Amazon Tries Driver Flex Feature That Involves Community Directly As Package Delivery

Amazon is piloting a program that has a Flex driver. (photo: @KTVU )

JAKARTA - Amazon is piloting a program that has Flex drivers contracted to pick up and deliver packages from malls. The program, which Bloomberg says Amazon has been running since last year, can help Amazon fulfill orders for same-day or two-day delivery.

"This is just another way we can connect Amazon sellers with customers through convenient shipping options," Amazon spokeswoman Lauren Samaha said in an emailed statement to The Verge. Samaha added that only a handful of sellers participated in the program, but did not specify which ones.

It's not entirely clear where Amazon is running the tests. Drivers who spoke to Bloomberg about the program cited picking up packages from malls located in Chandler, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Tysons Corner, Virginia.

Just like drivers for Instacart or DoorDash, Amazon Flex drivers use their own vehicles to deliver packages. They usually pick up packages from Amazon's delivery stations, but there's also an option to pick up packages from local stores, which Samaha says has been available for years.

Mall delivery would work the same way, only the driver would head to the shops inside the local shopping mall to pick up the package.

Earlier this month, Vox reported that Amazon was quietly testing a delivery service that pays mom-and-pop stores in the countryside to ship packages for the company. In a way, local businesses are like post offices — parcels are delivered 360 days a year, and workers are assigned to deliver them within a 10-mile radius.

Amazon previously relied on the US Postal Service and UPS for final deliveries, where the package actually reached the customer's doorstep, but giving local stores the work could reduce the need to engage either service.

The retail giant is also looking to conquer other delivery services on third-party websites. In April, Amazon began letting merchants who already store items in Amazon's warehouses add a "Buy With Prime" button to their website.

This allows customers to benefit from Prime shipping when shopping outside of Amazon, and also gives more business to Amazon's growing fulfillment sector.