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Amazon Flex

flex.amazon.com

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Re: Amazon Flex

#161

Post by dfinlay »

saulrh wrote: post #28
hmmdiggy wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We've had packages delivered by an individual similar to survelx, and the guy clearly smokes in his car as the package stinks of smoke and it even penetrates the items inside on occasion (clothing). Issue here is that he's not bound by company policy of smoking in a company vehicle, so he's free to smoke away.

It'd be valuable for you to complain to Amazon when that happens. They probably can't get feedback on a service like this except through complaints like that.

I had an issue with my local UPS operation marking packages as 'Undeliverable as Addressed' at 20:00 the day they were supposed arrive, to meet their obligation. They would then arrive the next day without issue. I ended up calling Amazon, and they got the local UPS office on the phone and asked for the exact problem with addressing. There was none, and they issue did not reoccur.

Re: Amazon Flex

#162

Post by tokenizerrr »

ekianjo wrote: post #155
tokenizerrr wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would also like to add that large scale bread production is already mostly automated. You will still have local bakeries because fresh bread is nice, and the automation needs large factory halls that are unlikely to be near your home or match your schedule.

Indeed, but the point is that man-made bread > industrial bread in the end. It's not because you can automate something that it create better goods in the end. If that was the case we would replace cooks with robots for a long time as well. And of course the list goes on for many, many other professions. It's obvious that the ones who predict massive automation of most jobs are thinking WAY AHEAD of their life. It's…

It's also more expensive, and I am fine with industrial bread. I know many, many people who only buy their break from the supermarket and that is all industrialized. Bakeries still exist, but many less do than several years ago.

For automation to be a success it doesn't have to replace 100% of the market, and it's unlikely for it to ever truly reach 100% for the reasons you mention. But that's fine, it'll just slowly keep growing.

Re: Amazon Flex

#163

Post by dspillett »

suvelx wrote: post #96
SmellyGeekBoy wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

E-commerce companies have 2 points of contact with the customer - the website and the courier. It makes no sense whatsoever to me why there's this ongoing race to the bottom on the courier side of things while companies spend more and more on the website side. I suppose at that point they already have your money, so what if this delivery experience is awful? Yodel are worse than useless, and I can't see this being mu…

What I don't understand, is why I can't pick my delivery slot for free. Everybody has jobs. Everybody finds it annoying to buy something on line. You never know when it's going to turn up. You have to take a day off, and hope your driver is competent at his job. Why can't you just say "I'll be at home on Thursday after 5pm. Call me on #555-333-9999 if you have any issues". Courier delivers the package after 5pm on Th…

> What I don't understand, is why I can't pick my delivery slot for free.

As well as the logistical issue others have mentioned: if they did/do offer such an option, you value the option so they'll expect you to pay for it (unless it becomes part of a race to the bottom with other distributors in which case eventually someone will offer that for free).

> after 5pm

That would definitely be chargeable. If evening deliveries were offered for free the majority of their customers would pick that.

> Call me on #555-333-9999 if you have any issues

Not going to happen: the delivery people work to pretty tight schedules in order to be as efficient as possible (and therefore cheap in terms of both man time and fuel). Taking time out to try get through to someone won't happen. You could be on another call, your phone might not be contactable for some other reason, and so forth. In circumstances where you are not ready and waiting to collect you are not unlikely to be in a position to not be able to immediately answer the phone.

Re: Amazon Flex

#164

Post by Someone1234 »

suvelx wrote: post #96
SmellyGeekBoy wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

E-commerce companies have 2 points of contact with the customer - the website and the courier. It makes no sense whatsoever to me why there's this ongoing race to the bottom on the courier side of things while companies spend more and more on the website side. I suppose at that point they already have your money, so what if this delivery experience is awful? Yodel are worse than useless, and I can't see this being mu…

What I don't understand, is why I can't pick my delivery slot for free. Everybody has jobs. Everybody finds it annoying to buy something on line. You never know when it's going to turn up. You have to take a day off, and hope your driver is competent at his job. Why can't you just say "I'll be at home on Thursday after 5pm. Call me on #555-333-9999 if you have any issues". Courier delivers the package after 5pm on Th…

I think we would all love to see this.

Amazon do have their lockers. The problem with Amazon Lockers is that they're expensive. Even with prime it still costs extra on top (similar to one day shipping) to have it delivered to a locker.

I've noticed Amazon require a signature a lot LESS often now which does reduce this problem (since it can be left), and I guess Amazon are picking up the cost of the 1-5% of stolen packages.

