I think it's worth it, but then again, I don't just use Amazon to purchase bargain Blu-Rays and DVDs, which these infrequent buyers seem to be solely using it for. And I see the ones complaining appear to not use the streaming for their original shows and movies, which IMO is icing on the cake. And I also use their video on demand occasionally. Sometimes for movies or if I miss an episode of a TV show that isn't available legally for free elsewhere, I'll just pay the $2 to watch it.

I use it to purchase my office supplies, various nick nacks I need around my house and I use it to purchase gifts for friends on their birthdays and holidays.

Plus, I'm freelance and use the $100 expense as a tax write off.

If I'm solely using Amazon just for cheap home media and only buying stuff for myself, then maybe I can see it being a challenge to buy enough to justify the expense.

It's been explained and proven earlier in the thread that it's not just infrequent buyers.

Not when it comes to Force Awakens. Amazon doesn't want or need you guys that are not PRIME. Go buy it elsewhere and be done with it.

Having one Blu-ray title be exclusive to Prime doesn't bother me so much. What does, is this will be the start of a slippery slope.. In, say, a year's time, this business model may prove so well in the filling of Amazon's coffers, that they may decide to offer all new BDs only to Prime members... Or, conveniently raise the price and / or impose some draconian "waiting period" for non-prime members...

Whatever they can cook up to force Prime down our throats...and turn Amazon into a kind of pay-as-you go club. All the while they'll be skimming the cream off the top of those $100-yearly Prime fees.

slip....slip...slip... slippery slope...

I'm not talking about Force Awakens. Pay attention.

That's what I segued to. Keep up.

No, you were discussing that also, but you segued away from it with "You get a lot for that $100 - it's worth it." zyzzle replied to that specifically, you responded with what I then replied to. You had also included a 2nd paragraph specific to the Force Awakens, but I ignored that. If you can read what you wrote that I responded to (give literacy a chance), in the little quote box, you'd see that.

I was specifically addressing your same broken record where you don't seem capable/wiling of understanding that some people find some/all of prime's benefits valuable and some people don't. Of those who don't, some are frequent customers and some are not. And just because a person doesn't find all of prime's benefits as valuable as you do, it doesn't give you the right to denigrate them and invent and then perpetrate untruths.

Then don't shop on Amazon. If Amazon creates/develops new policies ignore them. You and zyzzle. I don't understand the bellyaching.

Make it an absolute. You see how they treat "infrequent" customers. Say your goodbyes to them and be done with it since they don't cater to the few. Take your infrequent business elsewhere.

Why?

Why?

It's not "bellyaching". It's defending against the specific mindset of certain posters here, seemingly led by you, that prime is hugely valuable to everyone and that anyone who doesn't agree should stop shopping at Amazon at all. Which is ridiculous, and you're doing it again now. More than once it's been explained that people can satisfactorily buy from Amazon AND be non-prime. But you absolutely refuse to consider that as an option. You do not allow regular customers to say that prime is not for them. This has zero to do with Amazon, but instead is all about your personal view of reality and insisting that everyone rearrange their lives to fit that. Which isn't happening.

Why?

No, I don't.

How is that in any way applicable?

What infrequent business? I have over 20 orders with them so far this year. All non-prime with free shipping. As I've explained before, they always go out of their way to treat me well, offer me free stuff (some of which I even decline [or try to]), and even gave me a tax free $100 credit last year. Why would I take my business elsewhere? Because you don't like that they have customers like me? It's not all about you, it's about Amazon.

^ Then I don't understand what the problem is. Did I confuse you for zyzzle?

My whole point is that I am not bothered if they have and create specialized offers for PRIME members. I am a member and I qualify for those offers. If folks don't like that policy then that's fine too. But the complaining about that policy is what's irking. Vent all you want but it's the way Amazon has chosen to do business.

Bought mine from Wal-Mart.

I love VUDU, so they get my money.

I am amused at the way this ten page, 360-post "Complaining about Amazon" thread has suddenly turned into a "How dare you say anything bad about Amazon" thread.

Once upon a time I was a shopper that constantly compared pricing across various vendors to find the best deal. Then for several years I turned into a primarily Amazon exclusive purchaser for the convenience of one-stop purchasing and their customer service, even though they didn't always have the lowest price. With all these changes geared against non-Prime members I've changed once again. For Blu-Ray/DVD purchases I have consolidated down to two other vendors, computer supplies another vendor and so on.

Last year I spent over $6000 at Amazon using free shipping. This year I am on track to spend an equivalent amount online, but to-date only about $100 has gone to Amazon and that is mostly due to pre-orders from before the changes went into effect. I would hardly call myself an infrequent purchaser and I have no need or interest in Prime. Amazon policy once gained my business almost exclusively and now recent policy changes have lost it. It is Amazon's right to set policy as they see fit, but I doubt their intent was to lose customers that spent $1000's each year. It will be interesting to see if they continue in this fashion all the way to potentially being a members only shopping outlet like Costco or Sam's Club. Only time will tell as to whether these changes prove to be the right move based on whether they gained more Prime members to offset those they lost.

