Inside Flex-Amazon's Army Of Everyday Delivery People (HBO)
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- Опубликовано: 18 июл 2018
- Amazon just had its best Prime day ever.
The company sold more than 100 million products over a 36-hour period, bragging in a press release that it was the “biggest shopping event in Amazon history.” But a massive shopping event like Prime Day is only in possible in part because of Amazon’s Flex program, which recruits everyday people to deliver Amazon packages for a modest wage.
That's because the most expensive part of delivering a package is getting it from a local warehouse to a customer's doorstep. Amazon’s Flex program helps reduce that cost by hiring delivery drivers as independent contractors.
VICE News followed a married couple in Phoenix, AZ, who use Flex as their primary source of income. “[Flex] saved our lives,” Beverly Karpinski, 64, told VICE News. “For three months we had no income except for my husband’s social security check, and one day I was on Craigslist and I saw Amazon was hiring independent delivery drivers.”
Karpinski and her husband, Ed, both signed up for Flex and have been delivering packages for more than a year. In Arizona, the Karpinski’s make about $18 an hour before expenses.
You don’t need any qualifications to drive for Flex: just pass a background check and have a valid driver's license. Due to the driver’s independent contractor status, Amazon doesn’t provide any benefits like healthcare or paid time off. Amazon says Flex drivers across the country make $18-$25 an hour, but that doesn’t include gas or car maintenance.
Amazon declined to provide any details about how many Flex drivers Amazon hires, or how many fulfillment centers across the country support Flex, but an Amazon spokesperson confirmed that the company leverages its malleable Flex workforce in order to compensate for Prime Day. The spokesperson also confirmed that the delivery route given to Flex drivers is generated by an Amazon algorithm.
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Amazon says Flex drivers across the country make $18-$25 an hour, but that doesn’t include gas or car maintenance.
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VICE news is having a disaster paying their own employees enough to produce videos and their worker union is not happy. Looks like they will strike if bargaining doesn't take place or get settled on a deal. Also looks like the market doesn't value VICE for the content they produce anymore. I wonder why that is? You guys do the same thing as Amazon does in terms of saving face, it's pretty disingenuous to be reporting egregious behavior when the VICE corporate business is basically doing the same thing except in a different way due to being in different business.
Vice sucks.
Is there a longer version of this episode ???
Are they "Subcontractors" where they also pay all their own taxations and if so then 'Flex' can only succeed over other delivery services by cutting costs/ the subcontractor.Also I believe a lot is left out on where there absolutely has to be a requirement for the 'territory coverage' to include what quite essentially means loosing money on deliver's in part of the coverage area and not in others.UPS doesn't have this problem because of density of recipients.. and as size matters, by the time you get down to startups like Flex, density sucks. I wouldn't touch this as a possible means of employment for at least a couple years so growth can happen.
VICE News Thank you for covering this, I worked next to a Flex warehouse and the full time workers lives were awful.
Why aren't there laws that say that a company over X number of employees needs to have some responsability for the health and well being of their workers.
Why can't we have some dignity for workers regardless of their skill level?
I like how this shows her just having 1 packages for some nice looking houses. What it doesn't show you is when you have 6 cases of water in the summer and you have to carry it up 3 floors to an apartment.
This is why Amazon has their eyes on self driving cars like nobody else.
Jeff the CEO probably literally dreams about the day he can replace human with robots.
SirVixIsVexed Probably cheaper than having people
tax the robot workers and distribute it as a universal stipend
Robots don't have to be insanely cheap to be worth while, they just have to be cheaper than humans.
You sound like a broke boy.
Ross D once the robots come in Bezos will push for child labor to replace robots
How can you possibly make any money via Amazon Flex with a rental car?!
ro pro in arizona u can $25 to $ 30. Cheap rental cars. If u do 3 blocks. Then u can if not u lose 🤣
You can get a rental for $20 a day. She said she made $200 + in a few hours.
Oh yeah I use rental for flex. I locked in a rate $90 bucks a week for years. One flex block will cover your weekly pay. Zero maintenance and not worry about wear and tear. I just fill up with cheap gas, and use mileQ app to track mileage. Driving nicer car does make big difference in flex world delivery.
X1area51 II
Zero maintenance?? The guy in the video that had a rental car ran out of coolant, and had to get his car towed..
I made $58 on a 1.3 hour block yesterday which I finished in 77 minutes. It's totally doable if you get one with decent gas mileage. Its a great program. Uber on the other hand.. not so much.
My god, lady. Put the phone down while you're driving. Get a dash mount.
GeekinTexas yeah that bothered the shit outta me. How does she deliver stuff with her phone in her lap
she can order one on Amazon 👍
@@x...CrankyOldMan...x lol delivering yourself your own packages
People should be jailed for that.
@@x...CrankyOldMan...x she probably has one in one of the packages in her car
this is fine in the suburbs. In the city, downtown areas would be very difficult to park your car.
