{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","contentId":"00000198-3ecb-df21-a5f8-bedbdb5d0007","url":"https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/amazon-prices-increase-wall-street-journal-flawed-analysis","headline":"Amazon sets the record straight: The Wall Street Journal’s flawed pricing analysis","description":"Amazon says that the WSJ article is based on flawed analysis claiming the retailer raised prices on everyday essentials.","datePublished":"2025-07-25T19:48:13.596Z","dateModified":"2025-07-25T19:48:13.596Z","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Amazon Staff","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/08549ff/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1125x1125+438+0/resize/84x84!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F47%2F6d%2F7fe296e642859c7ba2a629eda3ba%2Famazon-logo-hero-images-2024.jpg","width":"84","height":"84"}}],"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://assets.aboutamazon.com/dims4/default/3458e75/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2000x1000+0+63/resize/1200x600!/quality/90/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fassets.aboutamazon.com%2F47%2F6d%2F7fe296e642859c7ba2a629eda3ba%2Famazon-logo-hero-images-2024.jpg","width":"1200","height":"600"},"articleBody":"# Amazon sets the record straight: The Wall Street Journal’s flawed pricing analysis\n\nOn July 20, [The *Wall Street Journal (WSJ)* published an article](https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/amazon-price-hikes-essentials-60a7c7f3?mod=author_content_page_1_pos_1) claiming Amazon has raised prices on everyday essentials since the introduction of higher tariffs. The article is based on a fundamentally flawed analysis that, in turn, fails to represent reality. While we welcome scrutiny at Amazon, we believe it’s important for people to understand the facts and what’s really going on.\n\nAmazon’s grocery and everyday essentials selection consists of over 6 million products from packaged food and beverages to health and personal care to household supplies. In the first quarter of 2025, Amazon’s everyday essentials grew more than twice as fast as the rest of the business in the U.S. and represented 1 out every 3 units sold. This doesn’t happen without consistently offering customers low prices every day.\n\nThis is a fact that’s backed by customer sentiment and extensive, independent third-party analysis from the well-known research firm Profitero. For eight years in a row, Profitero’s analysis has shown [Amazon to be the lowest-priced retailer in the U.S.](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/amazon-lowest-priced-us-retailer-profitero-study) on everyday essentials. Profitero’s independent, comprehensive research is grounded in industry best practices for price comparisons, analyzing tens of thousands of identical, in-stock items across 22 leading U.S. retailers at regular intervals to eliminate brief price spikes or deal promotions and determine more consistent competitiveness and ensure true comparisons. The *WSJ* took a very different approach and made several critical methodological flaws that undermine its conclusions.