Amazon Dash Buttons Make Shopping Even Easier

You know the feeling. You're going about your morning, brushing teeth, showering, slipping on whichever shirt looks cleanest and packing up your tote/purse/messenger bag when you realize you've run out of coffee — and there's no time to stop at Starbucks on your way into work. You balk at the horrific possibility of drinking burnt, grimy break-room coffee. Your day is ruined. Never want to experience that nightmare again? Amazon has you covered. With the release of their latest invention, Amazon Dash, stocking up on necessities is as easy as clicking a button.

No more writing your shopping list on the back of a crumpled receipt or on a motivational quote fridge-pad that you got free in the mail from the Society for the Protection of Motivational Posters — the next time you're running low on K-Cups, laundry detergent, night cream, diapers, or even mac & cheese, all it takes it the press of a thumb-sized, branded button to purchase whichever specific product you're looking for on Amazon. No need to fill out shipping details or credit card numbers. If you're worried about whether your 2-year-old nephew will find the colorful devices oddly satisfying to press over and over, the brainiacs at Amazon have that figured out, too: Once a refill order is place using the Dash button, they won't charge for or ship another until you've received the initial one.

The super-buttons themselves come with the option of either an reusable adhesive backing or a small hook, allowing the buyer to "hang, stick, or place it right where you need it," explains the company on its website.

Using the Amazon app, customers specify what kind of order they'll most often be filling, and then sync everything up using a WiFi connection. The handy process allows for quick and easy order cancellation right from a smartphone too if a customer changes their mind (or if the dog accidentally orders a huge shipment of toilet paper).

According to a report by The Washington Post, the free feature, which "[continues the company's] exploration of the 'connected home' category," is currently only available to Amazon Prime members. Unfortunately for those not enrolled in the program, Dash service is given through an invitation-only process. The rest of us will just have to wait it out with bated breath.

Wired magazine reports that the new buttons will likely be handier than the original Amazon subscription service — automatically programmed to send orders to your home at certain intervals — which it called "a brute-force solution, assuming you never take a break from Gatorade or go on vacation."

The new Amazon Dash buttons seem to be more about convenience for the sake of convenience rather than bringing the future to your doorstep. Some people have already lamented that the buttons are taking us straight down the path to Wall-E-esque laziness (next stop, hoverboard swivel-chairs so you never have to get up!). Does anyone actually purchase groceries on Amazon, after all?

Despite speculation of the device being an early April Fool's joke by the mammoth e-commerce company, the Los Angeles Times confirmed through an Amazon spokesperson that the buttons were the Real Deal (capital R, capital D).

Instant trash bag refills, here we come.

Images: Amazon