Amazon is closing “Prime Try Before You Buy,” which lets Prime members try on clothing, accessories, and shoes and only pay for what they choose to keep, in order to compete with Stitch Fix.
TakeAway Points:
- Amazon is scrapping a feature that let Prime members try on clothing, accessories, and shoes and only pay for what they chose to keep.
- There is a notice on Amazon’s website that the service will be discontinued on January 31.
- Since 2022, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy has been reducing expenses throughout the organisation.
- Tesla is voluntarily recalling about 239,000 of its electric vehicles in the U.S. due to issues that may cause rearview cameras to fail, according to filings out Friday.
Amazon to shut down ‘Try Before You Buy’ rival to Stitch Fix
Try Before You Buy is the latest example of Amazon CEO Andy Jassy’s ongoing efforts to rein in costs across the company. Beginning in 2022 and extending throughout 2024, Amazon initiated the largest layoffs in the company’s history, cutting more than 27,000 jobs across the company. It has also shuttered several of its experimental projects, such as a speedy brick-and-mortar delivery service, its telehealth offering and a quirky video-calling device for kids.
An Amazon spokesperson confirmed the move, which was first reported by The Information.
“Given the combination of Try Before You Buy only scaling to a limited number of items and customers increasingly using our new AI-powered features like virtual try-on, personalized size recommendations, review highlights, and improved size charts to make sure they find the right fit, we’re phasing out the Try Before You Buy option, effective January 31, 2025,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Amazon rolled out the service, which was previously called Prime Wardrobe, in 2017. It was only available to members of Amazon’s $139-per-year Prime subscription program, which also includes perks such as speedy shipping and access to streaming services.
Users could test out a mix of luxury, staple and Amazon-owned brands and return whatever they didn’t want to keep for free within seven days of receiving the items. The service operated similarly to wardrobe subscription services including Stitch Fix and Rent the Runway, as well as newer entrants such as Urban Outfitters’ Nuuly.
Tesla recalling 239,000 vehicles in U.S. over rearview camera failures
Tesla is voluntarily recalling about 239,000 of its electric vehicles in the U.S. to fix an issue that can cause its rearview cameras to fail, the company disclosed in filings posted Friday to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website.
“A rearview camera that does not display an image reduces the driver’s rear view, increasing the risk of a crash,” Tesla wrote in a letter to the regulator. The recall applies to Tesla’s 2024-2025 Model 3 and Model S sedans, and to its 2023-2025 Model X and Model Y SUVs.
The company also said in the acknowledgement letter that it has already “released an over-the-air (OTA) software update, free of charge” that can fix some of the vehicles’ camera issues.
In 2024, Tesla issued 16 recalls in the U.S. that applied to 5.14 million of its EVs, according to NHTSA data. The recall remedies included a mix of over-the-air software updates and parts replacements. More than 40% of last year’s recalls pertained to issues with the newest vehicle in the company’s lineup, the Cybertruck, an angular steel pickup that Tesla began delivering to customers in late 2023.
Regarding the latest recall, the company said it had received 887 warranty claims and dozens of field reports but told the NHTSA that it was not aware of any injurious, fatal or other collisions resulting from the rearview camera failures.
Other customers with vehicles that “experienced a circuit board failure or stress that may lead to a circuit board failure,” which causes the backup camera failures, can have their vehicles’ computers replaced by Tesla, free of charge, the company said.
