Amazon’s 48-hour Prime Day event is already under way, and experts expect purchases will exceed last year’s record-breaking sales.
In 2023, more than 375 million items were purchased during the two-day prime event. In 2022, 300 million items were sold.
“It’s hard to justify this expectation as just pent-up demand,” said Virginia Tech economist Jadrian Wooten.
“Instead, it suggests that the economy is doing a lot better than people want to admit.”
The sales event also puts a burden on transportation systems and the environment.
Experts suggest checking the “ship everything in one box” option even if it takes a couple more days for your items to arrive.
This saves on the greenhouse gas emissions from drivers dropping off multiple shipments at one household and can even earn buyers Amazon credits for future purchases.
“Medium and heavy-duty freight vehicles are responsible for nearly 7 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.,” said Md Sami Hasine, an expert in transportation systems and infrastructure engineering at Virginia Tech. “With the increase of on-demand delivery in recent years, vehicle emissions and congestion have increased exponentially on urban and rural roads in the U.S.
“It’s also created an increase in the number of trucks parked for long hours on the side of interstates and busy urban roads leading to severe safety and health issues for residents.”
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Crystal Graham
