Grocery
12 Household Essentials We Always Buy In Bulk Online
Another way to make the most of our Amazon Prime accounts.
Going to the grocery store every time I run out of toilet paper or laundry detergent is such a drag. Don’t get me wrong, it usually means I can pick up some more ice cream but having to carry a large and unwieldy package of TP or drive 20 minutes just to get two things is not my idea of a fun time.
That’s why I buy most of my household essentials in bulk on Amazon, either through Prime, Fresh, or its Subscribe & Save options. All three give you the ease and convenience of shopping in your PJs, but there are slightly different advantages with each one.
You already know what Prime offers—free 2-day shipping on literally everything—while Fresh is more like a traditional grocery store with produce, snacks, and general household items in bulk and everyday sizes. My personal favorite though is Subscribe & Save, an underrated subscription service. You can subscribe to products (also in bulk or everyday sizes) and score an extra discount up to 15 percent with each shipment. It’s easy to change the subscription cadence so you’re not stockpiling TP, or just cancel if you no longer want the item. It’s truly a “set it and forget it” situation and I’m genuinely delighted to receive my quarterly shipment of compostable trash bags.
Since we know we had you at “shopping in your PJs,” here’s what we buy in bulk on Amazon.
1. Method Liquid Dish Soap Refill, 6 Pack, $42.59
Our director of content Brinda Ayer likes getting Method’s dish soap refills in bulk because it checks one more to-do item off her list. “The bulk refill containers allow me to top up my current dispensers for months on end,” she said. “Plus, I can ‘set it and forget it,’ signing up for a repeat version of the same box at intervals that fit my household needs.”
2. AYOTEE 4 -6 Gallon Biodegradable Garbage Bags (100 Count), $11.60
I’ve been using compostable bags for years in an effort to cut down on my plastic usage. I’ve used a few brands but have had the most success with this one, though garbage with sharp edges might cut through sometimes.
3. Cascade Platinum Dishwasher Pods (62 Count), $16.97
For something so small as dishwasher pods, they can be really heavy! That’s why I prefer to get them online in bulk so I can use that time saved to catch up on Fixer Upper before the new season drops.
4. Tide PODS Free and Gentle Laundry Detergent Soap (96 Count), $20.37
It’s the same situation here with laundry detergent—why and how are cleaning pods SO heavy?
5. Brawny Flex Paper Towels (12 Rolls), $26.59
While I use cloth napkins and reusable towels for most things, there are just some projects that require a traditional paper towel. I like how you can customize the size with these so you’re just using what you need.
1. Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap Refill (6 Pack), $35.72
Ayer regularly bought Mrs. Meyer’s hand soap refills in bulk back when Amazon Prime Pantry existed (RIP) and I’ve also been a loyal subscriber for years. Not only is it the best hand soap ever (don’t @ me), but each large refill can fill two or three dispensers in my household so they last a super long time.
2. Quilted Northern Ultra Plush Toilet Paper (24 Rolls), $21.31
When we asked our team what they buy in bulk, everyone said TP, TP, and more TP—and understandably so. They’re annoying to carry and even more annoying when it runs out—often in the middle of the week. While you can grab a pack the next time you’re at the store, why not save yourself the trouble with a subscription that’ll last you two months and save some change, too?
3. Mighty Patch Original - Hydrocolloid Acne Pimple Patch (36 Count), $11.88
Since I’ve been wearing masks so often, I subscribe to these hydrocolloid patches (which come as a 36-count pack) for maskne—you know, the acne you get after wearing a mask for hours.
4. Kleenex Ultra Soft Facial Tissues (8 Pack), $13.29
Eight boxes of tissues might sound a bit silly, but you won’t be laughing in the middle of allergy season.
1. Vita Coco Coconut Water (12 Pack), $15.30
Short of sticking a straw into a coconut, I live for my monthly subscription of Vita Coco. Buying them in bulk has saved me so much more money than grabbing a few here and there every time I go to the grocery store.
2. La Croix Sparkling Water, Variety Pack (10 Pack), $13.69
Unless you’re looking for an arm workout, buying La Croix online is such a game changer.
3. Nongshim Shin Bowl Noodle Soup (12 Pack), $10.43
I’ll usually buy a huge box of Nongshim ramen at H-Mart but seeing how the closest one is more than an hour away from me, I’ll stick to buying it online, thanks.
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Written by: Jada Wong
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22 Comments
i understand that this is one person's simple perspective on things to order in bulk online.... but really jeff bezos doesn't need any more of our money..... he's already got enough to buy two joyrides to space.
i would have preferred alternatives more focused on lowering carbon footprint (have they minimized packaging? are they using recycled materials? is it biodegradable?) and treating workers better..... for the most part, these products aren't particularly innovative.
heck, nearly any instant soup can be done just with hot water instead of on the stove, without having a disposable cup. major packaging and cost savings right there with minimal effort.
one thing that *is* great about this article is the reminder that ordering a product online wastes less time and uses less gasoline than going to the store for one or two items... and why not get things in bulk that are regularly used in quantity? having products delivered as part of a route is going to use far less gasoline in that last mile to your door.
if you do have the option, i'd order through a local chain grocery or co-op instead.... you can often request items that aren't on the shelf, and many offer case discounts. and do what you can to minimize extra trips: either do all your shopping at once, or combine smaller shops with other trips, like getting groceries on your way home from work.
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Is this article a paid testimonial? Is Food52 or the author, receiving any compensation for it from Amazon? If yes, Food52 and the author need to disclose that clearly and conspicuously per U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) rules on testimonials and advertising.
I agree with other commenters who have discussed the adverse ecological impacts of Amazon's packaging. I also think a lot about the carbon footprint involved in getting all these boxes of things shipped to us, including basic things like paper towels and soap. The total environmental impacts between the packaging (throw away cartons, etc.) and delivery (carbon pollution) is staggering. Recycling the packaging helps some except that we now know that China, which took a huge amount of our "recycling" off the U.S.' hands, is not interested in taking our garbage anymore, including "recylables". It sounds like a lot of our recyclables are going into U.S. landfills at this time. That in itself is pretty shocking.
And then there are the other non- recyclables in the online supply delivery chain - those millions and millions of air pockets/bags generated every year and used as padding inside the delivery packages. There is no easy or convenient way to return these to Amazon or any other retailer for the air packs to be re-used.
I think it should be mandatory for Amazon and other online shippers to have convenient drop-off spots for consumers to return these air packs and online shippers like Amazon should be required to re-use them.
If we're concerned about the environment -and we really all should be- than we have to evaluate our buying habits and their environmental impact. Online purchasing provides major convenience and major, negative environmental impact, too. All of us who use Amazon and other online providers to have goods delivered to our doors, are responsible and own this.
Our household has cut way back on online purchases as a result. We shop a lot more locally. We also pay a lot more attention to products that use less packaging and more environmentally friendly packaging like paper rather than plastics.
Thankfully, our household lives 2 blocks away from an independent, family-owned grocery store where we shop for food and household items, a Trader Joe's 1 mile away for other items, and have a twice weekly farmers' market in our town where we often ride our bikes to buy food grown in our area. We try to shop carefully and mindfully, and we don't buy a lot of stuff. We try to shop local as much as possible - whether at our local bookstore, local baker, or other smaller merchants.
We've also taken other steps to be more "green", such as removing all our lawn 2 years ago and putting in a native plant garden. We do what we can, in our own way, to try to live in a more environmentally friendly manner. If we care about the planet, it's important that we each think about what we can do in our daily lives, to be good stewards of the "Blue Dot" that we live on.
See what other Food52 readers are saying.