Amazon didn’t become Amazon by ignoring consumer trends. Grocery store prices remain high even as inflation falls — and the world’s largest e-commerce platform is looking to capitalize.
On September 10th, the company announced the debut of Amazon Saver, an exclusive, no-frills, in-house brand that ABC New reports Amazon launched as a direct challenge to Walmart and Target.
The new label includes more than 3,000 grocery essentials offered through Amazon Fresh, most of which sell for less than $5 — but Amazon upped the ante even further.
Members get up to 50% off on eight to 15 products that rotate weekly, including pantry items, protein and produce. They also enjoy another 10% off on hundreds of products across Amazon Fresh, including items from the new Amazon Saver line.
But is it hype, or will Amazon’s exclusive new Saver brand really give Walmart’s and Target’s in-house labels a run for their money? In several cases — like the following grocery essentials — the big box stores seem to have a fight on their hands.
Pizza Sauce
If homemade pies are among your culinary creations, Amazon Saver Happy Belly Pizza Sauce costs $1.09 for a 15-ounce can, or $0.07 per ounce.
Walmart sells 14-ounce Great Value jars for $1.52, or about $0.11 an ounce. At Target, 14-ounce Good & Gather jars cost $1.69, or $0.12 an ounce.
Amazon already reduced the price by 36%, and if you buy four jars, you can save an extra 15% by stocking up.
Sliced Ham
Amazon Saver can also stretch your dollars in the lunchmeat department. One pound of the new brand’s sliced smoked ham goes for $3.79.
Walmart’s Great Value brand sliced ham sells for $4.24 per pound — and that’s if you buy twice as much with a two-pound package. A nine-ounce package costs $7.57 per pound.
Target is even more expensive. The same one-pound of sliced ham from its Good & Gather label costs $6.99.
A 20% automatically applied Amazon coupon brought the price down below the competition, but this product is one of hundreds that are eligible for the 10% Amazon Fresh discount, which knocks the price down by an added $0.76 at checkout.
Chocolate Chip Cookies
A 12-ounce pack of Amazon Saver chocolate chip cookies sells for $2.19, or $0.18 per ounce.
Despite weighing over 50% more, an 18.2-ounce family-size pack of Walmart’s Great Value chocolate chip cookies sells for $3.77, or nearly $0.21 per ounce.
As with sliced ham, Target has the highest price of the trio for America’s favorite baked snack. It sells a 22.4-ounce package of Favorite Day label chocolate chip cookies for $5.99, or $0.27 per ounce.
On top of the already sweet savings, Prime members snag the 10% Amazon Fresh discount at checkout for an additional $0.38 off the purchase price.
Honey
A 24-ounce container of Amazon Saver honey costs $6.19, or $0.26 per ounce.
At Walmart, a 32-ounce container of Great Value honey costs $10.97, or $0.34 cents per ounce, which stays the same even if you buy a two-pack. An even larger 40-ounce Good & Gather jar costs $11.69, or $0.29 per ounce, at Target.
Not only do the big-box competitors charge more per ounce even when purchased in greater volume, but the Amazon Fresh discount applies at checkout for another $0.62 in savings.
Pancake Syrup
A common theme of this list is that Amazon Saver is just another line that benefits from the 10% discount that applies to hundreds of products sold across Amazon Fresh — if you’re already saving money compared to similar products at Target or Walmart, Prime members can knock yet another dime off the dollars they spend.
But that 10% can also push Amazon Saver products into first place in the many cases where price parity would otherwise create a three-way tie.
For example, all three stores’ exclusive brands sell 24-ounce containers of classic pancake syrup for about $0.10 an ounce, but Prime members get to shave an extra penny off of every dime.
Please note: All prices and availability are accurate as of Sept. 24, 2024, and are subject to change at the retailer’s discretion.