A better, smarter way to shop on Amazon

When Amazon Prime launched back in 2005, the deal was simply free-two day shipping on qualifying U.S products. Sounds rather “meh” in comparison to what Prime members have today, including free same-day delivery, free streaming of an ever-expanding library of media content including music, TV, movies and more (the list of benefits goes on), with the only real catch being the rising price.

Back in 2005 members paid $79.99 a year for Prime. Today they pay $12.99 a month, which works out to $156 annually, or $119 a year if you pay for the year in full. (Students can get the service for substantially less: $59.99 per year or $6.49 per month).

Prime costs a pretty penny, no doubt, but members — particularly millennials (myself included) — are hooked on Amazon. A new report by the consumer-tech communications firm Max Borges Agency found that 77 percent of millennials would choose Amazon over alcohol; 44 percent would pick it over sex, and less than one in four would buy a tech product that wasn’t available from Amazon.

“We were surprised to find out how strongly millennials are devoted to Amazon, says Lindsay Stuart, VP of business intelligence at Max Borges Agency. “We expected some to be willing to give up alcohol and few to give up sex, but the results were staggering. [Also noteworthy is that] people are shopping in all sorts of places, from the bathroom to on the road while sitting in traffic. It was clear to us that Amazon is more than a shopping preference — it’s a lifestyle that many can’t imagine living without.”

It was clear to us that Amazon is more than a shopping preference — it’s a lifestyle that many can’t imagine living without.

AMAZON ATTRACTS MILLENNIALS MORE THAN ANY OTHER AGE GROUP

Matt Sargent, SVP at Magid, a research consultancy firm, shared data with NBC News BETTER indicating that millennials lead the pack of Amazon loyalists, from a generational perspective with 53 percent of age group is likely to subscribe to Amazon Prime, versus 41 percent of Gen X-ers and 31 percent of baby boomers.

There are ample reasons why millennials love Amazon as a shopping destination. You can get practically anything you’d want on there at deeply competitive prices, and with free two-day shipping if you’re a Prime member.

These are hard to beat perks considering that most of us are struggling to meet financial goals.

But shopping on Amazon isn’t all value-packed sunshine and discount-heavy rainbows. I’ve purchased plenty of items on Amazon that failed to live up to their descriptions and had to be returned (with Prime, return shipping is pre-paid, but it’s still a hassle). I’ve also bought things at what looked like a rock-bottom price only to see the price fall more the next day. And for me, there are those off months when I’m not buying or streaming anything on Amazon, but still paying for Prime.

These aren’t big problems by any measure, but if we’re so devoted to a company, shouldn’t we be getting the most out of its services? I think so, which is why I compiled this list of expert advice on how to get the best value as an Amazon shopper.

Read the full article on NBC News.