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Amazon is now delivering half its own packages, rivaling FedEx and UPS

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Re: Amazon is now delivering half its own packages, rivaling FedEx and UPS

#81

Post by mc32 »

suzakus wrote: post #76
mc32 wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No only indirectly via those choices but also by removing any and all “play” (inefficiency) from systems. Some automation is good and brings steadiness (removes errors), but other efficiencies basically remove jobs. Do we need HFT trading? Did we need traders in the pit? In any case, this resulted in the elimination of good jobs. We could “automate” much of sports and just have fantasy leagues, why not? Automating tr…

This is an interesting take on jobs, similar to what Ancient Romans had –– they preferred to not automate certain jobs to ensure that slaves would have things to work on :) Mentioned offhand in https://www.jstor.org/stable/2591872

Interesting!

At the moment we’re automating low hanging fruit and some arduous manual things (with agricultural automation and factory automation), but it will keep on creeping up.

There is only a certain percentage of people with aptitude to go further and further up the value chain. What do we do for the many who just don’t have what it takes? We’ve taken all their jobs away. A baseline UBI isn’t an answer. People will want more. People have _some_ ambition. Not everyone is made out to finding things to do at home all day (we need only look at retirees for data). What are they going to volunteer for? It’ll all be automated.

Re: Amazon is now delivering half its own packages, rivaling FedEx and UPS

#82

Post by fullstopslash »

paxys wrote: post #6
post_break wrote: post #3

I'm just happy because 9 times out of 10 USPS would mark my stuff as delivered and then deliver it the next day. I have yet to have an Amazon delivery go bad besides when they try to deliver to my work after 5pm. I recognize people have huge issues with amazon delivery drivers but my experience has been better than USPS.

Last week the USPS driver was clearly running behind on his route (which is fine), but then decided to mark my package as "could not access delivery location". Which is funny because: 1. USPS is the only carrier that has direct access into my building (because that's where the mailboxes are) 2. I was home all day and there was definitely no delivery attempt I'm guessing they have SLAs in place with Amazon that penali…

The whole "come sleet or snow" saying that used to represent mail carriers really has no heat anymore.

Re: Amazon is now delivering half its own packages, rivaling FedEx and UPS

#83

Post by Sohcahtoa82 »

ergothus wrote: post #46
diegoholiveira wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Stop buying stuff online and start buying from locals.

The problem with this is that while it is easy to see that the success of large corporations with practices we disagree with creates the problem, it is harder to see how us stopping our support helps fix them. I boycotted Amazon for the better part of a decade over the one-click patent. Result: they lost some amount of money they didn't notice, I lost out on all the convenience and options. They changed nothing I was…

I'm on a similar page with Comcast.

I had problems with their service back in 2008. Long story short, my internet connection dropped frequently (20+ times per DAY), and not only were the techs unable to find the problem, but wanted to charge me for the visits since they assumed that it had to be a problem with my computer, even though it was the lights on the cable modem showing a loss of signal. After that debacle, I swore off Comcast and said I'd never use them again.

I doubled down on this boycott as net neutrality debates heated up.

But these days, my choices for Internet service are Frontier FIOS or Comcast. I'm on Frontier, paying $40/month for 30 mbps, but only get 20-25 mbps. They supposedly offer up to 500 mbps, but won't tell me what the off-promo pricing is. Comcast at least includes it in their fine print.

Having only 30 mbps is starting to be a drag. I'm a gamer, and having to wait an hour or more to download a game that my friends are inviting me to check out is lame. I'm starting to consider Comcast, even though I hate them so bad.

