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As in all labor intensive industries that require no particular skill. Turnover is not an issue, it's a consequence. You can't significantly improve the job an

As in all labor intensive industries that require no particular skill. Turnover is not an issue, it's a consequence. You can't significantly improve the job and the work conditions, it is what it is. You can't pay more, that'd impact costs too significantly. The consequence is high turnover and you can't fix the root cause. Lucky you, there is an endless supply of fresh blood that can and are willing to do the job so it's a viable business model.

noobermin 9y ago
You seem to forget there were and are companies like fedex and ups that deliver things just fine and don't have these issues. It might have something to do with how they train and pay their employees.
- user5994461 9y ago
  Let's not idealize the situation at other delivery companies. Delivering is not a dream job. It'd be interesting to see how much business is B2B and repeated addresses for UPS/Fedex vs Amazon. Amazon is likely to be distinct. High amount of one off consumers. Varying routes every day. Customers being away during delivery. Exactly what ruins a delivery company.
  - TheAdamAndChe 9y ago
    > Delivering is not a dream job. Maybe not now, but it used to be. You say that the job and work conditions can't be improved, but the fact that they were better before proves that your statement is false.
    - user5994461 9y ago
      What the hell are you talking about? Did you ever do delivery work? It's simply not great. I'll reckon, any job was better 50 years ago when rent was a fraction of a salary and you could provide for a family on a single income.
      - falcolas 9y ago
        On a single blue-collar income, no less. My father, a lineman for Ma Bell, purchased a house and 5 acres of land for $100,000 (in today's funds), and is still receiving retirement funds. He was forced to retire at 50 - a dream many of us today will never realize.
  - abandonliberty 9y ago
    >Let's not idealize the situation at other deliveries company. Delivering is not a dream job. It's not your dream job. My last cab driver immigrated 16 years ago and has been driving 5pm-5am shift for the last 7 years. Full time delivery is a dream in comparison. I don't think he could send his kids to college on Uber. It's healthy compared to desk work, doesn't require any extensive training, and relatively low stress. Be cautious when predicting the behavior of others.
    - user5994461 9y ago
      Low stress? Did you ever have to deliver to someone who is away? to an address that doesn't exist? to an address that exists but is located at the wrong place? what when it's inaccessible or has no bell? That's what you get to deal with every single day, you never know where you gonna be or what's gonna go wrong the next hour. Meanwhile, your delivery time is accounted and customers can complain back about you for anything.
  - noobermin 9y ago
    A number of people have already attacked one of your fundamental assumptions about low skilled labor. I think one way to say it is you're making the assumption that what you call "low skilled labor" is in fact "zero skill labor." I think you underestimate the level of skill required to deliver goods efficiently and quickly, and yes, the cost that is involved in it. (to be fair, you seem to be saying that I am overestimating that skill in your first sentence.) Also, "one off consumers. Varying routes every day." Well, delivery company employees will have precisely fewer of those because their job is to deliver things, seems like the reason not to trust Amazon drivers over Fedex.
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noobermin 9y ago

You seem to forget there were and are companies like fedex and ups that deliver things just fine and don't have these issues. It might have something to do with how they train and pay their employees.

user5994461 9y ago
Let's not idealize the situation at other delivery companies. Delivering is not a dream job. It'd be interesting to see how much business is B2B and repeated addresses for UPS/Fedex vs Amazon. Amazon is likely to be distinct. High amount of one off consumers. Varying routes every day. Customers being away during delivery. Exactly what ruins a delivery company.
- TheAdamAndChe 9y ago
  > Delivering is not a dream job. Maybe not now, but it used to be. You say that the job and work conditions can't be improved, but the fact that they were better before proves that your statement is false.
  - user5994461 9y ago
    What the hell are you talking about? Did you ever do delivery work? It's simply not great. I'll reckon, any job was better 50 years ago when rent was a fraction of a salary and you could provide for a family on a single income.
    - falcolas 9y ago
      On a single blue-collar income, no less. My father, a lineman for Ma Bell, purchased a house and 5 acres of land for $100,000 (in today's funds), and is still receiving retirement funds. He was forced to retire at 50 - a dream many of us today will never realize.
- abandonliberty 9y ago
  >Let's not idealize the situation at other deliveries company. Delivering is not a dream job. It's not your dream job. My last cab driver immigrated 16 years ago and has been driving 5pm-5am shift for the last 7 years. Full time delivery is a dream in comparison. I don't think he could send his kids to college on Uber. It's healthy compared to desk work, doesn't require any extensive training, and relatively low stress. Be cautious when predicting the behavior of others.
  - user5994461 9y ago
    Low stress? Did you ever have to deliver to someone who is away? to an address that doesn't exist? to an address that exists but is located at the wrong place? what when it's inaccessible or has no bell? That's what you get to deal with every single day, you never know where you gonna be or what's gonna go wrong the next hour. Meanwhile, your delivery time is accounted and customers can complain back about you for anything.
- noobermin 9y ago
  A number of people have already attacked one of your fundamental assumptions about low skilled labor. I think one way to say it is you're making the assumption that what you call "low skilled labor" is in fact "zero skill labor." I think you underestimate the level of skill required to deliver goods efficiently and quickly, and yes, the cost that is involved in it. (to be fair, you seem to be saying that I am overestimating that skill in your first sentence.) Also, "one off consumers. Varying routes every day." Well, delivery company employees will have precisely fewer of those because their job is to deliver things, seems like the reason not to trust Amazon drivers over Fedex.
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