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Politics and Activism

Why Amazon Gives Students Have Free Amazon Prime

And how they can afford it.

Jeffrey Yang

Nov 22, 2016

Emory University

Why Amazon Gives Students Have Free Amazon Prime

FlashRouters

So, as a college student, you're probably thinking that there's no possible way you can live without Amazon Prime. Your textbooks always come in on time thanks to the FREE two-day shipping and there are so many amazing deals that are offered. Not only that, but as a first year user you get SIX months free. Six ENTIRE months? It's like Christmas came early. Or more like Christmas everyday for six months straight, in my opinion.

So how can Amazin' Amazon come up with these promotions that can give you a service that costs most people over $10 a month for $49 a year? Surely, all the two-day shipping shipping rates add up to more than that!

The big picture that you need to see is that Amazon is baiting you with Amazon Prime. Before you had your Prime membership, how many times would you voluntarily go on Amazon to buy things? Maybe once a month? Twice? I know for a fact that I go on Amazon literally every day now, buying things that I most definitely do not NEED. By allowing students to have powerful tools such as 1-click purchases and fast delivery, Amazon is boosting its sales tenfold, and these shipping costs are already calculated into the prices of Prime-eligible items and products. Essentially, Amazon is making a sh-t ton of more money while you're buying a sh-t ton of things you probably don't need whatsoever. This same ideology applies to every other membership-based service that renews monthly and it turns out to be a vicious cycle of buying and wasting money.

Then again, that's the power of Amazon Prime. It empowers us barely adults who have been living off of our parents' rules of what to buy and when to buy it, as we would always have to ask and beg before our parents will buy us something. Granted, I know I'M still buying things with my parents' money, but with this extra freedom I learn a few more things about finances and how the real world operates, not just this isolated bubble where I'm simply leeching off my parents.

It's kind of liberating.

But I'm definitely still wasting money.

If you wanted to know how Amazon is not losing money by offering these free trials and discounted rates on Amazon Prime, this is a brief overview.

Cheers, and go buy some more items you don't need.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.

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Why Amazon Gives Students Have Free Amazon Prime

And how they can afford it.

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No one best represents the struggle like our favorite 90s squad.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

2. When there is only one section of a popular course.

3. Receiving the 18,000 emails reminding you to register ASAP.

4. When you need to see an advisor, but they are too busy/unresponsive.

5. Trying not to dress like a bum for your appointments with your advisors/department heads.

6. When you have a perfectly planned out schedule, and one class ruins it.

7. Carefully moving things around to accommodate a different class/section.

8. Waking up at 6:00 a.m. for your enrollment time.

9. Concocting a new schedule at your enrollment time after your original plan gets changed.

10. Getting into a class and filling the last available seat.

11. When all of your classes finally go through.

12. Realizing that you forgot a class that was a pre-requisite for everything else.

When your capability of "adulting" is put to the test

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

"Nobody living in one of the most influential nations in the world should be worried about making ends meet."

What is the current minimum wage at the federal level?

What are the benefits of raising the minimum wage?

What are the states that have set a $15/hour minimum wage?

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Because who understands your bitterness better than April?

1. When you have to provide an "interesting fact" for your first day ice-breaker.

2. When your professor is babbling on and on in his lecture.

3. When you edit your friend's paper and they get an A.

4. When it's 2 AM and you remember you have a test tomorrow.

5. When you finish taking the test and you're pretty sure you failed...

6. ...but then you get the test back and somehow passed.

7. When you've been up for 12 hours straight writing a paper.

8. And then you manage to stay awake in class the next day.

9. When you have to butter up your professor for an extra credit opportunity.

10. When you're assigned a group project.

11. And your group-mates are trying to chat about life instead of the assignment.

12. When it's your last class of the day and you're about to go home.

13. But then you remember rent is due tonight and the anger comes back.

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