SUMMARY
- Amazon bumps non-Prime free shipping minimum to $35 in select regions.
- Prime members, with their yearly $139 fee, remain unaffected with over 300 million items at their fingertips.
- CEO Andy Jassy’s broader review reveals moves to curtail expenses amid economic unpredictability.
In a recent move, Amazon has nudged the free shipping bar a bit higher. If you're not waving a Prime membership card, you might notice you're now required to throw a little more in the cart before the shipping's on them. Where once $25 got your goodies delivered gratis, now you'll need to hit a $35 mark in some areas.
Not to worry, Prime members! Your annual $139 ticket keeps you in the express lane, still enjoying your free deliveries on a staggering 300 million items. The cherry on top? Countless items also come with the perk of one-day or even same-day delivery.
So, who spilled the beans on this change? This tweak in Amazon's playbook was initially noted by Ecommercebytes, an e-commerce news source. At the same time, Kristina Pressentin, Amazon's spokesperson, backed the news by emphasizing that adjustments like these are part of the company's routine reassessments.
Pulling back to look at the bigger picture, Andy Jassy, Amazon's CEO, has been scrutinizing the company's spending patterns. With sales not quite skyrocketing as they used to and the economic forecast looking a bit cloudy, Amazon's made some bold moves. From cutting a substantial number of jobs to rethinking delivery fees for certain grocery orders, it's evident that they're tightening the purse strings.
It's not the first time Amazon's played around with free shipping minimums, and they're not alone either. In a dance of retail rivalry, Walmart also holds a $35 tag for those outside its loyalty circle. Remember when Amazon hiked it up to $49 in 2016, only to step back and then further drop it to $25 to keep pace with Walmart? Ah, the ebb and flow of e-commerce.
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