3 ms·

The cost of next-day delivery

20 points by jmsflknr 7y ago

KaoruAoiShiho 7y ago
Sounds like a job for robots.
- grega_g 7y ago
  No need, they have biorobots
  - KaoruAoiShiho 7y ago
    Bio robots are better off doing higher level, fulfilling, mental work instead of dangerous grunt work.
    - krapp 7y ago
      Bio robots are cheaper to procure, maintain and repurpose, and easier to replace when damaged than actual robots in most cases, making them preferable for menial and dangerous grunt work. Also there aren't enough "higher level, fulfilling, mental work" jobs to go around, and there will be even fewer once those begin to be automated as well.
      - JoeAltmaier 7y ago
        And some of us enjoy physically demanding, hard work. Do it for fun actually! But that's because we spend most days not doing it I guess.
      - grega_g 7y ago
        Plus, if Amazon unleashed a fleet of robots, every accident would be scrutinized by press and possibly by authorities. With bio robots they can literally cause carnage and no one cares.
TheCraiggers 7y ago
After reading this article, I'm happy to report that Capitalism is alive and well everybody!
- cameronbrown 7y ago
  This isn't capitalism. This is a bug in capitalism which regulation needs to fix right now.
  - TheCraiggers 7y ago
    Is the bug you're referring to coercing people of a lower caste into overworking for next to nothing? Or escaping blame from what shell companies are doing at your orders? Sarcasm aside, both of these things have been an issue for centuries. And while I'm not anti-regulation by any stretch, I think we've found that regulation doesn't work too well when the company(ies) being regulated have more money than god. We need a new weapon.
    - cameronbrown 7y ago
      Both of these. It's a fact that capitalism is the only economic system that's not ended in bloodshed. Having an underclass is a horrible outcome, it's just more desirable than the alternative. We need to figure out how to fix the bugs, not toss out the foundation of civilisation.
  - krapp 7y ago
    This is precisely capitalism. The market has decided that this degree of exploitation is preferable to longer delivery times and higher prices to offset labor costs, and Amazon has capitalized on that market need, and maximized their profits.
    - cameronbrown 7y ago
      Correcting the market by increasing the cost of non-compliance is also, still capitalism.
cowsandmilk 7y ago
> the Seattle-based giant dictates almost every aspect of that operation, down to what drivers wear, what vans they use, what routes they follow, and how many packages they must deliver each day. This really isn’t true in my experience. I’ve seen plenty of Amazon packages delivered by people in Uhaul vans, minivans, etc not wearing Amazon apparel.
- dx87 7y ago
  Same. I've seen them starting to use Amazon branded vans more often now, but occasionally still get deliveries from people in jeans and a tshirt driving an old sedan.
- stefan_ 7y ago
  You have just missed Amazon Flex: https://flex.amazon.com/ https://flex.amazon.com/
cj 7y ago
TLDR: 1) Amazon offers fast package delivery. 2) To meet customer delivery expectations, Amazon hires contract delivery vans that are expected to deliver packages on schedule. 3) Sometimes, these vans get into car accidents that kill people. 4) When sued for wrongful death, Amazon denies responsibility for car accident fatalities involving the delivery company they contract with. is there anything new / interesting here that I'm missing?
- qrbLPHiKpiux 7y ago
  No. Nothing else. I understand that "Faster, better, cheaper" is a mantra for businesses like this, but there's a limit - you can only get so close. The public has forced business to do this. Perhaps businesses should push back just a little...
  - criddell 7y ago
    When you choose a later delivery option does Amazon actually treat the package differently and their people better? I'm not convinced that the order doesn't just sit in their system until ship date where it is blended in with all the other orders for same day delivery.
    - krapp 7y ago
      >When you choose a later delivery option does Amazon actually treat the package differently and their people better? No.
- grega_g 7y ago
  Yes, a few important things. Read it again
z5h 7y ago
If you get any group of people to run 5 million errands a week by car, won’t some of them get into accidents, and do stupid things? How do Amazon’s drivers compare to baseline expectations?

