A Contactless City: Going Undercover As An Amazon Fresh Driver
A year ago, Professor Carlos Moreno of the Paris-Sorbonne University coined the idea of a 15-minute city, a proposal to transform mono-functional urban centers into highly accessible, polycentric cities that support the six essential urban functions of living, working, supplying, caring, learning, and enjoying. Amidst simultaneous health and climate crises in the US, his words ring truer than ever:
Our world cities, everywhere on the planet, concentrate time and again the core of human activity, but they are still driven by the paradigm of the oil era and its impact on roads and general urban planning. The era of omnipresent cars, associated with a lifestyle based on the ownership of a vehicle as an element of social status, is still present, but is faltering. Thus, how can we reconcile the irreversible development of an urban world with crucial needs for real quality of life?
Left:Right:
The experience was an eye-opening, highly stressful look into the daily life of those who power our convenience-driven impulses. As I battled poor cell phone reception in 100+ degree heat, unanswered buzzes on apartment building call boxes, and confusing drop-off instructions from customers , I couldnt help but feel empathy for every gig economy worker functioning in todays zombie apocalypse.
What Can I Buy On Amazonfresh
You can buy just about anything you would normally find at your local grocery store on AmazonFresh. That includes staple items such as fruits, vegetables, canned goods, condiments, packaged snacks, and raw meat. AmazonFresh has it all. As part of Amazons Prime Pantry service , you can even purchase frequently used necessities, including various cleaning products, batteries, and paper & plastic goods.
Youll also have access to almost 1,000 Whole Foods products as well since Amazon acquired the organic grocery chain in 2017. Most of the products are part of Whole Foods 365 brand and fall under the categories of meats, produce, beverages, frozen goods, cereals, baking, and snacks. Pricing and availability for 365 products will vary based on your zip code.
My Experience With Amazon Fresh Grocery Delivery
Life changing yall. Life changing. This whole, groceries delivered to my door so I dont have to go shopping has been the best thing Ive ever done for myself. For the most part, Ive been using Tom Thumb delivery service and Ive been mostly happy with it. A few weeks ago when Tom Thumb didnt deliver the dog food that I desperately needed, I gave a go since I knew they had same-day delivery windows.
The green handled one is the cold pack items.
For the most part, I like it. However, there are some distinct differences between the two so I actually find myself using both to serve our familys needs. Okay, wants. I really want a perfect delivery service and neither are perfect so Im piecing it together but its not without frustrations.
I learned a few other things too. Here are my pros and cons of this grocery service.
Pros of Amazon Fresh:
The bags are flimsy.
Cons of Amazon Fresh:
Sometimes the dry ice doesnt stay sealed in its box.
Do you use a grocery delivery service? Which one and what do you love or hate about it?
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Amazon Fresh Also Has Very Dope Household And Personal Item Sections Which Is What Pretty Much Solidified That I’ll Rarely Walk Into Irl Grocery Stores Ever Again I Was Able To Order Cotton Swabs Glass Cleaner And Hand Soap
This was especially great with the handwash since the Method brand plays nice with my sensitive skin. For that buy AND the Windex, I just re-upped on what I was already running low on in the house so I wouldn’t ever run out. To say that I was happy was an understatement.
Get the Windex glass cleaner for $2.97, the Q-tips for $2.69, and the Method hand soap for $2.99.
Cream: Contactless Rules Everything Around Me
While quarantine has brought new definition to the meaning of isolation and convenience, we must figure out how many experiences of our lives were willing to relegate to dark infrastructure once we regress to a new normal. While it may benefit as a one-stop shop for our entertainment, groceries, and other household needs today, Amazon cannot be everything to everybody. When examining its practices, it is not simply enough to analyze the depth of its market share in retail, but rather, its breadth.
According to Jeff Bezos statement to the US House of Representatives this summer, researchers found that Amazon is the #2 trusted entity in the country, just behind the military. That trust has foisted itself into the most consumer-centric company in the world, offering us everything from private label ground beef to smart doorbells and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The next item added to that list is entirely up to us.
On the one extreme is Morenos 15-minute city, on the other is one where it comes neatly packaged to our doorsteps and compressed over our cable pipes. Whatever we choose, I beg you: please dont knock or ring the doorbell and for the love of Jeffrey P. Bezos,Please have the french bread sliced!!
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Things To Know About Amazon Fresh Grocery Delivery
Ordering groceries online means you save time by not going into a store. Plus, you can compare prices from different retailers to know if youre getting a good deal.
In each section of this article, youll find information about Amazon Fresh including a step-by-step guide to placing your order. Then you can decide if this grocery delivery service is right for you.
