Amazon is making its Prime price hike a bit more digestible for Whole Foods customers. The online retailer announced on Wednesday that all Prime subscribers will receive 10-percent off already discounted items. In addition, shoppers are being promised “deep discounts” on best-selling items. The perks are available now across Florida and will be expanded to all stores in the summer.
The highly anticipated loyalty program was first mentioned in August, shortly after Amazon acquired Whole Foods in a $13.7 billion blockbuster deal and promised to cut prices.
Given their scale, the newly announced discounts may help strip Whole Foods of its notorious label as being restrictively expensive. As noted in Amazon’s press release, the discount will typically cover “hundreds of products” from a range of categories.
If you want to receive the discounts, you’ll first need to sign up to Amazon Prime and download the Whole Foods Market app. There, you can stay up-to-date on the latest offers for each week.
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Amazon gave us a sneak peek at the discounts with a list of items on sale in Florida this week. It includes a 50-percent price reduction on Allegro coffee bars, $2.00 off organic strawberries, $10/lb off wild-caught halibut, and a steep discount on “Magic Mushroom Powder”
“We’re thrilled for Whole Foods Market to be part of the Prime experience,” John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods, said. “By offering greater discounts on sale items, and exclusive deals like $10 off a pound for sustainably-sourced, wild-caught halibut, launching savings for Prime members is an amazing opportunity to bring our industry-leading quality standards and delicious food to more customers at a better price.”
The Whole Foods discounts are the first major benefit Prime customers have received since Amazon announced it would be raising the annual price of a membership by 20 percent, from $100 to $120. The company has more than 100 million Prime members and will be hoping Whole Foods diehards are enticed enough by its new offers to make the plunge. It’s safe to say frequent Whole Foods shoppers will likely not be deterred by the recent price hike to the subscription.
Since Amazon acquired Whole Foods, it has taken positive steps to remove the “whole paycheck” name jokingly bestowed upon the organic grocery store. In August, the company permanently slashed the prices of many popular items. Now, with lower prices and new Prime discounts, more people can afford to buy an extra bag of kale chips.
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