Hi-Fi Insider u ever see ups or FedEx park? Ur supposed to stop in the middle of the road
Blink Bling I'd take all the packages first day
They walk or bike in NYC
but how many packages can you carry if you're on foot or on a bike? 1 or 2? you'd have to go back to the warehouse and restock there's no point
How do they protect themselves from the Blacks beating them up and stealing the Amazon packages or stealing their car?
You need a reliable Japanese vehicle for this adventure
Al Coholic very true i drive. Dont trust American cars
Fast Only Rolling Downhill
bret too they dont trust you. Drive a KIA! Lol
People hate when I say that Al coholic
he went off road 9 miles in a low car he should get the bill for it
I did this for 3 months. Being an independent contractor for them sux. $18 an hour doesn't sound bad, until you figure in the costs.
Gas, wear and tear on your vehicle, no insurance or benefits, and you must pay the full employment taxes.
After all was said and done, I only made $8 an hour. And the work is not steady. Some weeks you can make a little, other weeks you make nothing.
SirVixIsVexed
Right? Doesn't guy know you can write off your miles, maintenance, etc, on taxes?..
Independent contractors are required to pay "Self Employment Tax". It's the combination of all FICA taxes (15.3%) that are normally split between employees and employers. Independent contractors bear all of the burden on calculating and making the payments for those taxes.
knowone11111 ...I know, and I did. Being an independent contractor means you pay what is usually your employers share as well. Even with a few write offs, it's still not a good deal.
scott b
Really? You wrote off ALL your miles, shop bills, gas & it still wasn't worth it? What was your end of year, $30,000, $40,000?..
knowone11111 ...I only did 3 months at Amazon. One thing you might want to remember is, being an independent contractor means you are on the hook for what is usually the employers share of taxes as well. Factor in gas and car maintenance, and it's just not worth it..(at least to me..$8 bucks isn't worth it)
You also must wait around for hours sometimes, with no pay of course.
Then no insurance or benefits.
It's a really good deal for them, not so much for you.
They have a mighty nice place for living off of SSI and delivering Amazon packages.
elton rivera don’t forget they’re old and probably had previous nice jobs and had nice money saved up. The house could be paid off, no mortgage. You assume too much. People’s success can come and go. I drive for Uber and Lyft now, but used to make really good money doing other things. So my advice to you, shut the hell up, you’re only making yourself look a bad judgmental.
@@Double.J 😂
They’re having to work in their mid 60s most likely because they have to to pay for that “nice place” lol their mortgage is most likely not paid off. I sure hope that I won’t have to hustle to survive at that age, it’s sad if you think about it. This is why it’s so important to have financial literacy and have a paid off house and get rid of debt as soon as possible.
@@Double.J you assume that I’m assuming 🤡😏
sounds like you take all the risks and Jeff Bezzos get the rewards
amazon rewards?
robert woods - it's their choice to work there or not. Bezos doesnt owe them or anyone else a dime or a job.
Sounds like more ppl getting jobs 2 me that pay $18+/hr
your not taking any risks, so shut your pie hole.
Same with Uber....don't get caught up in it and it'll change. Until all people stand together, it'll remain the same...
Race to the bottom making Bezos the richest person in the world.
I don't know man, got to a tier 4 and I'm making a pretty decent amount. My stock keeps climbing an I worked my way up. I'm doing pretty well.
DeviantDespot Accepting crumbs
ro pro yep
So everyone should be rich who works? 25 an hour isn't bad and it goes up from there.
Yep. Save your money when you are young and leave the united states. Set up a business in a developing country. Only option.
Husband is still waiting for AAA , wife headed home and is watching her favorite TV serious!
The program sucks. They say 18$-25$ an hour but you pay your own gas and it wears and tears your car. Plus this is before tax. That guy in the video will probably be deactivated for not delivering those packages. In fact deactivation happens all the time for any reason and you’re just expendable to them for mileage and they’ll get someone else. Amazon treats its workers like trash.
darksid33 damn bro learn to drive
I do flex and I haven't really had wasted that much gas since I'm close to the distribution center. If you do it smart, you can make a lot of money out of it.
There is a lot of stop and go when driving for Flex which puts far more pressure on the car than Uber or Lyft. A lot of walking, climbing, lyfting, sweating...Not worth it. I'll rather do food delivery.
Abdulai Bah uber doesn’t care bout its drivers either
Bronx New York Totally agree. They all rip drivers off.
don't drive with your phone in hand...........
