Amazon is raising the annual fee for its second-day membership program, Amazon Prime, from $79 to $99, according to the company's homepage, though customers who sign up for the service in the next seven days will lock in the current price. Rumors of a potential price-hike began to circulate late last year, and Amazon confirmed that it may raise the fee by as much as $40 in its quarterly earnings call in January.
Barnes & Noble reacted to the announcement by issuing a statement Thursday morning from chief merchandising officer Jaime Carey that read: “As another online bookseller announces higher membership fees, the Barnes & Noble Member program maintains its very low annual fee of $25, which includes unlimited free express shipping with no minimum purchase at BN.com."
