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What to Expect From Amazon’s Personal Shopper Service

Photo credit: Amazon
Photo credit: Amazon


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There’s no way of arguing that Amazon doesn’t want to make life easier for all of us. There’s the entertainment, the one-click shopping, the range of everything. And, as of a year ago, a team of stylish people signed on to be personal shoppers, working as de facto stylists to hunt through all that stuff to find what you should be wearing. It’s part of its Prime Wardrobe offering and takes things up a notch for the easy-to-swallow service charge of $4.99 (you must have an Amazon Prime account in order to access).

Photo credit: Amazon
Photo credit: Amazon

In general, the idea of having a personal shopper sounds really sexy and high-profile, but reality sets in at some point: Do “normal” people use personal shoppers? Does it mean you have to drop a few thousand dollars? What does a personal shopper even do? If having a stylist felt like something that only professional athletes or execs needing a wardrobe overhaul did, consider life officially changed.

Amazon’s version, Personal Shopper by Prime Wardrobe, has a great user experience with basically zero barriers to entry—so long as you have a Prime membership, you’re in. It’s not housed in an intimidating upper floor of a department store, but right there on a website you’re basically conditioned to think of as a second home. You share all the relevant info in a simple form and clothes show up at your place within a week or so. Ask yourself: Why aren’t you doing this already?

How does the personal shopper figure out what I like?

You’ll set up your profile by answering a range of questions about the types of clothing you like, your favorite brands, and what you typically wear (like button-downs versus T-shirts). Your stylist—a flesh and blood human with a background in fashion, not a bot powered by an algorithm—will study your responses and start shopping. If you’re in the market for something very specific, there’s also an opportunity to share that intel with your stylist.

To that last point: The service is great if you just need new stuff (or more stuff), but it can be a lifesaver if you’re shopping for a specific occasion. Starting a new job in a different industry and feeling clueless about the dress code? Ask your personal shopper. Going on vacation for the first time in years and don’t even know where to start? Personal shopper.

Do I have any say in what’s included?

You can control as much or as little as you want. Beyond highlighting the sort of things you want or don’t want, you can also tell your Personal Shopper about specific items you’ve seen on Amazon and wanted to try (if you see “Prime Wardrobe” near the item details, it should be fair game).

The stylist will share what they’ve pulled together before anything gets shipped out, too. It’s your opportunity to pick favorites or skip stuff that’s not interesting. All in all, you can select up to eight pieces to be sent your way for the free try-on period.

What happens when everything arrives?

Once your stuff arrives, the experience is just like Amazon’s Prime Wardrobe program. There’s a seven-day try-on period before you’re charged for anything. Send whatever is a no back with the included prepaid return label before time runs out, and you’ll only be charged for what you keep.

The service will auto-renew and can be set on a monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly basis. It’s easy to cancel or skip a cycle, too, so there’s no pressure to buy more if you don’t need anything. Expect your next go-around to be an even better fit, too, as your stylist pays attention to what you did and didn’t like.

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