So I'm a flex Driver. I have a dash mount because holding your phone in your hand while driving is ILLEGAL! I organize my packages in my car in alphabetical order so when I get to a stop, it's seconds to find a package by customer name. Wear and tear is relative, don't drive like a donkey and your car parts last longer, let alone being more fuel efficient. I spend maybe $10-$15 in gas to do 2 block blocks a day. That's making $120-$130 for the 2 blocks. They pay you $18/hr based on what they estimate a delivery area should take you to complete. You finish early and you still get paid for what you were scheduled. If your car breaks down, they send another driver from one of their DSP (delivery service provider) companies to pick up your packages from wherever you're broke down and they deliver them, AND YES, YOU STILL GET PAID!!! Happened too me once. Got a flat and the spare in the used car I bought want the right size. I finish at least an hour early if not more EVERY block I work for Amazon. Once I drop my last package, I flip on lyft and keep making money. Yes, "catching" (scheduling) blocks is very competitive and can be not with the hassle sometimes, but you're an independent contractor. I have a lyft account, an Uber eats account, a doordash account, an Instacart account and a postmates account. If any one of them isn't busy, one of the others is. And in taxes, if you just google "taxes for rideshare drivers" it will tell you all you have to keep track of to maximize your write offs at the end of the year. Diversification of income sources mitigates the risk of one not being reliable. Not to mention getting to do a different job once in a while keeps it interesting. I call incomplete reporting on vice's part. I make great money doing this. Like I said, diversification of income sources is key to getting ahead when working in the gig economy.
I HAVE DONE AMAZON FLEX ITS DEFINITELY NOT WORTH IT.
ok, and?
Go get a Skilled long term Career. Carpenter jobs pay extremely well here in arizona
It pays ok. Don't know how else you're going to make $60-80 in 2 hours on your own time
So what do u suggest I try.
I’m actually a flex driver right now and it’s not as bad as people make it out to be. Sure, there are really bad days where most of your stops are apartments but most of the time your delivering to houses and get done in less than 1-2 hours. I enjoy it because I’m a college student and I don’t like much contact with people. The only thing I have to take care of is the gas and let my dad/mechanic know if there’s a problem. I know the latter is something most flex drivers don’t have the benefit of having but if you do then you know you’re saving money.
She’s 64 years old?? Damn she doesn’t even look 50.
After watching 90 seconds, and seeing 3 cars in the garage and her perfect manicure, I just can't empathize with her money problems.
you know how this works in the us.. loans, loans, loans..
@@prestonhall7255 consumer "loans" make you financially unstable
No one can, the reason she’s working at 60 is likley because she was complacent with being poor. No one is forcing her to work for $10 an hour and no one is forcing her and her husband to destroy their cars working for Amazon. Maybe if they used their past skills they could get a good paying job but they probably won’t
@@gorgewashingtonful it's harder to get hired at 60.
@@gorgewashingtonful the reason she's working at 60 is because she can. There are many 60+ year old workers in the workforce. The expectations put on aging adults is about the same for younger people. America has demonstrated we have a finite number of years to make most of our wealth working for others. Then the rest is on you. I agree with other comments about the manicures, cars in garage, and the end government funds ended for the mom put her in a financial loophole, yet it isn't due to being poor. She has a home, car, loving husband, and other fundamentals. She's 75% ahead of others who work full time, make a TON of money and have less...
Tow-truck drivers always say it's the wrong car when they realize it's a AAA call and they're no going to get cash in hand. Dude was like: "Sorry, I'm looking for another white Ford hatchback that broke down on the side of this road..."
They should make a video and expose them
Wait hold up. Please elaborate more on this.
She pays absolutely no tax. I was a newspaper single copy delivery driver. We made great money.
phanny pack that’s not true. In fact as an independent contractor she has to pay a higher tax rate when you add in the self employment part of social security
You pay a massive tax when you file your taxes for the year.
Slightly misleading title? The lady didn't think the system is a disaster
Jack Samurai There are millions of jobs worse than this one.
Slightly misleading? Complete bs. $18 an hour is a good wage for delivering packages. The advantages of being an independent contractor are enormous:
you have the freedom to set your hours, don't have a boss watching you, don't have to join a Union and can deduct all your mileage and maintenance on your taxes.
pre tax. you have to pay all your taxes yourself..
Pre tax. No benefits. Paying for gas. Paying for your vehicle. No actual schedule, hours are never fixed (you could lose days because they dont give you work to do). This is terrible.
imStat
If it's so bad people will find other things to do and the service will fail.
Billions of dollars yet no money for drivers? Hmmm greed of corporations.
jeff wimer you’re an idiot
SirVixIsVexed facts bro...nowadays cats need min $25hr. And that's a McDonald's job..others should pay 35$ up. That probably still won't be enough. Damn rent n taxes going up everywhere g. IM ready 4 the revolution!! 👊💪
Nah it's not the greed of corporations is rather the greed of Wall Street who demands highers revenues to appease it's investors
Agtsmirnoff why do you say that?
Wendim Andrew Gregory lmao you mean virtual slavery
I hope amazon doesn’t kick them out of the program for doing this interview
Idk about Arizona, but that would be illegal in Cali.
Vice: Amazon's Delivery Driver Program Flex Is A Disaster For Workers
Flex Driver: "It saved our lives."
😂😂😂
It can help people in the SHORT term. But there's no future to it. Amazon is just using these drivers for leverage in negotiations with the USPS.
you obliviously didnt understand the greed of corporations
australia india I understand perfectly well that Amazon wants to make as much money as they possibly can. But I also take these people at their word when they say that this program, with all of its imperfections, still helped them.
