If one is hurting for cash, Prime is a very good deal. It isn't just delivery. It's TV, music, movies, photo storage, books and audiobooks. It's a very decent value. $72/yr is cheaper than Netflix, and Netflix is far cheaper than most entertainment sources. I'm aware that some folks here at under the impression that the poor should suffer in quiet shame, but humans tend to not want to be miserable. Cheap, high grade entertainment plus access to cheap bulk products is a good thing.
It's an overall good thing for Amazon. I'm glad they did something mildly nice for folks without a lot of cash.
I don't think the poor should "suffer", but allowing them to reside in comfort does nothing to get them to improve their situation. I'm all for helping those that hit a bump in the road or a roadblock. I will gladly help them go over, around, or through. But I don't like those that decide that that is as far as they are going, and expect society to carry them. Being laid-off at some point is something that happens to pretty much everyone in the middle class at some point (Mergers, Acquisitions, Down-sizings, Right-sizings, Reorganizations, or whatever the current buzzword is). The fact is, that very, very few people hire on with a company after they've completed school and stick around long enough to get the gold watch. I've been through two companies being sold, one company acquiring another, and one subsidiary being sold off. In a two cases, I saw the handwriting on the wall, and pulled the rip cord. In the other two, I (and a bunch of other folks) were blindsided. Ehhhh.
So having walked in those shoes, I understand, and am willing to help those that had it happen to them. Again, as long as they are doing what they can to find wrok and boot-strap themselves up, even if it means taking a job well below their skill-set (like fast food), just have something coming in.
What I disagree with is sittin' around luxuriatin' in a Section 8 apartment watching cable on a 65" flatscreen, with an EBT card in hand, waiting for your check to come so you can go to the nail salon, and then swinging by McD's on your way home for dinner.
If you want to do that on your dime, I could not care less. However, on my dime, then I have a say in how that money should be spent.
Which is why I think beans, rice, and gruel should be the food supplied, as it provides the incentive for better. I'm not saying people should starve, but without incentives, there is no reason to better oneself.