I am an Amazon Junkie

I remember when it all started. As an avid book reader, I was searching for a new book and, for once, didn't feel like going to a Borders or Barnes & Noble to get it. I had heard my friend mention Amazon once or twice, but that information just went somewhere with all the other background noise in my head. Amazon didn't become real to me until the day I needed that book and, voila!, there it was in living color on an Amazon product page.

Not only was it well described, reviewed and colorful, this book was listed at a significant discount to anything I had seen advertised anywhere else. I clicked, entered my payment information and took the first, innocent steps towards my newest addiction: online Amazon shopping.

I had been addicted to many things prior to becoming an online shopper: books, donuts, candy of all kind, friends, my mom, certain musical artists (yes, I went through an infatuation phase with Michael Jackson) and, more recently, my Ipod, air conditioning in my car and having only Lactaid milk with my cereal.

But none of those things compared to the thrill of shopping on Amazon.

I used to puzzle over my mom, who ordered a bunch of stuff (garbage) through places like QVC and other home shopping channels. Why did she stay up until 3 am to see these infomercials? What made her believe she needed these vitamins/clothes/cleaning products anyway?

Until it happened to me. Yes, I was one of the scornful, until Amazon brought me down to size. After my first purchase, I set up my account. Then I started browsing for sales. I went from books to CDs. From CDs to audiobooks. From audiobooks to health care products. And from health care products to electronics. (And we won't mention the look-sees I do while I'm at work, my Amazon Visa card or the Wish List that just keeps getting longer.)

I was hanging on to my sanity, but just barely, until Amazon introduced something that turned my world upside down. SUBSCRIBE & SAVE! With subscribe and save, I could now order the every day products I regularly use, have it delivered on a regular basis (by subscribing) and SAVE 10 to 15% on each order. Whoo-hoo! It didn't get any better than this!

I started ordering things like the protein powder I over-drink (it was so much cheaper with Subscribe & Save), the lotion I was too lazy to look for in the grocery store (it was the same price or less on Amazon) and sort through the various sunblock lotions until I found the exact, perfect one for me! Hooray! What next, I wondered? I am now searching for the vitamins I use, the ginseng I ingest regularly and the tea I drink. Can Amazon possibly own any more of my brain and paycheck? Probably not, but as soon as I discover they've added online groceries to their bargains (a la Peapod) and can deliver them right to my door - I think that'll be pretty much it for me.