\n\n## A cherry-picked sample and flawed analysis\n\nThe *WSJ*’s article about Amazon's pricing practices isn't just flawed—it seems fundamentally misleading by design. Amazon offers over 6 million everyday essential items, yet the *WSJ* focused their story on just under 2,500 low-priced everyday essentials products—less than 0.04% of our everyday essentials selection. This isn’t responsible sampling; it's surgical cherry-picking. Also, the *WSJ* looked only at prices on two specific dates, January 20 and July 1. Selecting two specific dates versus evaluating over a period of time is a methodology that any credible researcher would recognize would yield inaccurate findings. The objective approach would have been to follow the common research practice of checking prices at regular intervals during a specific time period and creating a baseline that reflects consistent prices over time. Furthermore, the *WSJ* in many cases compared prices of products in stock and available for purchase at Amazon with prices of products out of stock and unavailable for purchase at other retailers.\n\nAnd while the *WSJ* focused their article on products that saw increases in prices in their small dataset of nearly 2,500 products, what they didn’t explain is that approximately two thirds had either no price change or a price decrease on Amazon for the specific dates they’ve chosen—and about the same number had price *decreases* as they did increases. Low-priced products in particular see price changes on a weekly if not daily basis as retailers compete to provide great value, and our prices change as we meet or beat competitors’ low prices, offer deals to save customers money, or as independent sellers choose to update their own prices. If the *WSJ* had averaged prices for their subset of about 2,500 products across the months of January and June, they would have found that over 92% had either no price change or a price decrease. In fact, when the *WSJ* first contacted Amazon about this story, they were using averaged pricing data across these two months but changed course right before publication to select two dates, resulting in exaggerated and misleading price increases.\n\nAmazon also analyzed the *WSJ* graphic that claimed Amazon’s prices on low-priced products had increased 5.2% during the two dates (implying across their full set of 1,200 low-priced products in the research). We determined that the *WSJ* based this claim only on a portion of products (all or mostly those that had seen increases) and not the entire dataset of low-priced items, two-thirds of which had lower or stable prices, resulting in a misleading graphic. When analyzing the full 1,200 items, Amazon’s prices in fact decreased.\n\nEven among the 15 examples they highlighted in the story, we found significant methodological and factual errors that render the results meaningless. This includes incorrect starting prices, mathematical errors in calculating percentage increases, mischaracterizing temporary promotional prices returning to their steady-state price as \"price increases,\" and comparing products in-stock at Amazon that haven’t been in stock at the other featured retailers for months. For example, the PetArmor ear rinse, Zarbee’s Children’s Honey Cough Syrup, Ricola Max Honey Lemon Throat Care Large Bag, Seventh Generation Multi-Surface Cleaning Wipes, BUSH'S BEST Canned Blackeye Peas, and Bounce Pet Hair and Lint Guard Dryer Sheets price changes were significantly exaggerated due to inaccurate prices cited or incorrect math by the *WSJ*. The Yogi Tea Green Tea Blueberry Slim Life Tea was briefly on promotion at Whole Foods Market and the Dove Advanced Care was briefly on promotion on Amazon Fresh on January 20, and those promotional prices were incorrectly used as the baseline price in the story. The Dayglow Spectrum Diversified Stackable Basket (in Satin Nickel) has not been available at Target or Walmart for several months, making any price comparison meaningless if the item can’t be purchased elsewhere.