So, it's only truly free for the first month.  After that, Amazon Prime has a $79 annual fee.  BUT when you do the math, Amazon Prime is a great value with extremely compelling benefits.  And with the price of gas where it is, it's not just your time that you're wasting when you drive to the mall, hadware, grocery or superstore to pick up a few things.  (Yes, Amazon has sold groceries for years now, too.)  And now, Amazon Prime members get free streaming of 5,000 movies and TV shows at no additional cost.)  Amazon may or may not make money on your membership itself — they're counting on the fact that once you become an Amazon Prime member, you'll shop Amazon much more frequently.  And you will, which is a win-win for them and you.  Think about how useful these benefits could be:

1. Fast Shipping
Once you're a member of Amazon Prime, you get unlimited, FREE 2-day shipping on everything you order from Amazon, and the option of 1-day shipping for an additonal $3.99/item.

2. No minimums
Amazon's standard free shipping has a $25 minimum order.  Think about how many more little things you would order from Amazon if you weren't paying an additional shipping fee to get a $3 egg timer.

3. Wide Selection
In addition to items sold directly by Amazon, many Amazon Marketplace items are fulfilled by Amazon, and these are also eligible for Amazon Prime shipping. Literally millions

4. Ship Anywhere
Not just shipments to yourself, but your gift purchases are eligible for Amazon Prime, making last minute gifting infinitely less stressful.

5. Share Your Amazon Prime membership with up to 3 additional members of your household. 
Just enter their name, email address, and their birthday, and they can sign up on your Amazon Prime membership at no additional fee!

Learn more and sign up for Amazon Prime here.  The first month is free, so go ahead and try it.