Exactly. It's a job, not a career. Jobs are for: 1) getting you through the career gaps if you have no savings and 2) young people who have yet to develop a solid foundation of skills. Spouse's career requires a move?... get a job til you find a position in your field. Medical disability that requires you to change fields?... re-skill and work a job in the meantime. Maybe you just want to change fields... same as above.
But did she go and pick up her Husband and help him finish his route?
one less mouth to feed
I was wondering the same lol
I've worked for Lyft, Uber, Veyo, AmazonFlex, and Post Mates. Amazon pays the MOST hourly plus you often get tips for PrimeNow. Most of the time you finish your blocks early and still get paid for the full amount of time. Gas prices are rising slightly and that sucks but it still beats all the other driving gigs hands down. Thanks Mr Bezos!
Geoff Lay well said. People in the comments are complaining like they deserve better!? The job is a good part time choice and that's all. Relatively easy too.
Let me know when you driven for flex for a year and put 20k miles on your car and have to file taxes
@@dirkdiggler2695 let me know when you have a positive networth.
Agreed. If these jobs didn't exist we would all be forced to get "real" jobs and not have freedom to make our own schedule. This documentary clip is one of the most biased videos I've seen online and that's saying alot. I could literally make a video of anything, lets say organic vegetable farming, and just show you the downsides and talk about how little these heroic farmers get paid, zoom in on someone's hand with a splinter they got from the shovel they were using, and talk about their sob story of how they had to get a job because they exist in the world. Then it would get 5000 comments about the greed of corporate America. People just need a place to complain about how its the rest of the world's fault that life is hard.
This poor woman has but three cars in her garage
And a very nice house. Why does this video want to make us feel bad for her?
wonder if one of those was that rental her husband had that broke down.
How much a week to get her nails done?
This poor woman is among many people who have annual taxes and bills to pay like car payments, rent, food and water.
All payid with credit. In other words Bankrupt aka Slave of Bank like most American live that way
I work for Amazon warehouse and get paid 11.50hr, it’s not bad as I’m in college and prefer being by my self than working at a restaurant.
I mean it’s whatever don’t get why people complain. I’ve worked at other warehouses that are much worse.
Well good thing you're up to $15 an hour now
Yeah that 15 made a huge difference
I worked at amazons warehouse too and I’m so surprised you actually liked working there. It was the worst year of my life !! I have arthritis at 20 years old . It was so depressing there. Especially seeing all the old people there. It’s not a place for humans.
Lesson learned: If you need heavy duty works done, Drive Toyota!
Im currently working amazon flex in Berlin Germany, and its the best job I ever had.
It will be until the market grows
She was on state assistance and now she's working. What a "disaster" the Flex program is.
When her car breaks down, she'll be back on state assistance.
Once they learn about cars and how to maintain then i hope they will be doing better. They are that old yet dont know about coolant on a car as back then cars needed a lot of care for or do any safety checks such as oil check, flat tires, coolant check, washer fluid level, etc, before driving.
jeffw1267 - she needs to sell her big expensive house and live within her means then she would not have this problem to begin with.
She was taking care of her mom and the state compensated her as a caregiver. After the mom transferred to a nursing home, the compensation ended. It's no different than paying a stranger to be a caregiver, instead it is paid to the family member. It's very common.
this shows how reliable Toyota is over ford !!
I own a Tundra. Love it.
But my 67 fastback gets better MPG.... Then again. The tundra is 6000lbs vs a 3000lbs car.
I literally just today bought a used Ford fusion hatchback (the same car that broke down in the video). I hope this isn't foreshadowing. Lol
Yeah, cuz toyotas never need coolant nor someone at the rental agency to maintain coolant levels.
i work at an amazon logistics station, the flex drivers get angry and competitive with each other, arguing and cutting each other off while trying to pick up their routes. It can get pretty unsafe sometimes. We actually have a former flex driver who is persona non grata at the facility because he developed a grudge with competing drivers and threatened to shoot them and the facility up.
I live in FL and every job listing I see wants 2+ years experience and pays $11 or 12 an hour. For no experience you get $8 or 9. You'd make considerably more doing this even after you include expenses.
Lady buy a mount, don't drive with a phone in your hand staring at the app.
avoqado89 loo
mounts ineffective, gotta take the phone out 35 times... 35 mins wasted
In California that would be a $200 fine if she gets caught being on the phone while driving.
both my mom and dad work for amazon flex! they love it
Those houses looked amazingly large and beautiful, I'm moving to Arizona!
lmaoooo I was so confused when a guy in a car delivered my amazon package this explains it
wouldnt they be considered private contractors? if so cant they incorporate and avoid taxes and right off many of their expenses as business cost like car maintenance and gas?
yes
Yeah, including maintenance
This is not a permanent job position. People need to understand that they contracted out for that reason. They also have white van drivers that are full-time employees, that have benefits. When I left my last job I was making $16 an hour before taxes and I thought that was good. Most of the time working for Flex, I can make $20 + an hour. This is only a part time gig for me. It's not meant to be relied on as a full time job.
