Amazon day deals save money. For those of you who may not know, Amazon Prime is a membership service that includes discounts and free shipping on a wide range of items. While there isn’t a special Amazon Prime teacher price, membership costs just $14.99/month or $139.00 for a year. Most members are aware of the basic benefits that come with an Amazon Prime membership, but some of the more hidden perks of this membership are especially handy for teachers who want to save money and score some great deals.
Is Amazon Prime free for teachers? Unfortunately, no. While there is no amazon prime discount for teachers, there are some pretty significant benefits that might be worth the full price. We’re going to take a look at a few of these lovely perks and discuss ways you can take advantage of your membership and shop more intentionally and thus smarter.
Related: The 40 Best Books on Early Childhood Education
Create An Amazon “Needs” List
What goes on your list is entirely up to you, but we think the Amazon Wish List is a bit of a trap- it moves things out of the “needs” category and into the “wants” category. So just mentally erase the word “Wish” and replace it with “Needs”. I know this may take the fun out of shopping for a bit, but when shopping for your job, you need to focus on the bottom line. The biggest trap is finding yourself shopping for your classroom like it’s a room in your home. Cut that out! There are plenty of ways to jazz up your classroom for free or very little cost. Here are some tips for how to use your list wisely:
- Edit your list regularly to make sure you have only the essentials. We like to start with absolute musts and call those a top priority. A top priority is something you cannot begin instruction without and something that is not already provided at your school. You know that each school is widely different so find out ahead of time what’s in your classroom already.
- Add in your items according to function. You can always clear your list and start over.
- Share your list with families and friends. Whenever someone asks if they can help out by purchasing something for your classroom, share the link to your list. You might be surprised how generous people can be when it comes to the classroom.
Pro Tip: One-Click Purchases are a spending trap. Do your school-specific shopping on a laptop or desktop. Even better, do your school-specific shopping on your desktop in your classroom so you can see what you need and have a lot of motivation to shop efficiently and wisely.
- Check out Prime’s 30-day free trial deal (over a $14.99 value).
Related: Editor’s Choice: The 20 Best Books on Technology in Education
Prime Reading
Did you know that a number of books, magazines, comic books and audiobooks are available for loan through Prime Reading? There are over 3,000 titles available through Prime Reading. The best part? Prime Reading is a benefit available to every Amazon Prime member!
Prime Reading is set up to work on almost every type of device thru the Kindle App. Of course, it also works great with Amazon devices like a Kindle e-reader. You can simply head to the Amazon Prime area on your Kindle, go to the top browser, click “more”, click on “Prime Reading” and add items to your virtual library.
For instructional purposes, you can easily plug your Kindle into a projector and viola, you and your class can explore your virtual library together. Like with all libraries, there will be a return date. Be sure to keep an eye on those as you don’t want to accumulate any unnecessary fees. Luckily returning your book or periodical is as easy as clicking the “Return” button.
- Check out Kindle Unlimited Membership Plans
for access to millions of ebooks readable on the device of your choice.
for access to millions of ebooks readable on the device of your choice.Audible Books
If you don’t mind spending a little bit of cash, for just $14.95 per month you have access to almost never-ending audio books with Amazon Prime. Luckily, Audible comes with a free 30-day trial and may be cancelled at any time. And no, you don’t lose all of your audio books when you cancel. Audible Plus members have access to exclusive discounts like 30% off premium selection titles and special sales throughout the year. Even without an Amazon teacher discount, we love this option for the thriftiest of teachers. Take a month to collect some books, and then just cancel. Call this teacher hack 101.
Amazon Prime Video
The same principle applies with Amazon Prime Video. Amazon is a huge successful company, and one of the reasons they got that way is by paying attention to their consumers’ needs. After all, Amazon couldn’t allow Netflix to take the lead on video streaming! They recognized that the world became almost insatiable when it came to viewing material. Use your video for school or for winding down after a long day at work. Many of the items are free to view, and not available on Hulu or Netflix.
- Check out this free trial of Amazon Prime Video for instant streaming of thousands of educational movies and television shows.
Prime Wardrobe
We know that initially this may not seem like a teacher necessity, but we love this option for almost anyone on a budget. It goes without saying that entering into a shop leaves you open to impulse purchases and leaving with items that maybe weren’t on your list to begin with. We know that it’s possible to impulse purchase on Amazon, but less so if you have a focused list. Just like separating your school supplies shopping list from your personal shopping list, we recommend doing that for your professional wardrobe as well.
We know that you spend a lot of your time in your professional wardrobe, so we’re not suggesting you pick boring clothing but following strict guidelines before making any purchase is a wise move. This is what we love about Prime Wardrobe. You can try on and return any times that don’t work. Shopping online means you can search for essentials and add them without racks and racks of temptations. Whatever you don’t love for work can be easily packaged and shipped back at your local Whole Foods. Now, resisting the temptation to spend your saved money at Whole Foods is something we can’t help you with.
- Find thousands of wardrobe offerings that can easily be returned through Prime Wardrobe here.
Prime Day
Amazon Prime Day is actually a 36 hour “day” that occurs each year where Amazon Prime members receive deep discounts on just about everything. There are literally millions of Amazon Prime Day deals that can benefit teachers. The buildup to this day is bigger (and much less hectic) than the buildup to Black Friday. As the day approaches, Amazon does a slow reveal of all of the great items available and their drastically slashed prices. Prime members save money on big ticket items, and all without the stress of huge crowds. Also, there’s no pressure to be up shopping at 4AM.
For this one day we recommend you actually use the Amazon App if you’re the type of person who would like to monitor sales from wherever you are. Note however, that his can be another trap. One way that companies encourage you to make impulse purchases is to create a “deprivation state” adding a sense of urgency that you will NEED to purchase that item before it is YIKES too late. This adrenaline boost and sense of deprivation is actually a primitive response. So, to avoid that and make this whole process a lot calmer and more sensible, you could simply elicit the help of Amazon Assist. Just sit calmly at your desktop with your favorite cup of tea and compare prices to those found on other sites. Ahh… much more relaxing, and much more likely to only make smart purchases.
- Find the latest news on upcoming or previous Amazon Prime Day deals here.
Amazon Business
While Amazon no longer offers an individual Prime teacher discount, they do offer a program to educational organizations called Amazon Business. Amazon reports that 80% of the 100 largest educational organizations in the country are using Amazon Business. Teachers and staff have millions of educational products and office supplies available to order through the program. School districts can monitor compliance with their spending policies, resulting in significant savings to time and money. Teachers can get what they need in a timely manner and spend more time focused on their classroom rather than scouring the internet for good deals on supplies.
- Learn more about Amazon Business for education here.
