The marvels of the internet have made it possible to do all your shopping from the comfort of your living room. Whether you’re buying a new shirt, the latest tech product, or even your groceries, you can do it all from your computer and wait for the items to show up on your doorstep a few days later. You never even have to set foot into a grocery store ever again if you don’t want to. Amazon Pantry is one such service that allows users to shop for groceries and household supplies while chilling at home. Here’s everything you need to know about Amazon Pantry.
What is Amazon Pantry?
Essentially, Amazon Pantry is an online store that allows Prime members and non-Prime members in select areas to buy nonperishable food items and household supplies in everyday package sizes. In other words, you won’t have to buy the bulk sizes that you would find at Costco Wholesale or Sam’s Club. Pantry allows Amazon to expand into the grocery and household supply sector, offering these items at cost-effective prices.
How does it work?
Users can browse the Prime Pantry selection on the Amazon website or via the Amazon app to surf through thousands of food items and household supplies. Amazon currently organizes the broad offerings of Pantry into several categories that make it much easier to search through, like Cleaning, Breakfast, and Grocery. Prime Pantry also offers weekly deals and coupons with discounts on popular qualifying products.
Some products in the selection can only be purchased on Prime Pantry. Look for items marked with a Pantry label or that say, “Ships from and sold by Amazon Pantry.”
How much does it cost?
If you have an Amazon Prime membership, then all orders over $25 will ship totally free. If a Prime member spends under $25 on an order, a flat shipping fee of $5.99 will be automatically added to the order (non-Pantry items don’t contribute to the order price for this purpose and will be shipped separately).
If you aren’t an Amazon Prime member, you can still use Pantry if you live in an eligible area, but the $5.99 shipping fee will be applied to all orders, no matter how much you spend. If you don’t already have an Amazon Prime membership, you can enjoy a free trial
Note that this is a lot more friendly to newcomers than Pantry has been in the past. Previously, you needed a $4.99 monthly fee to use Pantry, with more limited shipping options. If you still have one of these old Pantry subscriptions, you may be able to keep using it to get free shipping for lower amounts (down to $10), or you can just go to your Amazon account and end the add-on. As Pantry deals now stand, there’s not really any reason to keep the old subscription if you already have Prime.
How long does delivery take?
For Prime Pantry shipments, Amazon can’t promise the two-day shipping that is usually guaranteed to Prime members. Due to the size and weight of Prime Pantry boxes, they are shipped via ground shipping, so orders can take between one and four business days to arrive at their destination.
Where does Amazon Pantry deliver?
Unfortunately, Amazon Pantry does not deliver items to Alaska or Hawaii. Since Prime Pantry can only be provided if the sender uses ground shipping methods, Amazon can only transfer Prime Pantry purchases to the conterminous United States at this point. P.O. boxes, APO/FPO, dorms, and Amazon Lockers are also not allowed.
Is Amazon Pantry worth the money?
It all depends on how you normally do your grocery shopping and what items you usually purchase. If you reside in an urban area and don’t have a car, grocery shopping can be a weekly challenge that you hate, in which case a tiny fee each month may be worth it for the convenience. If you continually buy many nonperishable food items, Amazon Pantry has many options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Pantry also offers an excellent value for people who do most of their food shopping online. It can save you some money on pantry goods when you compare it to other grocery delivery services.
Amazon Pantry has also improved significantly in recent years and now highlights a vast array of products. The only kitchen supplies you won’t be able to find here are fresh goods, which are alternately provided by the more limited Amazon Fresh program. Suppose you’re saving a little cash by buying on Amazon, avoiding some trouble, and following social distancing by circumventing a visit to the store. In that case, Pantry could be the perfect solution.
