in a bind and you need something right away (like toddler sunglasses that were coincidentally misplaced two days before you leave for vacation – yup, true story here), so Amazon Prime to the rescue for next day (or even same day) shipping. But most times, that book or toothpaste can wait, so add them to your cart, keep shopping and wait until your cart is pretty full to finish your purchase. This should minimize the number of boxes and packaging waste sent to you and give you time to decide if you really need everything/possibly save you $$$ on truly unnecessary items.
• Try No-Rush – With your not so urgent items you’ve waited to purchase together, definitely choose the “no rush” shipping option. In return, you’ll most likely get a credit of some sort (probably $1 towards a digital rental or purchase, woohoo!) as your reward and fewer boxes!
• Frustration Free Packaging – Ever notice this option for an item you were looking at buying? Opt for this whenever you can, as these products are designed to be 100% recyclable and delivered in the manufacturer’s packaging, eliminating the need for any additional box(es).
• Subscribe & Save – If you don’t already, Subscribe & Save is a great way to maximize your purchases and save you $$$ with the more items you buy. How to do it better? Buy larger quantities rather than individually wrapped/portioned items you’d buy at the supermarket to reduce your waste and impact. Shop for bulk sizes for the everyday items you use (i.e. gallon sized bottles of dish soap, hand soap, etc) and refill them rather than buying new (in this instance, plastic soap bottles) each time.

Sure, we all love convenience and Amazon isn’t going anywhere but hopefully little changes to our Amazon shopping habits can reduce our waste and help us all be a bit kinder to our Earth.