Amazon announces major prime membership change
Amazon is planning to expand its same-day and next-day delivery to over 4,000 small cities, towns, and rural communities in the US. Thousands of its 200+ million Prime members will have the pleasure of having this benefit by the end of the year.
'The money saving is important, but for many rural customers, the more critical dynamic is the time saved by using Amazon. The expanded choice that Amazon offers is also very appealing to shoppers who are miles away from big malls and stores,' GlobalData retail expert Neil Saunders told DailyMail.com. 'For Amazon, rural gains are an important part of driving Prime penetration. And the business is confident it can service this profitably by adapting existing rural delivery stations into hybrid hubs which store inventory Amazon's algorithms know will be popular in the area.'
Shoppers interested in trying out the platform can do so for $14.99 a month or $139 a year. The project announcement comes after Amazon made the decision to expand its Prime Day sales event to four days from two. The company had already been the topic of conversation during the rise of inflation and fears of recession after CEO Andy Jassy warned shoppers tariffs potentially rising prices.
While Amazon's net sales skyrocketed to $155.7 billion this quarter, the company has been slammed by its employees and Prime members. Shoppers claimed they would cancel their memberships last year after finding out the company was axing its Amazon Today service.
Prior to its removal, it was a popular perk that provided same-day delivery from select stores in the customers' neighborhoods. Members also canceled accounts after finding out its streaming service started rolling out more advertisements across its TV shows and films.
The company didn't stop there with its prime perk change-ups and infuriated customers even more by raising the price of its Amazon Music Unlimited ad-free subscription program. Besides its member benefit terminations, fans have begun turning their backs on Amazon after Jassy issued a warning of brutal workforce cuts. It is unclear when the layoffs will begin and how many jobs will be axed, but Jassy revealed the cuts were the result of the company's increase in artificial intelligence.
The company is keeping itself busy by preparing for Prime Day, recently warning its members about increases in cyber scams It's also exploring the idea of creating its own currency, an idea that could save the company and retailers like Walmart and Target billions of dollars. Amazon is expecting to make between $159 billion and $164 billion during its second quarter, along with a $13 billion to $17.5 billion operating income. The company will release its second quarter results on July 31 after the market closes.
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