I might not need to ever renew my Costco membership. Ever since my wife and I signed up for an Amazon Prime membership ($70 for free 2-day shipping for one year), we've begun getting everything besides frozen meat, fruit and veggies shipped to our house.
Ecologically, I can justify this because, the way I figure it, the UPS truck drives down my street twice daily whether I shop or not, and the UPS truck will be driving tonight from Amazon's Fernley, Nevada distribution center, whether I shop or not.
The ecological impact of me taking a trip to the local Costo is about 2 gallons of gas (a gas and wear-and-tear cost of about $15, plus the cost of about two hours of my Saturday afternoon). I'd rather spend that time playing guitar with my friend, hanging out with my wife or going for a hike. I can justify the $70 Prime membership on the savings spent by not going to Costco four times, and the externality cost of my Costco jaunt is also removed.
So, here's where the social web part comes in. Many of my household and food purchasing choices are greatly influenced by other Amazon shoppers' recommendations, rather than by Costco's merchandising and product availability.
The only factor that's a real deal-breaker for me on a given Amazon item is when a given item's not available for Prime shipping. And even when it's something I really want, like a rad Merkur safety razor, I'm generally willing to pay the $8 shipping, to avoid the time cost of (1) finding a store that sells it and (2) going to that store to buy it.
So far, here's what I'm buying on-line, currently, and I've starred the items upon which my purchasing decisions have been swayed by other Amazon users' recommendations. I just also added all of our Tassimo coffee to this list, as I've realized that Amazon's about $1 cheaper, per month, than buying it direct from Tassimo. Thanks, Jeff*!
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Sunflower Seeds*
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Hair care products*
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Indian veggie entrees (like from Trader Joe's)*
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Razor Blades*
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Vitamins*
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Dog food (frozen)* and dog treats*
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Sunflower Seeds*
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Garbage bags (multiple sizes)*
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Counter wipes*
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Paper towels*
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Dishwasher tablets*
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Chicken broth*, olive oil
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Beef jerky*
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Canned Soup and vegetables
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Toothbrushes* and mouthwash
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