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> The article says the app finds possible deliveries that are on the employee's route home, so no extra out of the way driving is to be done... only a 30 second

> The article says the app finds possible deliveries that are on the employee's route home, so no extra out of the way driving is to be done... only a 30 second stop to get out and carry the package up to the front door. Seems very efficient to me. Dude, you're engaging in fantasy. Walmart is going to want to use this for more people than just those who live on busy commuter roads that happen to be used by a Walmart employee. "On the employee's route home" is probably going to mean a detour below some limit that Walmart decides. Also, it only takes 30 seconds to deliver a package if it's small and you know exactly what house it's meant for, both of which are unlikely to be true in the real world. It regularly takes more than 30 seconds just to hunt for an unfamiliar house number.

Alupis 9y ago
> is probably going to mean a detour below some limit that Walmart decides Did you miss the part where this is a voluntary program? If the employee doesn't like the route, they don't have to take it. > Dude, you're engaging in fantasy I suppose it's fantasy simply because you hate Walmart (I presume). If this was, say, Amazon... I wager most would take a different opinion. "Look at how ingenuitive Amazon is! They'll deliver packages even faster and cheaper, and pay employees more while they're at it!" You have no idea what the compensation is, but immediately assume it's big bad Walmart beating up on poor employees. Many just immediately assume this is some new devilish ploy to exploit workers... that's absurd, especially given how few facts we have about this program so far. The facts, so far, state this is a 100% volunteer program... will only suggest package deliveries along the employees current (and specified by the employee) route home... and the employee will be compensated for that delivery above their normal wage... and Walmart will pass the savings to the customer, and offer faster delivery. How is this not a win based on what we know so far? It's pure conjecture and bias that leads to the default assumption this is some absurdly evil, exploitative scheme...
- Chaebixi 9y ago
  > Did you miss the part where this is a voluntary program? If the employee doesn't like the route, they don't have to take it. There are all kinds of comments in other threads talking about how "voluntary" it may end up being in practice. > I suppose it's fantasy simply because you hate Walmart (I presume).... You presume quite a bit, and your presumptions border on fantasy. > The facts, so far, state this is a 100% volunteer program... > and the employee will be compensated for that delivery above their normal wage... Correction: the company PR so far, this is all based on a Walmart blog post. Anyway, let's play quote the OP: >>> Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is testing a program... >>> Wal-Mart didn’t specify how the employees will be compensated. You're right that it's all-volunteer now, but it's reasonable to question how much that will remain true in the future, especially since it's still being developed. It could even turn out to be de-jure voluntary but de-facto mandatory. Walmart could also shower money on its employees for this work, but history suggests otherwise.
briandear 9y ago
Any evidence to support your claims?
- Chaebixi 9y ago
  > Any evidence to support your claims? Evidence that it would typically take more than 30 seconds to drop off a package to an unfamiliar house, even on a route you know? Or that Walmart is motivated to ship to people who aren't directly on its employee's commutes, and it likely will use this to do so if it goes forward with this idea? My evidence is common sense. If you'd like a time-motion study, or a recording from Walmart's boardroom conversations, you're out of luck. Anyway, the stronger claims are those I was disputing, which don't pass the smell test.

Alupis 9y ago

> is probably going to mean a detour below some limit that Walmart decides Did you miss the part where this is a voluntary program? If the employee doesn't like the route, they don't have to take it. > Dude, you're engaging in fantasy I suppose it's fantasy simply because you hate Walmart (I presume). If this was, say, Amazon... I wager most would take a different opinion. "Look at how ingenuitive Amazon is! They'll deliver packages even faster and cheaper, and pay employees more while they're at it!" You have no idea what the compensation is, but immediately assume it's big bad Walmart beating up on poor employees. Many just immediately assume this is some new devilish ploy to exploit workers... that's absurd, especially given how few facts we have about this program so far. The facts, so far, state this is a 100% volunteer program... will only suggest package deliveries along the employees current (and specified by the employee) route home... and the employee will be compensated for that delivery above their normal wage... and Walmart will pass the savings to the customer, and offer faster delivery. How is this not a win based on what we know so far? It's pure conjecture and bias that leads to the default assumption this is some absurdly evil, exploitative scheme...

Chaebixi 9y ago
> Did you miss the part where this is a voluntary program? If the employee doesn't like the route, they don't have to take it. There are all kinds of comments in other threads talking about how "voluntary" it may end up being in practice. > I suppose it's fantasy simply because you hate Walmart (I presume).... You presume quite a bit, and your presumptions border on fantasy. > The facts, so far, state this is a 100% volunteer program... > and the employee will be compensated for that delivery above their normal wage... Correction: the company PR so far, this is all based on a Walmart blog post. Anyway, let's play quote the OP: >>> Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is testing a program... >>> Wal-Mart didn’t specify how the employees will be compensated. You're right that it's all-volunteer now, but it's reasonable to question how much that will remain true in the future, especially since it's still being developed. It could even turn out to be de-jure voluntary but de-facto mandatory. Walmart could also shower money on its employees for this work, but history suggests otherwise.

briandear 9y ago

Any evidence to support your claims?

Chaebixi 9y ago
> Any evidence to support your claims? Evidence that it would typically take more than 30 seconds to drop off a package to an unfamiliar house, even on a route you know? Or that Walmart is motivated to ship to people who aren't directly on its employee's commutes, and it likely will use this to do so if it goes forward with this idea? My evidence is common sense. If you'd like a time-motion study, or a recording from Walmart's boardroom conversations, you're out of luck. Anyway, the stronger claims are those I was disputing, which don't pass the smell test.