I went through the Amazon Fresh ordering process to show you exactly how it works and to share tips along the way. Heres what you need to know to get started:
What Is Amazonfresh Heres Everything You Need To Know
Going to the grocery store can be quite an ordeal these days, especially if you dont have the time to squeeze a full pantry re-stock into your busy schedule. But the flip side of not loading your cupboards is typically loading your stomach with unhealthy grub like fast food and other junk. Luckily, there are many grocery delivery options out there that help to maximize your time and make healthy eating a lot more feasible.
One of the more popular choices in this arena is , a service that the online marketplace first started in 2007. If youre and want to give it a try, weve broken down everything you need to know about the grocery delivery service.
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Do Amazon Prime Now Drivers See Tip
Amazon Prime Now drivers do not see tips. They can have an idea of whether they were tipped or not by means of the app. However, the app does not tell them the amount of the tip they got or who gave them a tip. It also takes Amazon Prime Now drivers 24 to 48 hours to learn if they received tips.
Just because customers are using Amazon Fresh doesnt mean that they have all the money in the world. Like others, there are times in which they have to stretch their available budget, too.
This is when the benefit of Amazon Prime Now drivers not seeing tips comes in.
Well, at least for a customer like you.
If you are trying to save some money and you wish to give a tip amounting to less than $5, which is the default set by the app, there is no need to worry about breaking the heart of the delivery person.
Create An Amazon Prime Account
You need to have a Prime membership to request Amazon Fresh access.
If you dont already have Amazon Prime, you can sign up for a free trial. Once the trial period is up, youll have to pay for Prime but you could be eligible for a discounted membership.
Prime membership options include:
If you think that the only Prime perk youll use is Amazon Fresh, it may not be worth paying for a full-price membership. Other grocery delivery services have lower or no membership costs at all.
But if you think youll take advantage of multiple Prime offers and it fits in your budget, it may be worth it for you.
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Do Amazon Fresh Drivers See Tips
Amazon Fresh drivers cannot see the tip amount left by each customer. Instead, drivers can see the tip subtotal at the end of each day, but it is not broken down by the customer. This maintains privacy for customers while ensuring drivers can access their tips each day.
As an Amazon Fresh customer, its natural to feel self-conscious about drivers seeing your tip before the delivery reaches you.
Showing the tip subtotal at the end of each day allows drivers to see how much they earned in tips without seeing the increments given by each customer or which customer tipped versus which did not.
When Amazon Fresh delivered to me, I did ask if they got the entire tip, and the delivery person said they didotherwise i was going to give them cash.
Privilege is Unamerican
Is Amazon Fresh Worth The Money
If youre already a Prime member, live in an eligible postcode and like the idea of same-day food deliveries, then Amazon Fresh is absolutely worth trying out.
Even if youre not fussed about same-day delivery, but are a regular online shopper interested in the selection of gourmet and artisan items available at Amazon Fresh, then its still worth your money.
Considering you can try Amazon Fresh with a free 30-day Amazon Prime trial as well as reaping all of the other benefits you get with an Amazon Prime membership youre not taking a huge risk if you want to give it a go.
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What I Wish Was Different
I know this is part of using a grocery delivery service, but there is so much packaging involved. Because the orders are fulfilled from a warehouse rather than a local store or even a fulfillment center , everything is packed up in boxes, as well as insulated bags for frozen foods. And because items arent sourced from a store, theres no option for bulk bin items.
Same day delivery is usually not available. However, if you place an order very first thing in the morning, maybe you can secure a night time delivery.
I Have Never Been So Furious In My
I have never been so furious in my life. After placing my order days ago… in prep for all the Coronavirus chaos… it was cancelled because my account default to the stupid amazon card I agreed to get that has a cap that if there wasn’t a cap I would load with way more than $100. So when I added an item to my order it canceled the entire thing. There is no way too reorder and it doesn’t default to my actual credit card. I was passed around for well over an hour… with the same questions and no results. Just to be told they couldn’t do anything for me but offered me a discount on items I can’t order or reorder. Now everything is out because of the of the CoronaVirus. I will never use Amazon Fresh again. What an awful experience and serious waste of time.
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Who Gets The Tip For Amazon Fresh
Amazon Fresh drivers get 100% of the tips customers leave for them. This makes up a big part of the income drivers earn from Amazon Fresh. Since each driver gets the entirety of the tips left by customers, it is important to tip your drivers whenever possible.
Amazon can get away with a low baseline for their drivers hourly pay by ensuring their employees get the tips they earn from customers.
This is a great way to boost drivers income without providing them with higher salaries. Therefore, tips can either significantly increase a drivers income or leave them with relatively low earnings.