\n\nAnd the *WSJ* chose not to mention the hundreds of price decreases at Amazon from their small dataset such as the iDesign Everett Wide Metal Hanging Shower Caddy, $22.76 to $14.07, a 38% decrease; Cricut Joy Gel Point Pens 1.0 (3), $7.97 to $5.00, a 37% decrease; TUKOL Cough Medicine for Adults Multi-Symptom Cough Syrup (4 fl. oz), $7.50 to $4.99, a 33% decrease; Miracle Whip Light Dressing, $5.49 to $3.97, a 28% decrease; Energizer A23 Batteries, $3.99 to $2.89, a 28% decrease; Gatorade Thirst Quencher Orange (20 fl. oz), $7.88 to $5.99, a 24% decrease; BIC Soleil Escape Scented Women's Razors, $14.89 to $11.49, a 23% decrease; and Baby Dove Bubble Bath, $9.90 to $7.99, a 19% decrease—see a list of the top 100 below.\n\nUsing this flawed approach, the *WSJ* could have highlighted a small number of products with significant price increases at any national retailer. We’ve identified thousands of everyday essential items, from candy and coffee to makeup and batteries, where the other national retailers mentioned in the article raised their prices from 25% to 400% looking at the very same dates that the WSJ investigated. In fact, the top item in the *WSJ*’s article—a can of Campbell’s New England Clam Chowder—saw price increases first by the national competitors named in the article, and Amazon’s price of $2.58 featured in the article matched the lowest national competitor on the date the *WSJ* conducted their research, July 1, which the *WSJ* neglected to mention.\n\n## The facts: Amazon's commitment to low prices every day\n\nPerhaps most telling is that the *WSJ*’s final distillation—from an already cherry-picked list of items—failed to explain that Amazon consistently meets or beats competitor pricing across their own sample of products they researched and beyond. The *WSJ* honed in on percentage price increases and ignored the fact that Amazon still offered prices that often beat or otherwise meet nearly every product featured compared to other national retailers with these same products. Prices fluctuate across all retailers regularly, but the suggestion that Amazon charges more for like-for-like items than others is incorrect.\n\nOur commitment to meet or beat the prices of other retailers is unwavering. The fact is that the average prices of products we sell across our entire selection, including everyday essentials, has not changed appreciably outside of typical fluctuations that occur across millions of items. This is what matters most to customers—[everyday low prices](https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/retail/amazon-pricing) on the things they need to run their lives—not fringe percentage increases on a cherry-picked sliver of our massive selection. Regardless of the economic climate, customers are always looking to stretch their budgets further. We take our role in customers’ lives so seriously and couldn’t allow flawed analysis and reporting, even by reputable media organizations like the *WSJ*, to stand unchecked.\n\n## Summary\n\nThe *WSJ* built their narrative on approximately 2,500 everyday essentials products—less than 0.04% of Amazon's 6 million everyday essentials. What they hid: the vast majority of these cherry-picked items had either no price change or a price decrease during their selected timeframe, and over 92% were the same price or lower when looking at average prices in January and June. Amazon has already lowered prices on many thousands of products this year across our full selection. Even within the *WSJ*'s cherry-picked dataset, we've lowered prices on hundreds of products between January 20 and July 1—below are just 100 examples. Many of the highlighted examples in the *WSJ* story contained significant factual errors, from incorrect starting prices to basic math mistakes. The reality remains: Amazon consistently beats or meets the lowest competitive prices among major retailers, maintaining our unwavering commitment to customer value.