Amazon drivers may be picking up your packages from mall retailers soon.
The multinational e-commerce technology company is recently experimenting with a new service where its Flex drivers make deliveries from mall-based retailers to your home all in the same day, according to CNBC.
Should the experiment prove successful, the service could help Amazon expand the variety of goods it has available for fast shipment (read as same-day or quicker delivery), per Bloomberg.
Amazon Flex Mall-to-Home Delivery Details
Amazon has been reported to be notifying some Flex drivers in the past few months that it's testing the service in question, where retail delivery offers will allow Amazon Flex drivers to "pick up and deliver pre-packaged orders directly from non-Amazon retail stores in participating local shopping centers."
The notice was sent to Amazon Flex drivers in Las Vegas and only included orders placed at stores in Fashion Show Mall, a mall located on the Las Vegas Strip. The experimental service is also being tested in other places, such as Chandler, Arizona, and Tysons Corner, Virginia. It is also being trialed in Friendswood, Texas according to a post on Reddit's r/AmazonFlexFrivers subreddit.
While the service could expedite or quicken customers' orders, Amazon users might never realize the things they ordered came from a mall-based retail store nearby. Amazon only lists products available for same-day delivery, and if someone orders something, an Amazon Flex driver picks the pre-packaged item up from the retailers participating in the test, per PC Mag.
Simply put, Amazon will only let you know which items are for same-day delivery through the experimental service but won't tell you it will come from a nearby mall-based retail store that has agreed to participate. This service effectively makes them the middleman in people's shopping experiences.
Amazon spokesperson kate Kurdna said that some "existing Amazon sellers" are participating in the program and that Flex drivers operate as usual, except they now pick up orders from retail stores rather than Amazon delivery stations or supermarkets.
Kurdna also added that Amazon has been delivering from third-party stores for years and that the new service is "another way [Amazon is] able to connect to [its] sellers with customers via convenient delivery options."
What Is Amazon Flex?
Amazon Flex is a component of the company's in-house logistics arm. It enables everyday drivers to deliver packages from their vehicles for $18 and $25 an hour, depending on the type of shift they take. Drivers that choose to participate in the program are responsible for costs like gas, tolls, and car maintenance.
According to Amazon Flex's website, the program is a way to supplement people's incomes by earning extra money to "progress toward your goals."
The program was launched in 2015, and since then, at least four million drivers have opted to join the program, including 2.9 million in the U.S. according to a Bloomberg report cited by Engadget in June 2021.