Dreama Lopez i agree that it is not supposed to be a 'real' long term job. However this type of job reduces real positions
It sounds like an okay part time job. To make some extra money. Idk what people are complaining about. The job is relatively easy. You work when you can. No strings attached. Maybe you are saving for a trip, or a big purchase... It is a good choice!
Saitama Kun there are pros and cons
It's the easiest thing in the world.
I'm a Flex driver in Phoenix, AZ just like this lady; since 2017. This is extremely accurate, however, I'd add that it's not "hard" to get blocks and work every day, not even in 2018. You just have to dedicate some time to get them and also back in 2018, get up at 5am when the blocks for the day would be dumped into the system (they don't do that anymore that I know of at least here). What you see her doing with the ninja tapping, trying to get blocks, was made more difficult because you used to be able to buy little electronic lights from China, they looked like ear buds, that would "tap" the refresh for you and get blocks for you faster than any human could grab them. Amazon changed to the swipe to make it fair for all of us who weren't cheating to get blocks. Be happy that you are at least right handed as being left handed for the direction to swipe is a major handicap. They live seriously far off into the desert if they have to drive 45 minutes to a station, there are 5 here spread out around the city. Also, if you want to get paid more than $18/hr, don't accept blocks that pay that rate. My impression is Amazon really stopped caring about keeping the pay down by Christmas 2018 and it really hasn't changed since then with the pay.
I worked for Amazons warehouse for 1 year. It was the worst year of my life. I was literally sick physically and mentally. I was so depressed i walked out the building in Easter Day and never went back. I’m 20 and I now have arthritis in my hands and tendinitis on my left foot. Also terrible knee pains. I was a picker. I’m so scared that amazon will take over the world. They are now reaching out to social media influencers. It’s so scary.
His Ford breaks down. Her Toyota keeps going LOL
There are bots / apps programmed to auto refresh / accept blocks. Amazon says they arent allowed but people find ways around it.
Thank you for Covering this
Have financial freedom while your young. You won't have to worry when your old
*It's hard and honest work.*
All the logistic companies have independent delivery drivers. Amazon is not the first and not the last in this trend.
so, this is a "news story" about a job that could pay better, and the employer should/could offer more to their contractors (not employees) for their hard work and overhead costs....
while showing the lady happy she has a job and it looks like they are doing well, but the news reporter is talking about how rough it is.?.
it is a *private contracted temp job* ....if you dont want the job someone else will do it
2:56 That's some hella safe driving!
Now we REALLY don't know if someone is dropping off packages or taking them from the neighborhood.
Sucks but should be a good lesson for everyone , work your ass off early in life so you don't end up like this.Still working into your 60's just to get by .
Charlie G just always have plans for the future that way. You will succeed. Don’t at the early age just have fun as much as you can. Period
I think it's a good job to supplement you income like doing it in your day off or weekends. But not good as a full time job.
Maybe it's just hard in Phoenix? I am a Flex contractor in Chicago. Every day, at any given time, I log on and there over 20 routes available to work. On weekends, holidays, bad weather days, or good weather days (where contractors don't want to work but hang out), Amazon increases the wage. I almost never do deliveries with Amazon. I only do it when I want to purchase something I can't justify in my budget lol
I see ppl complaining that it isn’t worth it because of the miles, gas, wear and tear on the car, this can be deducted on your taxes. As far as no benefits, you have to realize you are a contractor, your responsible for that.
Ppl look at Amazon Flex like a regular job with the full benefits when it shouldn’t be looked like that in the first place.
Amazon warehouse and Flex workers' theme:
ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL by Pink Floyd. 😉
This video highlights why you should start saving for retirement early!
First of all I have to give these two people a lot of credit for not giving up. Working together trying to survive. Now, you have to get a bigger delivery vehicle. Open two LLC ‘s so you can deduct gas, miles, phone bill, insurance, and even some part of your home. Just a little advice. Also everyone is blaming Amazon but all of you order stuff from Amazon. So blame your selfs.
I think people who have worked for one of these large corporations as a contractor can relate. I worked at Hewlett Packard as a contractor for a few years and the company I am currently with for a few years before being brought on full-time. Depending on your role, contractors can be treated very poorly. I got sick once; out for 3 weeks without pay and no health insurance. Decided I had to do whatever I could to get on full-time. These flex/contractor positions are only meant for temporary work - 6 months a year at the most. It's really the only way to survive and make a living going the corporate route.
I'm lost, lady says she was starving before this and now makes more than minimum wage and also some extra to cover car cost and Amazon is the one at fault ?
Geo Hurtado it's because there is not a union I suspect. All the flex protests I see here are union sponsored
cloverlief Fair enough, but that was never brought up unless I missed it. So I Uber supposed to start a union for them? They are 1099 employees, they aren't even employees ,they are contractors essentially.
Geo Hurtado the idea is that 1099s should become W2s and because enough are disgruntled, the unions would be able to swoop in. When traced it has been consistently shown many of these campaigns are financially backed by unions who have been knocked down hard by thier bread and butter companies leaving the country or moving to non union states.