\n\n1.       iDesign Everett Wide Metal Hanging Shower Caddy, $22.76 to $14.07, 38% decrease\n2.       Cricut Joy Gel Point Pens 1.0 (3), $7.97 to $5.00, 37% decrease\n3.       TUKOL Cough Medicine for Adults Multi-Symptom Cough Syrup (4 fl. oz), $7.50 to $4.99, 33% decrease\n4.       PopSockets PopGrip for MagSafe, Magnetic Phone Grip & Stand, $29.97 to $19.99, 33% decrease\n5.       Learning Resources Classroom Thermometer, $11.19 to $7.99, 29% decrease\n6.       Six Star Whey Protein Powder Plus Muscle Building & Recovery Formula with Whey Isolate Powder Post-Workout Supplement, $21.99 to $15.83, 28% decrease\n7.       Kaytee Wild Bird Basic Seed (10 lb), $16.47 to $11.88, 28% decrease\n8.       KitchenAid Universal Plastic Batter Bowl, 8-Cup, $17.99 to $12.99, 28% decrease\n9.       Miracle Whip Light Dressing (30 oz), $5.49 to $3.97, 28% decrease\n10.    Energizer A23 Batteries, A23 Battery Alkaline, 2 Count, $3.99 to $2.89, 28% decrease\n11.    hand2mind Social Emotional Task Cards, $19.99 to $14.49, 28% decrease\n12.    hand2mind Alphabet Picture Mnemonic Cards, ABC Flashcards for Kids, $12.28 to $8.99, 27% decrease\n13.    Starry Lemon Lime Soda Pop (12 fl. oz) pack of 12, $7.28 to $5.47, 25% decrease\n14.    SKL Home Fall Harvest Gnome Hand Towel 2pc Set, $19.30 to $14.59, 24% decrease\n15.    Delta Children CoComelon Cozee Buddy Kids Chair, $32.99 to $24.99, 24% decrease\n16.    Gatorade Thirst Quencher, Orange (20 fl. oz) pack of 8, $7.88 to $5.99, 24% decrease\n17.    hand2mind Luna The Calming Kitty, Breathing Light, $16.69 to $12.79, 23% decrease\n18.    LaCroix Sparkling Water, Strawberry Peach, (12 fl. oz) pack of 8, $4.99 to $3.83, 23% decrease\n19.    BIC Soleil Escape Scented Women's Disposable Razors 4 Blades 10 Count, $14.89 to $11.49, 23% decrease\n20.    Dritz 24\" Hip Pattern Drafting Ruler, $16.49 to $12.79, 22% decrease\n21.    Mind Reader Single Serve Coffee Pod Drawer Countertop Organizer, $19.99 to $15.60, 22% decrease\n22.    BODYARMOR LYTE Sports Drink Low-Calorie Sports Beverage (16 fl. oz), $1.27 to $1.00, 21% decrease\n23.    Mind Reader Vertical File Storage, Desktop Organizer, $19.99 to $15.79, 21% decrease\n24.    Crosley Mini Retro 80's Portable Bluetooth Speaker, $23.95 to $18.95, 21% decrease\n25.    Simplify Holiday Light Organizer Holds 500 Lights Christmas Storage Box, $12.92 to $10.30, 20% decrease\n26.    Dulcolax Kids Saline Laxative Soft Chews Laxatives 1200 mg 15 Count, $7.49 to $5.98, 20% decrease\n27.    her own Boost, Helps Boost Energy Green Tea Leaf Extract, 60 Capsules, $14.99 to $11.99, 20% decrease\n28.    SoCozy Boo! Lice Scaring Shampoo For Kids Hair Effective Lice Treatment (10.5 fl. oz), $11.19 to $8.99, 20% decrease\n29.    Baby Dove Bubble Bath Melanin-Rich Skin Nourishment (16 oz), $9.90 to $7.99, 19% decrease\n30.    Roundup Dual Action 365 Weed & Grass Killer Plus 12 Month Preventer (1 gal), $45.42 to $36.75, 19% decrease\n31.    Mucinex Fast-Max Liquid Gels for Day/Night Cold and Flu 24 Count, $18.47 to $14.97, 19% decrease\n32.    SKL Home Gilded Pineapple Hand Towel Set, $18.86 to $15.29, 19% decrease\n33.    SABRE 2-in-1 Personal Alarm with LED Light Personal Safety Siren, $11.47 to $9.40, 18% decrease\n34.    Raid Ant & Roach Killer Spray for Listed Bugs (17.5 oz), $5.64 to $4.63, 18% decrease\n35.    