Re: Amazon is now delivering half its own packages, rivaling FedEx and UPS

#84

Post by mengibar10 »

RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #19

One side effect of the growth of Amazon is the replacement of "decent" jobs with absolutely soul sucking ones. In the early 2000's I knew people that worked as delivery drivers for UPS or FedEx and it was a decent job. They seemed happy. Now I see the Amazon delivery people, and they look majorly stressed out as if they are on the edge of collapse. Many times they are delivering things at 10pm desperately trying to m…

Problem is deeper than that, much widespread than one company (Amazon). It's the culture of modern Western civilization. We're all guilty of it, so I'm not blaming anyone or any country. When everything is driven by profit, pure utility, regardless of its currency (it can be time not just money), what we are living is inevitable. Environmental degradation is just another manifestation of the same root problem, climate change, income disparity, you name it.

Re: Amazon is now delivering half its own packages, rivaling FedEx and UPS

#85

Post by Sohcahtoa82 »

post_break wrote: post #3

I'm just happy because 9 times out of 10 USPS would mark my stuff as delivered and then deliver it the next day. I have yet to have an Amazon delivery go bad besides when they try to deliver to my work after 5pm. I recognize people have huge issues with amazon delivery drivers but my experience has been better than USPS.

I've never had a problem with an Amazon delivery because I use the Amazon locker service. I'm lucky enough to have an Amazon Locker location that I pass by on my way home from work. I get my packages delivered there, and there's never been a mistake.

The only time I can't use it is if my package is too big to fit, and that's rare.

Re: Amazon is now delivering half its own packages, rivaling FedEx and UPS

#86

Post by GuB-42 »

RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #19

One side effect of the growth of Amazon is the replacement of "decent" jobs with absolutely soul sucking ones. In the early 2000's I knew people that worked as delivery drivers for UPS or FedEx and it was a decent job. They seemed happy. Now I see the Amazon delivery people, and they look majorly stressed out as if they are on the edge of collapse. Many times they are delivering things at 10pm desperately trying to m…

My experience with Amazon delivery guys is they look completely lost, and I don't think it is their fault. They are nice, nicer than postmen and deliverymen from well established companies like UPS, but as soon as something unexpected happen (if you can call "not at home" unexpected) things become complicated.

I often get "I don't know", "I need to call my boss", "this is not my route", etc... They don't have the master key for my mailbox or entry hall, they don't have a drop off point where I can pick the package later, I can't even go to the warehouse and pick my package there, tracking events are inaccurate, times are highly irregular ... None of that happen with other delivery companies.

They really look like amateurs doing their best with limited means, it is difficult to imagine they are backed by one of the biggest and most technologically advanced companies in the world.

Re: Amazon is now delivering half its own packages, rivaling FedEx and UPS

#87

Post by banana_giraffe »

uoaei wrote: post #39
snowwrestler wrote: post #30

Amazon is pulling a fast one here, and The Verge is letting them get away with it. Here’s the key part: > it’s also been building out a network of its own delivery drivers under the Amazon Flex platform, which is a kind of on-demand contract network similar to Uber and food delivery companies like DoorDash. So, in fact Amazon is not delivering their own packages, they are employing an ad-hoc network of local truckers…

Some of the most unsafe driving I've seen is from those Amazon Sprinter vans. I blame Amazon more than the driver.

The office complex I work at had a major tenant leave a while ago, leaving a building empty and a parking lot empty. This parking lot is now full of these Amazon delivery vans. God help you if you try to make it into or out of the parking lot on foot during their rush to start deliveries, or worse, when they're getting back.

I feel bad for these workers, they're clearly stressed out, but I can only feel so bad after almost getting flattened a few times.

Re: Amazon is now delivering half its own packages, rivaling FedEx and UPS

#89

Post by edoo »

In my neck of the woods Amazon only uses their in house delivery for Sunday deliveries, otherwise it is UPS. A few months ago I had a 12 year old girl standing at the door with my package. I lightly joked, you look a little young to be driving deliveries around, and she responded that she was working with both her parents. When I asked if they waited in the car she said they were dropping packages at the neighbors. An entire family working on likely one wage. I've only used Amazon a couple times since then and never on Sunday again. If the other days start getting serviced by their in house delivery it will mean total boycott.
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