The current 1099 system blocks organized labor. That is why it is seen as so bad.
Could Uber and Amazon pay more?
Of course they could, but they both get so many people that want to do the job (like me) that there is over saturation.
If I was to stop doing flex, there are 1000s on the waiting list to take my place.
Supply and demand. There is a limited yet growing supply and an overload of people that need a little extra income to pay a bill or buy something (like me).
To force the job to pay better the job has to be reclassified as an employee. I know if that happened I could no longer do this and flexibility will go away.
I know Amazon already sees the writing on the wall and is now pushing for the new partner company program. I am aware that Flex will go away just due to the push for regulation.
It's the wild west of gig economies. It is beneficial to people like me. However those who want this to be their sole living option it is bad for.
I am aware I don't make a ton of money off it in the end.
Why I started Flex. I needed to do 1200 in maintenance on my car which would easily (based on inspection) get me a couple years life out of it. I didn't have that kind of money. I could take out a loan, however I gave this a shot. I joined and got the money in a reasonable time. No debt required. I also had a side effect I did not plan on, it motivated me to walk. I got a pack and a cart. As most of my deliveries are in clusters I can park and walk groups. It gets me to exercise. Since starting I have become stronger and lost 80 lbs plus all my health numbers have improved.
I am supportive of Flex, but I also know it is not a career and won't last forever. I still have my primary job that actually pays the bills.
cloverlief Thank you for taking your time to explain in such great detail. What I understand is the following, an employer offers a low skilled job they need done and seem to pay better than most low skilled jobs and you or any other contractor has the right to say no and you mention many others waiting on a list to work there too. So yes they could pay more but why should they have too if obviously there paying enough that thousands want that job too. Let us not forget that's how these jobs have been pitched as a second job to help supplement income. I'm all for worker's rights too even as a business owner as I am still on the books in my old state and I'll be honest, I hated working for a Union for one reason, it felt very communist. I used to want to work extra hours or sell more and I would be held back because I didn't have seniority. All the lazy old timers would get all the hours and jobs based solely on tenure and not actual job performance. I left them and went non union and made and extra 12k a year. I know my situation isn't the same as everyone but I feel if you dont like it then find something else or make your own company and feed the actual economy and not just take from it.
This lady is clearly getting her nails and hair done. No room to complain.
I see packages just kept in open. Isn't there any signature requirement that acknowledge parcel is received?
I just did a video on the Amazon Van delivery opportunity and ALL of this 1099 driver stuff seems like to much of a hassle to make real money, let alone comfortable money
200$ in 4 days... That's 50$ a day 🤨
i can make around $200-$400 a day with flex where i live
@@KaziCollective what is that service?
I can make between 120-150 doing 2 blocks a day. Each block is 3-3.5 hours but I usually get them done in 2 hours.
its not 50 a day minus gas maintenance depreciation of value its more like 25 a day amazon depends on people that dont understand basic math and thats why corporations are so rich
@@stevealex2098 Thats not the reason. Amazon actually makes more money from their commercial sever business. The real reason why many corporations are reaching $1 trillion market cap is because of low interest rates. It deters savings and pushes more money into the stock market along with quantitive easing by the treasury and stock buy backs, companies are reaching new heights in wealths and that trickles down to majority shareholders like Jeff Bezos.
These people voluntarily work for Amazon and are compensated for their services. No one is holding a gun to their head making them work there. They are free to work a different job anytime they want to
Ah ha. So these are the fools that have been stealing my amazon packages and claiming that the package was delivered.
Like they have nothing better to do than steal your fuckin' 50 pound bag of dog food.
I drive flex for Amazon in the Seattle area. It takes about 1- 1 1/2 hours to complete a block. Sometimes even less I have had on many occasions blocks with only 1-5 stops and take 30min. What they never mentioned was how long it took her to complete the block for many drivers it takes the same amount of time. With each block paying between 48-76 for a scheduled block with most being 57-66.5 for me I usually get one 57 and a 66.5 I go around 30-40miles for amazon a day and put $5 in gas. Its not a terrible program when you are making around 50something an hour.
You didn't explain why it was a disaster for those workers! Just mentioning $18 an hour brutto, does not clarify a disaster
I like that companies like Amazon and Uber have provided us normal Joes ways to make extra money pretty easily. I an a General Manager at a restaurant in Tulsa. I make about $75,000/year (with bonuses) and work 50-55 hours a week. I drive Uber XL to the tune of about 20-25 hours a week and average about $30/hour before gas. That's an extra $30,000/year (give or take). Having an extra "gig" has made it so much easier to support my wife and daughter
"I beleive this is my last pakage"?? Its the only one left in car!! Lol 5:02
Funny !
I was a stay at home mom for 7 years...three kids. After my divorce this job got us through... I am thankful for the opportunity. I wouldn't recommend it long term... I now have a full-time permanent job... But for transition or a few bucks extra cash this is a great way. Wasn't a disaster for me at all... And I don't know where we'd be if I wasn't able to work this job for those couple months.
