An Amazon delivery driver

What food delivery service does Harry Potter prefer?

Dumble-Door Dash

Online shopping is more prevalent than ever before—making up over 14.1% of retail purchases across the world—and for good reason! It’s incredibly convenient to place an order online and have it arrive on your doorstep days later. Consumers save time from having to commute to stores and increase their accessibility to goods that aren’t available nearby. 

What the house next door looks like every day

My family and I don’t shop online very often, but we still enjoy its efficiency. In the past year, I’ve ordered several books, food storage containers, and colored pens from online vendors. However, our eCommerce habits pale in comparison to our neighbors! During one day of eLearning at home, I’ve counted two Amazon delivery trucks, one UPS truck, and one FedEx truck who have stopped by my next-door neighbor’s house to drop off packages. No matter the brand of the vehicle, one commonality I’ve noticed between all of the delivery drivers is their quickness. Each individual is so light on their feet, springing out of their van and carrying heavy boxes as if they weigh nothing, powered by an impending sense of urgency.

A trunk full of heavy packages

Yes, online shopping is convenient. However, I think that the delivery process often gets overlooked—specifically the challenging lifestyle and demanding standards that delivery drivers endure. I wanted to step into the shoes of one of these individuals and understand their day-to-day responsibilities. After binge-watching several “Day in the Life of…” videos and exploring articles on this topic, I’ve compiled a rough outline of what a workday as a delivery driver looks like. 

Let’s consider the case of a make-believe John Doe, a middle-aged delivery driver who works for Amazon. Due to the pandemic, John had his hours at his other part-time job shortened, so he decided to apply for a second job on the side to earn more income (about $16 per hour). 

An Amazon distribution center

Typically, John delivers for ten hours per day during three days of the week. Recently, his schedule has shifted to four days a week because of the holiday season rush. At the start of his day, John’s alarm clock wakes him up at 5:00 AM. The drive to the warehouse is about 30 minutes away from where he lives, so he always makes sure to grab a hearty breakfast before taking off! 

At the distribution center, John receives keys to the Amazon van he will be driving that day. Unfortunately, arriving at work doesn’t usually lift his spirits very much since there’s a lot of yelling and chaos as everyone tries to kick the day off. John watches all of the vans in front of him, one by one inching closer to the front of the line. Once he’s there, he has 20 minutes to load about 300 packages into his van and hit the road. Since each box weighs up to 50 pounds, his arms are always a little sore when leaving the distribution center.

The “Rabbit”

However, John can’t deliver at his own pace during the day. Amazon provides each delivery driver with an android device called a “rabbit” that maps out his stops using an algorithm. Typically, he’s expected to meet the standards of 20 stops each hour. Not all locations are equal, so John finds himself sometimes falling a little behind the number when he drives in suburban areas where the stops are spaced further apart from each other. If John needs to use the restroom, he has to locate the nearest public bathroom. This has helped him get to know the places on his route really well, especially grocery stores and gas stations. 

Over time, John has become more organized as a delivery driver and sometimes finds himself ahead of his “rabbit’s” schedule. Unfortunately, John still isn’t able to rest because the algorithm will direct him to help out with another nearby driver who has fallen behind, alleviating their load to ensure that each package arrives on time. Due to his company’s policy that “no packages come back, period,” John feels the constant pressure of stress throughout the entirety of his day until he arrives back at the distribution center with an empty van. Sometimes, he skips his half-hour lunch break so that he’s able to finish delivering all the packages. Most days, because of the long hours, John doesn’t get home until late at night and isn’t able to see his wife or kids.

A lunch break

One thing that has surprised John about his job is the insane amount of walking. He uses his watch to keep track of his steps and has noticed that he walks up to 10 miles on busy days! In order to spice up the repetitive nature of his job, John likes to listen to the radio or podcasts in the van in between spots. 

This summary is a composite of several different sources I found on the internet. I would recommend watching some of the “Day in the Life of…” videos on YouTube if you’re interested in directly seeing what a job as a delivery driver looks like! One example is linked below—the driver keeps a super optimistic mindset throughout his job. I think that stepping into another person’s lifestyle can be very eye-opening and teach us to appreciate the everyday convenience that we sometimes take for granted.

Works Cited:

Gebel, Meira. “I’m a 55-Year-Old Amazon Driver in Oregon Who Walks up to 10 Miles a Day. Here’s How the Company’s Incentivizing Us This Holiday Season.” Business Insider, Business Insider, 8 Dec. 2020, www.businessinsider.com/amazon-delivery-driver-day-in-the-life-2020-10. 

“How I Get By: A Week in the Life of an Amazon Delivery Driver.” VICE, www.vice.com/en/article/bvgzwa/how-i-get-by-a-week-in-the-life-of-an-amazon-delivery-driver. 

Ouellette, Coral, et al. “Online Shopping Statistics You Need to Know in 2021.” OptinMonster, 6 Jan. 2021, optinmonster.com/online-shopping-statistics/.