PS - I've only had a single package in the last two years simply disappear (after it transitioned from a carrier to the USPO, it was a packet of underwear).

Re: Amazon Flex

#165

Post by dankohn1 »

This is a big step for Amazon, and one that I can imagine them eventually offering as a service to other companies that need to provide real-time delivery. And, $18 to $25 an hour represents close to a livable wage, although less than it seems once you take into account depreciation of your personal automobile (which is why the future transit and bike options are particularly intriguing.)

But, it also calls out the need for government programs to stop assuming that workers will have a single long-term employer. Obamacare already started this process. We should be developing analogous policies for sick leave, family leave, and retirement savings that are decoupled from your employer.

Nick Hanauer has done good work thinking about what these programs will need to look like: http://www.businessinsider.com/americans-need-a-new-social-c...

Re: Amazon Flex

#166

Post by dragonwriter »

jonesetc wrote: post #150
martingordon wrote: post #134

One of the reasons I hesitate to use Amazon Now is that big "suggested tip" field. I don't tip the UPS delivery person, why should I tip my Amazon Now delivery person? What's been the norm for you all?

Disclaimer: I have never used Amazon now, and don't see myself using it even though it is available to me. I also have no idea how the whole operation works before it leaves the warehouse. Does your UPS package get delivered in an hour? Do you tip a pizza delivery driver? Personally I think it depends on how much work the person doing the delivery did before the delivery to help get it done fast. So for food delivery…

> Does your UPS package get delivered in an hour?

If what you are paying for with Amazon Now is rapid delivery service, then why would you tip for the service you are paying for. UPS delivers in a time set by the level of service that is paid for. Presumably, Amazon Now does the same thing.

> Do you tip a pizza delivery driver?

I did before pizza parlors started adding an additional separate charge for delivery service, which signals that it is now service compris.

Re: Amazon Flex

#167

Post by ekianjo »

LesZedCB wrote: post #153
ekianjo wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> However the question is who benefits from this increase in efficiency? Who benefited from Ford making cars more efficiently ? Their employees as well, since they could buy cars on their own at cheaper prices than the then available cars. Productivity gains improve life for EVERYONE, even the poorer ones. There's so many examples I don't even know what kind of point you are trying to make here. Improvements in agric…

That is textbook trickle down economics which we have had for several decades, and look where it got us. We have some of the worst income inequality in the world, if not the worst . http://fortune.com/2014/10/31/inequality-wealth-income-us/

Inequality is bullshit. Inequality even starts at birth, what are you going to do about that? the only remedy to inequality as a whole is a Communist Paradise, and God we know that people do not like the idea of everyone being as equally poor as everyone else.

Inequality, again, does not matter as long as everyone gets richer, including the poorer ones. Which has been the case. Mass starvations have stopped around the world for like 30 years if you have not noticed, and the only remaining ones are usually due to political or conflict issues. The whole world is getting richer, and that is a Greater Good than worrying about the 1% getting richer faster.

Re: Amazon Flex

#168

Post by barrkel »

user24 wrote: post #36
bb101 wrote: post #14

Externalizing the parking fines. Clever.

And fuel, and vehicle maintenance, and maybe the personal liability insurance.

Indeed; in the UK, you need courier insurance to be a delivery driver. If you're just Joe Public doing Amazon deliveries, you are potentially driving without insurance.

Re: Amazon Flex

#169

Post by te_chris »

shocks wrote: post #126
stephenc_c_ wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The blank vans, oftentimes actually rental vans, are actually Amazon Logistics. This is Amazon's own delivery operation in the UK, and all Prime deliveries in my area use this service. It's been years since I have seen any third party delivery providers for Amazon orders.

Every time I've got something delivered by Amazon Logistics, it's actually been APC. Oh, and it's shit. Order next day delivery at 9AM Monday? Delivered 7PM Tuesday! Get it Wednesday because the post room in my office closes at 6PM.

Fucking this! The amount of time Prime deliveries arrive after I've already left work is ridiculous (in London).

Re: Amazon Flex

#170

Post by [deleted] »

jimkri wrote: post #124
eli wrote: post #19

Sounds a lot like LaserShip which Amazon already uses sometimes here on the east coast. Minimally trained people delivering last mile packages using their own vehicle. Results are.... mixed.

I had a package delivered by LaserShip last week. The experience was fine for me, it was delivered around noon without damage. A women delivered the package and was driving what seemed to be her personal mini-van with a sticker on the side.

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