Secret Antiperspirant and Deodorant for Women (2.7 oz) Pack of 2, $6.97 to $5.74, 18% decrease\n36.    KitchenAid Gourmet Cookie Dough Scoop, $13.94 to $11.49, 18% decrease\n37.    SKL Home Yellowstone Sundance 100% Cotton Premium 2-Piece Hand Towel, $11.99 to $9.89, 18% decrease\n38.    Exclusive Home Curtains Finesse Branch Print Grommet Top Curtain Panel Pair, $29.15 to $24.1, 17% decrease\n39.    Woods Outdoor Extension Power Block Durable Cord 8-Foot, $7.79 to $6.47, 17% decrease\n40.    Pledge Moisturizing Wood Oil Furniture Reviving Spray (9.7 oz), $5.38 to $4.49, 17% decrease\n41.    mio Orange Tangerine Flavored with Other Natural Flavor Liquid Water Enhancer (3.24 fl. oz), $5.94 to $4.99, 16% decrease\n42.    Mucinex Fast-Max & NightShift Combo Pack Max Strength Cough & Cold Medicine (6 fl. oz), $19.97 to $16.95, 15% decrease\n43.    Gallery Solutions - 8\"x10\" Flat Grey Wall Frame, $15.99 to $13.59, 15% decrease\n44.    Gatorade Kids' Rookie Metal Water Bottle (12oz) Stainless Steel Bottle, $19.98 to $16.99, 15% decrease\n45.    iDesign Polyester Constellation Shower Curtain, $16.93 to $14.40, 15% decrease\n46.    hand2mind Morphology Wall Card Set, $14.79 to $12.59, 15% decrease\n47.    SKL Home Holidays 6-Piece Hand Towel Set Assorted 6 Count, $22.99 to $19.59, 15% decrease\n48.    hand2mind FingerFocus Highlighter to Go Guided Reading Strips, $10.19 to $8.69, 15% decrease\n49.    L'Oreal Paris Elvive Total Repair 5 Repairing Shampoo (28 fl. oz), $8.97 to $7.68, 14% decrease\n50.    iDesign Polyester Floral Print Shower Curtain, $16.78 to $14.40, 14% decrease\n51.    Household Essentials Over-The-Door Ironing Board Holder, $12.99 to $11.19, 14% decrease\n52.    Bumble Bee Jalapeno Seasoned Tuna (2.5 oz) $1.16 to $1.00, 14% decrease\n53.    Fit & Fresh Charlotte Adult Insulated Lunch Bag, $16.99 to $14.69, 14% decrease\n54.    Milk-Bone MaroSnacks Dog Treats Peanut Butter (40 oz), $11.48 to $9.96, 13% decrease\n55.    Purina Tidy Cats Tidy Care Alert Cat Health Monitoring Cat Litter (8 lb), $22.04 to $19.19, 13% decrease\n56.    bubly Sparkling Water Grapefruit (12 fl. oz) pack of 8, $4.18 to $3.65, 13% decrease\n57.    Gatorade Glacier Cherry (12 fl. oz), pack of 12, $7.98 to $6.98, 13% decrease\n58.    Gatorade Thirst Quencher Orange (12 fl. oz) pack of 12, $7.98 to $6.98, 13% decrease\n59.    Keebler Fudge Cookies (8.5oz), $3.38 to $2.98, 11.83% decrease\n60.    Mommy's Bliss Constipation Ease + Prebiotics (4 fl. oz), $11.77 to$10.43, 11% decrease\n61.    Logitech K120 Wired Keyboard for Windows, $12.34 to $10.95, 11% decrease\n62.    Natrol Fast Dissolve Melatonin 10 mg 60 Strawberry-Flavored Tablets, $8.96 to $7.97, 11% decrease\n63.    Mucinex FastMax DM Max Strength Cough Relief Liquid (6 fl. oz), $13.97 to $12.49, 11% decrease\n64.    Purina Fancy Feast Dry Cat Food with Savory Farm-Raised Chicken and Turkey (3 lb), $10.18 to $9.12, 10% decrease\n65.    Tweezerman Disney's Mickey Mouse & Minnie Mouse Ear-esistible Nail Files pack of 3, $7.12 to $6.40, 10% decrease\n66.    Jose Cuervo Classic Lime Light Margarita Mix (59.2 fl. oz), $8.74 to $7.86, 10% decrease\n67.    Dot's Pretzels Cinnamon Sugar Seasoned Pretzel Twist Snack (16 oz), $6.48 to $5.83, 10% decrease\n68.    Dot's Pretzels Honey Mustard Seasoned Pretzel Twist Snack (16 oz), $6.48 to $5.83, 10% decrease\n69.    Wrangler Throw Blanket Soft Plush Fleece Bedding, $14.50 to $13.05, 10% decrease\n70.    Glade Automatic Spray Refill Air Freshener (6.2 oz), $6.98 to $6.29, 10% decrease\n71.    Kraft NotCo Original Flavor Plant Based Mac & Cheese (6 oz), $2.74 to $2.47, 10% decrease\n72.    