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Amazon. They switched from using respectable national couriers that employ people full time in well paid jobs, to creating a platform that rewards bottom feeder

by damal 9y ago

Amazon. They switched from using respectable national couriers that employ people full time in well paid jobs, to creating a platform that rewards bottom feeders. Adsense/Adwords did it with the ad industry. Uber did it with taxis etc. The constant march of technology for efficiency without considering the ethics.

dazc 9y ago
'They switched from using respectable national couriers that employ people full time in well paid jobs, to creating a platform that rewards bottom feeders.' Speaking about the UK, so apologies if the situation was different elsewhere. But... From how I remember it, these 'respectable national couriers' were just not doing the job they were paid to do.
- Southy 9y ago
  Agreed, people like DHL, FedEx and ParcelForce in the UK were not delivering packages when they said they would. There was a 3 month phase when I didn't recieve a single next day delivery on the next day. It is a very rare occurance now when I don't get an amazon package delivered on time through amazon logistics.
martinald 9y ago
The whole parcel delivery market (in the UK at least) has really ended up going this way over the last 5-10 years. As soon as one company switches to self employed 'gig economy' compensation for their fleet, they get a big advantage in costs which means they can push prices lower. The only way the competitors can match it IMO is by also switching to the same model, otherwise they lose contracts to the companies that do. I think it's especially difficult in parcel delivery as the 'customer' is the store you order from, not yourself. So you don't really ever buy parcel delivery services yourself, it's always subcontracted. Not really sure the best way to solve this apart from govt regulation, but feel it would cause all kinds of crazy side effects if not well thought out.
zxd1098 9y ago
These carriers were too slow and didn’t operate on weekends. I blame the legacy carriers. A company like UPS or FedEx should be able to deliver around the clock while still treating its employees fairly. But they have not kept up.

by damal 9y ago

dazc 9y ago

'They switched from using respectable national couriers that employ people full time in well paid jobs, to creating a platform that rewards bottom feeders.' Speaking about the UK, so apologies if the situation was different elsewhere. But... From how I remember it, these 'respectable national couriers' were just not doing the job they were paid to do.

Southy 9y ago
Agreed, people like DHL, FedEx and ParcelForce in the UK were not delivering packages when they said they would. There was a 3 month phase when I didn't recieve a single next day delivery on the next day. It is a very rare occurance now when I don't get an amazon package delivered on time through amazon logistics.

martinald 9y ago

The whole parcel delivery market (in the UK at least) has really ended up going this way over the last 5-10 years. As soon as one company switches to self employed 'gig economy' compensation for their fleet, they get a big advantage in costs which means they can push prices lower. The only way the competitors can match it IMO is by also switching to the same model, otherwise they lose contracts to the companies that do. I think it's especially difficult in parcel delivery as the 'customer' is the store you order from, not yourself. So you don't really ever buy parcel delivery services yourself, it's always subcontracted. Not really sure the best way to solve this apart from govt regulation, but feel it would cause all kinds of crazy side effects if not well thought out.

zxd1098 9y ago

These carriers were too slow and didn’t operate on weekends. I blame the legacy carriers. A company like UPS or FedEx should be able to deliver around the clock while still treating its employees fairly. But they have not kept up.