With the announcement of Target Subscriptions, I wanted to run a quick price check to see how it stacks up with competitors Amazon.com and Diapers.com. We’re expecting another baby, so we’ll be needing lots of diapers soon (cloth just didn’t happen). Below is a chart of prices, data table, and recap. All shopping methods offer free shipping unless otherwise stated. Prices are as of May 6th, 2014.
| Shopping method | Pampers Swaddlers Diapers Size 1, 216 count | Huggies Snug & Dry Diapers Size 3, 222 count | Notes |
| Diapers.com | $46.89 | $48.39 | Ignores first-time customer promotions |
| Amazon | $45.97 | $45.99 | immediate ship |
| Amazon Subscribe & Save 5% off |
$43.67 | $43.69 | auto-delivery |
| Amazon Mom Subscribe & Save 20% off |
$36.78 | $36.79 | 20% off all diapers with Amazon Mom + Amazon Prime. |
| Target | $45.99 | $45.99 | immediate ship, must spend $50 for free shipping |
| Target Subscriptions 5% off |
$43.69 | $43.69 | auto-delivery |
| Target Subscriptions 5% off + Target REDcard 5% off |
$41.51 | $41.51 | auto-delivery + must pay with REDcard. |
Recap and Notes
- Diapers.com has some good new customer promotions (currently $10 off first case, 20% off for 3 months on auto-delivery). However, on an ongoing basis their prices appear more expensive than Amazon or Target.
- Amazon Subscribe & Save with Amazon Mom technically offers the cheapest price, but you’ll need Amazon Mom (free trial) and thus Amazon Prime. Amazon Mom gives 20% off all diapers and wipes, and you can get 20% other Subscribe and Save items with Mom if you reach at least 5 subscription items per month. (If you just have 5 items and no Prime/Mom, you get 15% off.) As of right now, that isn’t a problem for us as we use it every month. Keep in mind that Amazon is always fiddling with pricing so it’s wise to keep an eye on them.
- Target subscription prices are generally competitive, but don’t appear to beat Amazon significantly and their selection is still much more limited. I did include a line with the 5% off with Target REDcard discount, but note that you can also use a rewards-earning credit card at Amazon.
- Sales tax is another consideration, as Target may charge sales tax in your state while Amazon may not if it doesn’t have a physical presence in your state. Amazon is gradually starting to charge sales tax in most states, however.
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I have found that the Target Up and Up brand diapers in the huge packages are my favorite in terms of price and quality. I will have to look into the Target subscription thing to see if I can get them even cheaper now.
I tried out both the Target and Costco Kirkland diapers early on in for our first baby and they all worked fine in my opinion.
Small correction: to get the 20% of diapers at Amazon, you need only Subscribe & Save, Amazon Prime, and Amazon Mom (no need subscribe to 5 items per month).
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=201134030
@Steve, thanks for the correction. I’ve been so focused on getting 5 items each month that I forgot that Amazon Mom gives 20% off diapers and wipes no matter how many items you add per month.
I was confused on the 15% off too. If you get to 5 items per month with Subscribe and Save, you get 15% off all the subscription items but NOT the diapers & wipes. However, the diapers & wipes do count as an item to get to 5 which can get you the 15% off on the other S&S items. I don’t really get it, but there it is.
Grandma commenting here! Apparently I cannot give a diaper subscription as a gift on Amazon but I can give a year’s subscription as a gift on several other sites.
We get our diapers on Costco.com when they go on sale which happens regularly. Just bought another 2 cases of Huggies Snug and Dry size 3 for $33 per case of 210 with free shipping to our door. Seems to be the best deal around.
Yes the warehouse clubs also have good prices, I wonder if their in-store price is the same as online. Looks like Costco.com regular price is $39 with free shipping ($6 manufacturer coupon right now), just no auto-delivery option.
Note also that you can buy Amazon gift cards at various places giving you a category bonus (e.g. Staples with a 5% office supply bonus credit card). Also Amex occasionally runs sync promotions (like the Lowe’s $10 of $50) at places which sell Amazon gift cards. Admikttedly, thos eplaces might sell target gift cards as well so it might be a wash 🙂
Second that on Costco. At $32-33 for a giant case they are the cheapest and easiest. We too just got 2 size 4 cases.
Love Amazon but we do not have 5 things to get to the subscription level where it’s cheap enough.
Congrats on #2! Our youngest is just getting old enough to play with our firstborn and that is a lot of fun.
Thanks Andy!
Congrats on the new baby!!
Thanks Brad!
Its not too hard to find 5 things to get to the subscription level. The diapers give you one item, so you need 4 more to get the discount. You may also want to buy baby wipes via subscribe and save, which also gives you a good price and a 2nd item. After that you can find some fairly cheap but common household grocery items that you know you’d use like a box of cereal or a jar of spices to fill your 5 item total.
I agree Jim that getting to 5 isn’t that hard if you look for items you already buy regularly you can usually get to 5 w/o too much issue. I just wanted to add here again that I was wrong in my initial post. With Amazon Mom + Prime, everyone gets 20% off diapers and wipes with no 5-item requirement. The other subscription items do require 5 items to get 20% off. Since I had Amazon Mom already I guess I didn’t notice that.
@Jonathan “the warehouse clubs also have good prices, I wonder if their in-store price is the same as online.”
Yes, Costco’s in-store regular price for Huggies Snug and Dry is $38.99. You have to recalculate the unit cost though, because Costco has slightly different quantities per box. That would be the cheapest other than Amazon Mom.
Amazon Subscribe and Save kind of sucks nows, very restrictive. I find it useless for diapers because in the beginning, the baby keeps changing sizes the first year.
If you’re lucky enough to be in an area with Google Shopping Express trial, you can get Costco diapers delivered to you free the same day!
With very little effort, you can get those diapers for $20-$25 at Target or target.com. Even right now, there is a $15 giftcard when you buy 2 boxes, then there is 10% off code (MOMSFAVS), then if you have a target card you get 5% off plus free shipping. Then you can also get 5% in your Upromise account or other cash back sites. If you want to fool with coupons, you can do even better. My third child was born this week, and we stocked up on great prices while I was pregnant.
Congrats on #2! We too are expecting our second, and we had our daughter around the same time as your first. I appreciate these kinds of posts!
Right now, we’re in a Delve Market Research diaper study, where we test two weeks of diapers and get paid $145 (visa card) at the end. We’re testing diapers already on the market (Huggies, Pampers, and Target brand). This is our third diaper study with them, highly recommend it if anyone is in their testing area! I’ve also tested and got to keep a crib bedding set (retail value $99) from Target through Delve. You can join their panel at http://www.delve.com.
Congratulations J! So excited for y’all, let us know the gender when y’all find out.
Congrats on your second baby. We are in line for our # 2 as well. Can’t wait.
Costco is what we are going with to stock up on Diapers and other stuff.
Congrats Jonathan! I’ve been buying diapers at Target with the RedCard. It’s just more convenient since I just buy based on need rather than subscribe/save. Plus I often buy when they have a deal where Target gives a Target gift card or if they’re on sale. Plus I often use a manufacturer’s coupon.
You try the Luv’s diapers? Used it for our two sons over past 3 years and had no issues. Wife actually liked them the best as they don’t have a strong odor (to us anyway, however, they are not unscented). It’s the cheapest option by far. You get more per box and it’s cheaper.