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Documents show Amazon is aware drivers pee in bottles and even defecate enroute

theintercept.com

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Re: Documents show Amazon is aware drivers pee in bottles and even defecate enroute

#72

I have a question: why do drivers pee in a bottle? A few years ago, I called an Uber and a lady showed up visually uncomfortable. We drove in silence for 2 minutes before I asked her if she would like to stop at a gas station. I knew to ask that because my previous driver have had the exact same problem and told me he had to stop. He told me that sometimes he has no choice but to use a bottle. Is Uber intentionally m…

I grew up knowing several people in long haul trucking / delivery and this problem isn’t uniquely Amazon.

Chances are if you’ve bought products that are shipped somewhere in the US you’ve been paying for pee labor.

I also don’t think mandatory delivery targets are the sole reason. Even if you go right now onto the Amazon flex subreddit you can find people asking questions about peeing. Those drivers accept in blocks of a few minutes to hours, they could wait, find a bathroom, then take another delivery but it’s less money.

This is a societal problem, it’s just Amazon that is having it exposed for them.

Re: Documents show Amazon is aware drivers pee in bottles and even defecate enroute

#73

How do UPS USPS and FedEx drivers tackle this issue ? Restroom access is a problem and it's important to come up with some proposals especially if we want more women to be able to work these jobs

They pee in bottles too, why would you think it’s any different for them?

Re: Documents show Amazon is aware drivers pee in bottles and even defecate enroute

#74
post #7

My understanding is that this is pretty common for every courier including UPS and FedEx. Why? Because the driver will have a set of deliveries. Once they’re finished those they’re done for the day. In NYC at least finding a restroom and finding parking (even double parking) beat it takes valuable time. It saves time to pee in a bottle. This just isn’t unique to Amazon is all I’m saying.

I think any organization that actually incentivizes employees to complete small, objectively-measurable tasks quickly will have stories like this once you've got enough employees. Unless you keep cameras on them at all times, I guess. These stories are always framed this way as if only someone truly desperate would stoop to peeing in bottles. But to many people, peeing in a bottle is actually not a big deal and is, i…

"These stories are always framed this way as if only someone truly desperate would stoop to peeing in bottles."

Now if they still paid people for their urine (referring to the origin of the phrase 'doesnt have a pot to piss in')... Easy money.

Re: Documents show Amazon is aware drivers pee in bottles and even defecate enroute

#75
post #61
post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was not aware of this behavior prior to reading this article, but I can absolutely understand the difficulty in finding a parking spot with an available restroom nearby. At the same time, I am surprised that the problem exists in the way that it does on a personal-level: when nature calls me, it is very difficult for me to think of doing anything else. I can see there being a need for legislation here as this examp…

I grew up in a rural area, and sometimes find 'city logic' amusing. Need to urinate? Pull over, get out, and water the grass. This is older than time, and a non-issue. Really. It isn't an issue to me. Defecation is obviously in another category. Peeing in a bottle is also a non-issue. As far as I am concerned, if a woman can breast-feed in public, why can people not urinate into a container inside a car? (Both are bo…

"Need to urinate? Pull over, get out, and water the grass."

Yet even many rural places have laws against it (usually at the state level). It's just enforced less strictly outside of the towns and cities.

Re: Documents show Amazon is aware drivers pee in bottles and even defecate enroute

#77
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not infantile to believe that one of the roles of government should be to protect individuals from the gargantuan power amassed by corporations. There is no way to avoid capitalism through personal responsibility .

I agree that it's reasonable to ask one's government to intervene against a powerful and possibly monopolistic corporation. However, I think this should be accompanied by the personal responsibility of avoiding that corporation. I'm sure there are people that really rely on Amazon deliveries, but for most consumers it comes down to it being slightly cheaper and slightly more convenient. It seems like such a small amo…

Most consumers expect that all available options in the marketplace comply with all regulations, and then make a surface level decision on the best option. So if there’s a company that is not competing in a fair way, there should be regulation to limit unfair behaviour (imo) -- otherwise every consumer needs to know every detail about every company and process and purchase with integrity.

Re: Documents show Amazon is aware drivers pee in bottles and even defecate enroute

#78

I have a question: why do drivers pee in a bottle? A few years ago, I called an Uber and a lady showed up visually uncomfortable. We drove in silence for 2 minutes before I asked her if she would like to stop at a gas station. I knew to ask that because my previous driver have had the exact same problem and told me he had to stop. He told me that sometimes he has no choice but to use a bottle. Is Uber intentionally m…

There are 3 parties involved here: Driver, Amazon, and Customer. Your comment makes it sound like either the driver should compromise and pee in bottles, or the customer should compromise and accept late deliveries. Why can't Amazon compromise, and hire more delivery drivers?

Re: Documents show Amazon is aware drivers pee in bottles and even defecate enroute

#79

I have a question: why do drivers pee in a bottle? A few years ago, I called an Uber and a lady showed up visually uncomfortable. We drove in silence for 2 minutes before I asked her if she would like to stop at a gas station. I knew to ask that because my previous driver have had the exact same problem and told me he had to stop. He told me that sometimes he has no choice but to use a bottle. Is Uber intentionally m…

There are 3 parties involved here: Driver, Amazon, and Customer. Your comment makes it sound like either the driver should compromise and pee in bottles, or the customer should compromise and accept late deliveries. Why can't Amazon compromise, and hire more delivery drivers?

>Why can't Amazon compromise, and hire more delivery drivers?

Amazon doesn't compromise where profit is on the line. If Amazon hired more drivers, they would still require that rates and quotas remain the same. It would just make firing drivers caught urinating and defecating on the job easier for them.

Re: Documents show Amazon is aware drivers pee in bottles and even defecate enroute

#80
post #38

Someone needs to start urban truck stops. Convert storefronts in centralized areas into a space with bathrooms, showers, maybe some snacks and sundries. Keep it clean and climate-controlled. Maybe it’s a gas station too, but the idea is to have them scattered around town and easy to build/operate, so maybe not. Work out a deal with UPS/FedEx/Amazon but also Uber, Lyft, Postmates etc where they pay a membership and al…

How about just selling businesses signs that read "Driver's Welcome", have a recognizable design, and carry the message that they are welcome to use the restroom without buying anything?

I don't know about urban core businesses, but in most places, it's already the case that no one working at McDonald's/etc cares if you walk in, use the bathroom and leave.

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