Every month, savvy shoppers who have the LOZO score great bargains on groceries from Amazon.com. You can find popular brands along with a wide selection of organic, gluten-free, and other speciality foods.
The secret to big savings is to triple-up on the discounts Amazon offers:
- Buy items on sale
- Always take the 15% Subscribe & Save discount
- Apply extra discounts (monthly offers) and grocery coupons
PLUS keep an eye out on Fridays for additional deals on grocery and all of Amazon’s categories.
With all these discounts it’s not hard to find items that come out to 50% or better savings from their list price, which is 25% or better vs. your local supermarket or warehouse club, potentially saving you $100s each year. Here’s a little more information about the each type of discount:
- Buying items on sale: nearly every grocery item at Amazon has a price lower than its “list” price, and they tell you how much you save with that discount. However Amazon’s list prices are typically much higher than you would find in a supermarket, so a discount of 10-20% off list price isn’t much of a discount at all. Instead, look for items marked down 30% or more from list price. These are typically the true “sale” items.
- Always take the 15% Subscribe & Save discount: On many categories of grocery items that Amazon sells directly (as opposed to ones from a third party seller) they offer the chance to sign up for “Subscribe & Save”, a convenient service where they send replacement items to you, at a standard 15% discount off their current price PLUS Free Shipping, at intervals that you specify (1, 2, 3, or 6 months). The best part is that you can get the 15% discount with your very first order, PLUS you can cancel Subscribe & Save at ANY TIME. ANY TIME, meaning right after you place your order, if you’d like. If you’re thinking “why wouldn’t I always use Subscribe & Save and then immediately cancel?”, you are right! Of course you might find the service to be useful & convenient and Amazon would be very happy to keep you subscribed if you’d like. Learn more here, or check this list of all eligible Subscribe & Save items.
- Apply extra coupons (monthly offers): Every month Amazon selectes hundreds of items from popular brands to be eligible for extra discounts. You can always find the latest list here and they change on the first of the month (some items will repeat month to month). You can usually find money saving options for beverages (coffee, tea, energy drinks), breakfast cereals & bars, snacks & candy, and more.
Also check this page for select grocery coupons which you can add to your cart.
These coupons are on top of what you can get for Subscribe and Save and are calculated on the original price, so you really can double up (or better) on the discount. Look for at least 30-50% off to get a great price. For coupons that are a certain $ amount off a group of items, look for the lowest priced items for the biggest percentage savings.
- Fridays are great days for finding extra discounts, and on occasion a huge bargain. Usually you can still apply coupon and subscribe & save discounts, giving you a chance to quadruple-up on savings!
It’s important to keep in mind that on Amazon, even after tripling up on the discounts, not every item is a great deal. It’s always important to recalculate your unit price after the discounts to compare to other options you may have. Another factor is Amazon’s changing prices. When items are in high demand the price usually goes up, and when they have lots in stock the price usually comes down. In addition it can be confusing sometimes whether you are buying directly from Amazon (so that you can use coupons and also get discounted/free shipping) or from one of their many other vendors (usually listed under “More Buying Choices”). So always look twice to check what you are paying, and who you are buying it from.
So what’s the best strategy for finding great deals each month? We recommending starting on the page of grocery offers. Click on any that offer at least 30% off or $5 off per item. Then scan the list of eligible items for ones already discounted by at least 30%. With these items you’ll be at 50% off list price or better, so they are worth a closer look. For items that are close to being a great deal, check back from time to time and on Fridays to see if the price drops low enough.