Well, I had a fun shopping experience that I thought I would share–Amazon’s Treasure Truck. It is kind of internet-y and social media-y thing I can chat about.
It is yet another POS that Amazon is owning.
Basically, you sign up for text messages through Amazon to be notified when their treasure truck is in your area with a hot sale item. You then reserve the item, select pre-set pick up location, then pick it up at the appointed time. The oddest thing: no money changes hands.
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(Photo courtesy of Amazon) |
Cities with Amazon Treasure Truck
I’m kind of late to the game–Amazon’s Treasure Truck launched in Houston back in July. Around for two years, The Treasure Truck is in major cities like Seattle (naturally), Portland (of course), 5 California cities, 4 Texas cities (including Houston), a few Florida and New England locations (including NYC) and a smattering of Midwest cities.
The deals are pretty significant. I got a Nespresso Pixie for $115. I priced them at Macy’s, Bed Bath and Beyond and some other online retailers and the same item was retailing for $150 and up.
Amazon Treasure Truck deals
Yesterday, for Valentine’s Day, they were offering a box of 12 Godiva chocolates and a dozen red roses for $22. That is a bargain. A dozen red roses, alone, can cost at least $25. A box of Godiva Chocolates are $32. Pretty sweet!
They also sold the release of the Harry Potter book for a nice price of $17.99. They have sold oysters, Hatchimals, GoPros, filet mignons and anything else that Amazon can think of.
The game of it all
For some reason, it feels fun and game-y. I’m not sure why? Maybe because of the scavenger hunt feel, along with the promise of a prize. I do realize I paid for the prize. I guess it is the idea of getting a deal.
A part of me felt like I was buying something from someone’s trunk. But another part of me felt like I was hanging out at a food truck. A very odd feeling. It is a very festive truck and the guy couldn’t have been nicer.
The nice/weird thing: no money changed hands. I just showed the guy a QR code on my phone (by the way, this was the first legit reason that I’ve ever seen for a QR code). That made it feel even more game-like. The downside? I had to hang around that part of town for an extra hour and I ended up doing other shopping to kill time.
So I really did pay $150 (or more) for that Nespresso machine.
Maybe I need to plan better next time.