Okay, I do feel that I am a *bit* of an Amazon expert, so for those of you who aren't:
1) Most orders over $25 ship for free -- look for the bold words, something like "
qualifies for FREE super saver shipping. They
say that these things will take longer to ship, but in my experience things get here pretty quickly, most of the time.
This is not just groceries -- books, toys, sheets, thousands of things on Amazon. Buy some underwear and some popcorn -- ship em together, for free. Whatever. As long as they both qualify for the Free Super Saver Shipping, and total over $25.
2) I get substantially better prices by using the "Subscribe & Save" option whenever it is offered. Don't let that word "subscribe" scare you away! You click the box for it to be delivered every 1, 2, 3, or 6 months -- and you automatically get free shipping and an extra 15% off. (There is no minimum order for subscribe & save, shipping is always free. Period.) And edited to say: You can cancel these orders at any. time. No strings.
Is it
that much cheaper than the grocery store? Well, it depends. I never pay MORE than I would pay at the store. If I pay the exact same amount as I would pay at the store, but it is delivered to my doorstep? Done. And yes, many times it is cheaper. Maybe only by a few cents per ounce, but I believe every single penny counts. I do save a lot vs. what I would pay for health food store items, such as organic ketchup. Especially since we do not have a good store here like Whole Foods where I can go on a regular basis. I am lucky to get to one of those kind of stores, EVER, anymore.
3) I do not pay tax on Amazon. This may vary by state, I'm not sure. But *for me* that is an automatic savings of 7% tax that I do take into account. (For non-food items. We don't pay tax on food here anyway.)
4) They do have new grocery specials each month, and they also will offer you special prices on things, based on your browsing history. For example, at Christmastime I got a Fisher Price toy that was $29.99 at ALL of my stores here, for $6.47! It was a one-time, one-day deal... but man, it was a sweet one.