20 points by jmsflknr 7y ago

KaoruAoiShiho 7y ago

Sounds like a job for robots.

grega_g 7y ago
No need, they have biorobots
- KaoruAoiShiho 7y ago
  Bio robots are better off doing higher level, fulfilling, mental work instead of dangerous grunt work.
  - krapp 7y ago
    Bio robots are cheaper to procure, maintain and repurpose, and easier to replace when damaged than actual robots in most cases, making them preferable for menial and dangerous grunt work. Also there aren't enough "higher level, fulfilling, mental work" jobs to go around, and there will be even fewer once those begin to be automated as well.
    - JoeAltmaier 7y ago
      And some of us enjoy physically demanding, hard work. Do it for fun actually! But that's because we spend most days not doing it I guess.
    - grega_g 7y ago
      Plus, if Amazon unleashed a fleet of robots, every accident would be scrutinized by press and possibly by authorities. With bio robots they can literally cause carnage and no one cares.

TheCraiggers 7y ago

After reading this article, I'm happy to report that Capitalism is alive and well everybody!

cameronbrown 7y ago
This isn't capitalism. This is a bug in capitalism which regulation needs to fix right now.
- TheCraiggers 7y ago
  Is the bug you're referring to coercing people of a lower caste into overworking for next to nothing? Or escaping blame from what shell companies are doing at your orders? Sarcasm aside, both of these things have been an issue for centuries. And while I'm not anti-regulation by any stretch, I think we've found that regulation doesn't work too well when the company(ies) being regulated have more money than god. We need a new weapon.
  - cameronbrown 7y ago
    Both of these. It's a fact that capitalism is the only economic system that's not ended in bloodshed. Having an underclass is a horrible outcome, it's just more desirable than the alternative. We need to figure out how to fix the bugs, not toss out the foundation of civilisation.
- krapp 7y ago
  This is precisely capitalism. The market has decided that this degree of exploitation is preferable to longer delivery times and higher prices to offset labor costs, and Amazon has capitalized on that market need, and maximized their profits.
  - cameronbrown 7y ago
    Correcting the market by increasing the cost of non-compliance is also, still capitalism.

cowsandmilk 7y ago

> the Seattle-based giant dictates almost every aspect of that operation, down to what drivers wear, what vans they use, what routes they follow, and how many packages they must deliver each day. This really isn’t true in my experience. I’ve seen plenty of Amazon packages delivered by people in Uhaul vans, minivans, etc not wearing Amazon apparel.

dx87 7y ago
Same. I've seen them starting to use Amazon branded vans more often now, but occasionally still get deliveries from people in jeans and a tshirt driving an old sedan.
stefan_ 7y ago
You have just missed Amazon Flex: https://flex.amazon.com/ https://flex.amazon.com/

cj 7y ago

TLDR: 1) Amazon offers fast package delivery. 2) To meet customer delivery expectations, Amazon hires contract delivery vans that are expected to deliver packages on schedule. 3) Sometimes, these vans get into car accidents that kill people. 4) When sued for wrongful death, Amazon denies responsibility for car accident fatalities involving the delivery company they contract with. is there anything new / interesting here that I'm missing?

qrbLPHiKpiux 7y ago
No. Nothing else. I understand that "Faster, better, cheaper" is a mantra for businesses like this, but there's a limit - you can only get so close. The public has forced business to do this. Perhaps businesses should push back just a little...
- criddell 7y ago
  When you choose a later delivery option does Amazon actually treat the package differently and their people better? I'm not convinced that the order doesn't just sit in their system until ship date where it is blended in with all the other orders for same day delivery.
  - krapp 7y ago
    >When you choose a later delivery option does Amazon actually treat the package differently and their people better? No.
grega_g 7y ago
Yes, a few important things. Read it again

z5h 7y ago

If you get any group of people to run 5 million errands a week by car, won’t some of them get into accidents, and do stupid things? How do Amazon’s drivers compare to baseline expectations?