If the option to tip is available it will show at checkout and you will be able to add the tip to the order ^SF
Amazon Help
A Competitive Grocery Delivery Service At An Attractive Price But Amazon Fresh Is Still A Postcode Lottery
Amazons food delivery service, AmazonFresh, is an all-encompassing grocery hub where you can order anything from birthday cards and wine to salads, salmon and fresh artisan pasta.
Available exclusively to Prime members, its essentially a standard online grocery shopping service but with an amalgamation of UK shops and smaller brands.
While Amazon Fresh used to be an add-on that Prime members could pay for alongside their Prime membership, the service is now included in the price of a standard Amazon Prime membership, with free delivery on any delivery over £40.
Amazon has, for a long time, worked on being a one-stop-shop for pretty much anything and everything you could possibly need. Fresh is a great addition to this, if you live in the right postcode. So if youre ready to never leave your house again, read on and well tell you everything you need to know about Amazon Fresh including what it costs, what you can get and where you can get it.
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Alternatively Use Amazonfresh Pickup
This option is available only in select cities, is completely free, and does not require an order minimum. Simply select your groceries and then choose a pickup location as your account address, then reserve a time slot. Your groceries could be ready for pickup in as little as 30 minutes.
While you may have a bit of trepidation around buying groceries sight unseen, know that Amazon’s customer service team makes shopping on AmazonFresh quite seamless. You have a 30-day refund policy at your disposal if you aren’t satisfied with the condition of your Fresh items.
Fulfillment And Grocery Assortment
Amazon Fresh stores and fulfills grocery orders from . The food selection on Amazon Fresh is massive and leverages CPG brands , such as Progresso, Doritos, and Coca-Cola. Amazon also offers food and pantry goods from Amazon Brand , as well as inventory from Whole Foods Market, including its 365 Everyday Value brand. In addition to groceries, Prime members can shop for household products, cosmetics, electronics, and more on Amazon Fresh.
Prime Now provides consumers groceries from local stores, including Whole Foods Market. Participating stores, apart from Whole Foods Market, are Bristol Farms, Fresh Thyme Market, Bartell Drugs, and Westside Market NYC. Accessibility to stores vary by region. Consumers in major cities have greater access to stores, which subsequently increases the grocery assortment available. In select areas, Prime members are also able to shop from the Amazon store on Prime Now and can purchase non-grocery items from a larger inventory.
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Just Before You Tip Amazon Fresh
When you check out, the app automatically adds a tip amounting to $5. Every tip you give will be added to the base pay of Amazon Fresh delivery people, provided that Amazon will no longer use tips to provide the guaranteed wage.
It is fine to change the amount of the tip before you check out you can increase or decrease the tip. As a matter of fact, you can set it to zero.
But because Amazon Fresh delivery people are making minimum wage or just a little over it, giving them the recommended $5 tip each time is a good idea.
Accepts Snap Ebt Cards
Electronic Benefit Transfer is a system that allows individuals receiving assistance from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to pay for food.
Individuals on SNAP can use a valid EBT card to pay for groceries on Amazon Fresh. Furthermore, those with a SNAP EBT card do not have to have a Prime membership to use this delivery service.
Its important to note that you may only buy certain brands and types of items using a SNAP EBT card.
For example, most food items, including bread, baby food, frozen and fresh produce, meat, and dairy products, are eligible.
However, you cannot use an EBT card to purchase household supplies, personal care items, and childcare items, like diapers, on Amazon Fresh.
Summary
The benefits of Amazon Fresh include its convenience and large variety of products. Shoppers with SNAP EBT cards can use them to pay for eligible items.
Amazon Fresh comes with some potential downsides that you should consider when choosing a grocery delivery service.
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After Three Gigs Over Two Days Heres Some General Food For Thought:
- You can count the number of companies with the balance sheets, data/logistics, and economies of scale required to deliver on our accelerated demands of convenience, driven by the pandemic and climate change, on a single hand.
My first delivery originated at a new 26,000 sqft Fresh grocery store occupying the ground floor of a 300-unit modern luxury apartment complex in the heart of North Hollywood. Amazon has a competitive advantage over any other prospective tenant due to its granular data of Prime members addresses as well as their lookalike demographics. In less than a 15-minute drive, it can access a market of over half a million residents who earn an average household income of over $80,000.
Due to this high density of demand, Amazon can leverage its driver network of independent contractors like myself to deliver up to roughly 35 grocery bags an hour for just $18.50.Thats just over 50 cents per bag.
After this experience, it became clear to me why CloudKitchens is striving to become the Amazon of restaurants. If foodservice companies find success as tenants inside their last-mile optimized delivery warehouses, the startup could profitably drive down the cost of delivery whilst creating a valuable business off a high-yield real estate portfolio.
- There is a last-mile flywheel effect between Amazons physical and digital retail presences that will ultimately drive the cost of delivery even lower.