Why So Blu?, no one is questioning that Prime is appealing to many, but for those others they want to vent over these policy changes. If the venting bothers you just ignore/don't read it. It's a byproduct of Amazon's decision and isn't going to go away because you might be irked. I'm betting you have vented from time to time.

Of course. It just seems like we've talked about this before and it repeats itself yet again. That's all. Hell, I used to be anti-Wal-Mart for years until I looked closer at the items and services I was interested in and then made the decision to give them my money. 2-week early windows for new releases, VUDU, lower prices on media, etc. I converted big time.

People will stir the pot from time to time, but like all things it will pass. I use Amazon to maintain my wish list, and i will purchase from the marketplace when their prices plus shipping are below Amazon. I don't even attempt to make the free shipping anymore. Other than that I just buy elsewhere. It was frustrating initially, but life's too short to worry about things one has no control over, especially when other options exist.

I don't know whether or not you confused me with zyzzle, but the problem is that I very firmly believe that people have the right to their opinions, and should be able to express them. Certainly on matters such as this. AND in a thread such as this. Have you read the thread title? It's specifically for people who want to complain. Have you given any thought to creating a thread titled something like "The praising Amazon thread" and focusing your efforts there?

I think that we all know that you're not bothered. And you have every right to that. That's great. But others can be irked. They have the right to be irked. They have the right to their opinions and should be able to express them. Certainly in a thread like this. It doesn't matter whether or not Amazon will ever hear of it, or change their policies, or anything else.

This is a good indication that you might need a break from reading whatever zyzzle, and perhaps others with whom you disagree, say in this thread. Perhaps avoid the thread itself? Or even the subforum? The forum? Or the entire internet? New posters appear and maybe they want to talk things through for what is the first time for them? Or a new policy is enacted and old posters want to rehash the topic? Maybe they have more time now to discuss existing policies? Or it's affecting them in a way that it didn't before? Whatever. There don't have to be reasons and there shouldn't have to be reasons.

I saw an IMDb board that this reminds me of once. Where an entire group of people had discussed that tv show enough that they had no real interest in doing so any longer, but they also liked each and didn't want to leave. So any discussion of the tv show that that board was for was discouraged (on a good day). That was wrong. So is telling any person who has anything negative to say about Amazon in any way, in a thread specifically for that purpose, that they should quit Amazon and stop posting about it is just as wrong.

Nothing wrong with venting, this is the complaining about Amazon thread afterall. I only felt the need to comment when I see some of the stuff zyzzle throws out acting as though Prime members are sheep and blindly following Amazon.

I think complaining about Prime exclusive items is perfectly valid, especially for a release like Star Wars. I don't really know what Amazon gains by making a title like that Prime only shortly after release, or loses by making it available to everyone.

What I found interesting about the Prime exclusive concept is what they did with the Peanuts movies. I recall it being about $20 during pre-order, then at release they reduced it to around $15 but made it a Prime exclusive, then after a week they opened it back up to everyone at around $13. What is that about? If I was a Prime member and bought it thinking it was a deal by being exclusive i would have to question Amazon's business practice to immediate reduce it even lower after the exclusive tag was lifted. Doesn't make much sense.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...ebook_20160417

Prime now available at $10.99 per month for those who don't want to part with $99 all at once.

If you want streaming video only, it's $8.99/month.

And it will be $1 cheaper than Netflix's service when they raise their prices next month.

The new monthly full Prime plan has caught my interest. For my purchasing habits, it will be beneficial for me to purchase one Prime month for mid-November through mid-December. I purchase a lot from Amazon during the Christmas season, so the $10.99 cost should benefit me after two Amazon transactions. In the past, I just used the free trial they offered to my account.

For the rest of the calendar year, I don't purchase anything from Amazon, so the annual membership won't benefit me.

Many Prime and Amazon customers are sheep and Amazon expressly tries to capitalize on this fact... I think you overestimate the average customer's lack of knowledge in money matters and economic sense...

Now, with Amazon offering a "monthly service" for Prime, the cat is really out of the bag, and the elephant's no longer in the room: Amazon is absolutely trying for a monthly pay-as-you-go system, which seems to be the increasingly hip thing for companies to do these days, ie Microsoft, Apple, et al.

It means the most profit (ie, residual, guaranteed, income: profit!) for very little ongoing effort.

Milking us after having weaned us. Smart move, Amazon!

Fair enough.

It really is a simple concept. I'm sure that a lot of the people that like to bitch and whine (not referring to you MLB) about anything Amazon does will jump on the prime deal for black friday and the holidays. But then again, they will probably just bitch and whine about Amazons "lack" of black friday deals in recent memory.

We went out to a play on Friday night with some friends and I ordered the movie version of the play on DVDs for them as gifts. Ordered Tuesday and they got to UPS in Minneapolis on Friday morning... I received notice there was a transit delay. Package arrived Monday. Meanwhile, another DVD I ordered in the same order said it would arrive Monday (stock issue) but showed up Saturday.

I don't think it's Amazon's fault but it was a bummer because my friends are from out of town. As for UPS, I wouldn't even begin to know how to lodge a complaint or at leat an inquiry. If I'd known they wouldn't be able to have their DVD that night, I would've just shipped it straight to their homes.