BAD BAD BAD being on your mobile device while driving... i guess most of these drivers don't really understand the "grey" rules. also, have a plan B, bring a map (not twenty pages from your laser jet printer) cause you cannot rely on gps all the time.
Amazon is fantastic for buyers: low prices and decent customer service. Unfortunately, they do this by screwing over all their partners. I've been using the Fulfillment By Amazon program for a couple years, and they manipulated listings to suppress my listing. Just in the last month, they also lost a bunch of my inventory -- and didn't tell me about it. I had to ask them and then they said the equivalent of "oh yeah we lost that, we'll set up a reimbursement payment" (still waiting to get paid for that 3 weeks later...). Amazon is abusing its market position like crazy to the benefit of Jeff Bezos, who is now worth $150 billion. Isn't that just great...
Dosadoodle they're genius. Prime time to buy their stock
i honestly cannot imagine a 64 year old women delivering packages. That job just isn't meant to support a family, its for kids in college just trying to get by.
Only flex is awesome. I've been doing it since the beginning of Nov 2018 and have only had a few issues. The cost of gas in my car is 2-6 per block pending on how long the block is and how far I go that day. (Typically 35 miles but I have gone 100 a few times) maintenance is not that crazy even though I delivery in South Carolina where a third of my routes are on dirt roads. I just want more blocks! I typically get 2-4 a week but that's as much as I can do with three kids and my husband's full time night job
I just want to know if she went to help her husband deliver that packages. That's what I would have done it his rental car broke down lol
Seems like she didn't give a shit about her husband
I don't have HBO. But will buy the Episode ... i work for Flex in Phoenix Arizona. And i have seen these drivers and spoke with them once or twice i hope they brought. Up the Cuban Problem The Scripters hackers. That steal blocks at UAZ1 they attack the Amazon server and steal the block before any other driver can Refresh the app and swipe to accept. Vice News needs to do deep reporting on this. When the driver is tapping all day to get blocks if they lucky they will get 1 to 4 blocks a day. Spending way to many hours seeking work. Turn this driver into a safety Hazard on the road. Most drivers spend 12 hours to get 6 hours of work or less a day I have heard of drivers tapping while driving. Back to the wearhouse .on the hoping of getting lucky by catching a block this a major safety issue in Arizona. I will be sending a letter to the Governor of arizona on this issue
Mycel yes yes of course
You don't work for flex. you are using flex.
this isn't meant to be your primary income, it's not a job.
Seems Like Amazon Is Modifying Your Behavior To Be Reliant On Always Checking The App?
bret too lol
bret too why don't you apply as a driver to one of the many companies that do all day routes flex imo helps to get you out of a pinch not a full time job
Y'all should do a story on the independent contractors (aka Runners) of Favor Delivery in Texas. That would be interesting
Is this the reason I got my hair clippers and My van Holten pickles from amazon on Sunday is probably from these guys bless their souls the employees I mean
shes got a massive house
why the hell does she need to make chump change doing this
Ah because someone has to pay for the house. There is just so much fail in your comment.
They probably suck with money and bought a house they can't afford and most likely they've not been saving for retirement.
JogBird This is what happens when the average person grows old and retires.
Its Arizona, you can get a house there for some spare change and a saguaro cactus
It's a cash flow issue. They probably have a decent net worth but no cash for daily expenses.
You guys should rename the video to "why its important to contribute to a 401k or Roth IRA", had this couple done this while they were younger and working + their SS they wouldn't even need to go through the hassle of delivering packages...
kenneth cox - yeah then they could die early because in inactivity
Say that again when the broke ass politicians decide your 401k is top good to leave alone. Taking every ones retirement.....makes the tax slaves work longer to get a payout. Don't think it will happen???? Look at what the government did to social security. They took mine...and yours.....have it to all the illegals in the form of disability.....
Cost of living and houses in Arizona are so affordable, nothing like California. I can see how her and her husband can do this job and still manage to pay all of their bills.
Can't imagine living in the bay area / san francisco area of california and doing this on a wage that can afford you a home. Especially since you have to pay for your own gas.
why does this remind me of the movie, 'the phone call', where you take instructions from some unknown caller on the line who directs you to do the bidding of some mastermind terrorists in exchange for the release of your kidnapped loved ones?
That old lady staring at her phone while driving is the scariest thing I've seen today.
I deliver for Amazon through another company in vans they supply us. Seeing this pisses me off. They have like 40 packages to deliver? My van on Saturday July 22nd after prime day I had 351 packages and the temperature was 109 degrees and that's not heat index!
The Faceless Man82 I feel your pain been there done that. Yea those contractors don’t have a lot of work compared to having 10 hours on the road delivering.
Bruh the guy with the rental car literally could just add water🤦
30 stops!? That's a dream come true! I be getting 200 stops, but that's because I work for a third party company contracted by Amazon and they supply us with vans so we fit A LOT more packages in -.-
It's not always that hard... They usually release a large amount of blocks at one or two set times per day. If you miss those, of course you're going to have to tap.