I AND LOVE AND YOU Cat Food Variety (3 oz) 12 pack, $14.29 to $12.89, 10% decrease\n73.    Whitmor Upright Christmas Tree Bag Extra-Large, $21.99 to $19.84, 10% decrease\n74.    Goldfish Crisps Salt & Vinegar Flavored Baked Chip Cracker Snacks (6.25 oz), $3.52 to $3.19, 9% decrease\n75.    her own Cleanse Gentle Detox, Prebiotic/Probiotic Blend Cleansing Herbal Blend 60 Capsules, $13.21 to $11.99, 9% decrease\n76.    Gillette Venus Intimate Grooming Razors for Women 6 Razor Blade Refills, $21.99 to $19.97, 9% decrease\n77.    Cetaphil Body Wash Fragrance Free (20 oz), $8.79 to $7.99, 9% decrease\n78.    BARILLA Protein Plus Penne Pasta (14.5 oz), $2.50 to $2.28, 9% decrease\n79.    Ro-Tel Diced Tomatoes with Lime and Cilantro (10 oz), $1.33 to $1.22, 8% decrease\n80.    EXPO Low Odor Dry Erase Markers Chisel Tip Black 4 Count, $4.87 to $4.47, 8% decrease\n81.    PUR PLUS Lead Reducing Water Pitcher and Dispenser Replacement Filter, $10.99 to $10.15, 8% decrease\n82.    Evenflo Feeding Premium Proflo Venting Balance Plus Wide Neck Baby Newborn and Infant (5 oz) pack of 6, $20.99 to $19.47, 7% decrease\n83.    Hamburger Helper Deluxe Beef Stroganoff (5.5 oz), $1.79 to $1.68, 6% decrease\n84.    Simple Mills Almond Flour Crunchy Cookies Chocolate Chip (5.5 oz), $4.93 to $4.65, 6% decrease\n85.    Household Essentials Cotton Canvas Blanket Storage Bags, $24.54 to $23.39, 5% decrease\n86.    Garden of Life Dr. Formulated Kids' 10 Billion Probiotic Stick Pack 30 Count, $20.99 to $20.08, 4% decrease\n87.    Apple AirTag, $23.99 to $22.99, 4% decrease\n88.    OWYN Only What You Need Pro Elite High Protein Powder 30g Vegan Vanilla (1.32 lb), $24.97 to $23.99, 4% decrease\n89.    Aveeno Skin Relief Fragrance Free Body Wash Triple Oat Formula Gentle Daily Cleanser (33 fl. oz), $13.48 to $12.97, 4% decrease\n90.    Old Spice Whole Body Deodorant Stick for Men Aluminum Free 24/7 Odor Protection (3 oz), $12.97 to $12.49, 4% decrease\n91.    Blue Buffalo Delectables Natural Wet Dog Food Toppers Tasty Chicken Cuts in Gravy (3 oz) 24 Pouches, $42.96 to $41.44, 4% decrease\n92.    Blue Bottle Whole Bean Organic Coffee Espresso, Dark Roast (12 oz), $14.48 to $13.99, 3% decrease\n93.    Zarbee's Kids Sleep Supplement Liquid with 1mg Melatonin (1 fl. oz), $8.98 to $8.68, 3% decrease\n94.    Poolmaster Essential Collection Heavy-Duty Backwash Hose, $23.50 to $22.99, 2% decrease\n95.    BARKER CREEK Designer Computer Paper 100 Sheet Set Tie-Dye Decorative Paper Stationery (100 sheets), $11.19 to $10.99, 2% decrease\n96.    Refresh Optive MEGA-3 Lubricant Eye Drops (0.01 fl. oz) 30 Single-Use Containers, $18.26 to $17.97, 2% decrease\n97.    Rust-Oleum Specialty Fluorescent Spray Paint (11 oz), $6.98 to $6.89, 1% decrease\n98.    Lime-A-Way Cleaner (22 fl. oz), $4.28 to $4.24, 1% decrease\n99.    Wahl USA Odor Control Shampoo for Dogs & Pets (24 oz), $8.97 to $8.90, 1% decrease\n100. Rust-Oleum Stops Rust Custom Spray 5-in-1 Spray Paint (12 oz), $6.98 to $6.94, 1% decrease","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"About Amazon","url":"https://www.aboutamazon.com","sameAs":["https://x.com/amazonnews","https://www.linkedin.com/company/amazon","https://www.instagram.com/amazonnews"],"logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://assets.aboutamazon.com/bd/8f/88e7b0314cc2bd05b9de3155a0fe/amazon-news.svg"},"parentOrganization":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Amazon","url":"https://www.amazon.com","sameAs":["https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3884","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazon_(company)","https://x.com/Amazon"]}}}