One Pitfall You Might Encounter With Amazon’s ‘Subscribe & Save’ Program

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It’s something that’s certainly tripped me up in the past. 

Shopping on Amazon can often result in a world of savings. And since I’m the sort of person who enjoys and appreciates saving money, I aim to take advantage of different programs the online retail giant offers. One of those is the Subscribe & Save program.

Subscribe & Save lets you sign up to have items shipped to you automatically on a preset schedule — one you can tweak as needed. If there’s a special type of shampoo that Amazon tends to stock at a reasonable price point, you can sign up to have a bottle of it shipped out to you every month, two months, three months, or a different interval — it’s your call.

Using Subscribe & Save can not only make your life easier, but also, save you money. First of all, Amazon commonly offers lower prices than its competitors, so you might save money by virtue of shopping there as opposed to somewhere else. But also, when you order multiple items through the Subscribe & Save program, you’re generally eligible for an additional discount that results in a lower credit card tab overall.

But there’s one pitfall you might encounter if you rely on Subscribe & Save. And it’s one that you unfortunately really can’t take steps to avoid.

When the items you rely on aren’t in stock

In 2021, retailers across the board, including Amazon, started grappling with supply chain backlogs that led to issues with inventory. And so that year, a number of my Subscribe & Save orders were delayed or canceled due to a lack of availability. But even though supply chains have managed to dig out of that hole, from time to time, I still tend to run into problems with my Subscribe & Save orders due to Amazon not having the items I need in stock.

Recently, in fact, I was scheduled to receive a shipment of a supplement I take daily at the start of January. It’s an item I’m set up to receive at the start of each month. At the very last minute, Amazon informed me that my item wasn’t in stock, and that they couldn’t find a replacement (such as a different quantity).

That put me in a bind. Without going into too much detail, I’ve found that this particular supplement helps me avoid certain health issues, so I make a point to pop those pills daily. Since Amazon emailed me at the last minute to inform me of a problem with my order, I had to run to several pharmacies in town in an attempt to find it. And, I wound up paying a lot more for a one-month supply than I normally would, since I was in a tight spot and couldn’t wait on that purchase.

Have a backup plan for the items you truly need

Amazon’s Subscribe & Save program is definitely a great one. But it’s not perfect. And unfortunately, you never know when an item you rely on won’t be available to ship out.

That’s why you should have a backup plan when it comes to the items you’re truly dependent upon. If you have an infant in diapers, for example, and get your diapers auto-shipped through Subscribe & Save every month, you should have an extra few weeks’ worth on hand.

In my case, this recent Subscribe & Save snag prompted me to do some research and stock up on an extra month’s supply of my supplement at a reasonable price. This way, if there’s another issue, I won’t have to scramble like I did at the start of the year.

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The Ascent does not cover all offers on the market. Editorial content from The Ascent is separate from The Motley Fool editorial content and is created by a different analyst team.John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Maurie Backman has positions in Amazon.com. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon.com. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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