Those old people are NOT actual Flex competitors. They are OUTLIERS and do not depict average Flex users -- these are the uncommon ignorant users that disappear after a few weeks.
/r/latestagecapitalism
60 yr olds who should be retiring are having to use a rental car to deliver packages for Amazon, all without benefits...
Well that is true but there's so many opportunities that I am astounded as someone fighting to get every buck they can, even though I'm younger. I mean just look at the stock market, or tangible gold and silver investments.. you're telling me none of these people thought to even once invest like an amount of 5k or 10k into the market while they had it, and by now it'd be up like to 50k and so on. There's a ton of market opportunities for smallfries that people don't take advantage of or they don't bother to learn. They grew up in such a surplus time and then they wonder where all the wealth they used to get "so easily" actually went to, and I don't mean to degrade them as if they are all just dumb, but the opportunities to simply invest in something alone (that's like 1 of maybe 3 or 4 things you cuold have done) would have returned 5x to 10x more on that investment by now if you started in the 1950s or the 60s.. Some of these things were worth like a few cents, now they're up to like 100-200$ per unit no matter what it is. When you think of those opportunities it's strange to see that even though 'everyone' can do it, so few have done stuff like that, and then they remain bitter about it the whole time. Even so, if everyone 'did' do it, it'd probably not be sustainable, but it's a good way to passively start generating money by investing in safe and growing economic trends. It also isn't a skill that everyone can learn, and you can lose money. I think we are lacking "Good business leaders" in this time that are willing to provide tangible jobs as well, but when people complain about lifting boxes and getting paid minimum wage, it's not really helping their case either.
They should be considered employees. Independent contractors determine things like pay rates, marketing strategy, benefit packages, scope of responsibilities. They like uber and lyft drivers are not allowed to do any of this, therefore they are not independent contractors.
I do this on the weekends in NC, I love it!
I saw a flex driver where his car was a Audi s3 and I was thinking why would you deliver packages with that kind of expensive car? Why dude, why?
Relax dude, S3 start at $44,500
It's not that bad.😅😅
I've seen people use Mustangs and Dodge chargers to deliver pizzas.
@@jackiechan_wtf4041 44 k is alot of money to most people and then you factor in finance charges and insurance that 44k will balloon up to like 50k plus like 300 dollars a month just for insurance.
ppl with money who want to stay occupied... or ppl who need a "job" so their parents don't cut them off
Greed
People drive for them because they want. If the rates are not great, they have a option to look for a formal job or other similar app/ service.
Companies are being creative reducing their costs and helping society with such services, and yet Vice want to distorce the reality
Is this it or their a longer episode of this amazon driver delivery
I would keep most off the packages in the trunk as possible where someone can follow you and take them in sight.
It doesn't look bad at all to me ... i mean it's a great job for students or ppl who want to have some extra money on the weekends but don't expect to pay for everything by being a flex driver ... of course they will have money issues if they only bet on a job that isn't designed for being the main source of income ... especially if you have a big house and 3 cars in your garage :/
Mugen San ..but to make decent money you have to work hella hours. And why can't this be considered a real job. My ups guy makes real good money..has benefits and retirement plan. Delivery is important. And Jobs lile these are starting to be more common. People have to sustain some kind of way.
Thats why these jobs are considered flexible as in its not meant to be real income. If she wanted a real income then she should sign up for jobs that give full hours and wages that come along. This is more so for that weekend trip to get some cash. Tbh for her age, this job isnt so bad and does pay fairly well at $18/her(source:videoabove) before expenses.
It costs about 55 cents a mile to operate a car when everything is factored in ..... I wonder how much she makes after she takes that into consideration ??????
Gotta love capitalism. The head of Amazon the richest man in the world whilst the working conditions for tens of thousands of employees is unconscionable
He "earns" appx. $275 million per day, and people act like it's unconscionable, in the name of capitalism, that employees are paid more.
The fact the service is so popular she doesn't have as many packages to deliver a day due to how competitive working for the service is would suggest the job is opposite to unconscionable...
They aren't employees, they have no benefits, expenses, support, union or garenteed income. Like she said, if she doesn't swipe her phone quick enough, she won't get the work. If the car breaks down, they aren't paid for that time, nor is the car taken care of by Amazon. If she falls ill, she has no insurance to pay for the care nor any sick leave. These workers, along with the warehouse staff, the ones who actually make his billions, are treated with 0 dignity. The gig economy fails everyone bar the company in question.
This kind of job isn't meant to be a career.
Unconscionable? Drive around for 3 hours in an air conditioned vehicle and get paid $63. Thats considered good to 99.9% of the earths population.
I remember once I seen someone leave a package and get in a regular car. I was kind of scared till I realized Amazon has independent people to deliver.
Amazon really can give people a lot of jobs but they want to go the cheap way.
She cracked me up on how she refreshes her app. Fyi, lady your phone froze