Aside from what amounts to a generous hourly pay for many delivery areas, the main reason I keep delivering is due to the generosity of the Prime Now customers. Although not always an exact science, I estimate that each stop on a route nets roughly five dollars in tips. That’s why in most cases, the more stops the better. Lots of customers mention they included the tip when they submitted their order and of course I let them know my appreciation. In the end, we really have no way of knowing who tipped what, but there are some simple things you can do to at least give yourself a better chance at the extra pay.
TIPS- To insure prompt service. The true meaning of the word says it all. Deliver on time!!!
Amazon Flex has an unwritten (or written?) rule that drivers not accept cash. This rule is not always followed and I completely understand the reasons some drivers take the “bird in hand.” I personally don’t take cash from customers. When it’s offered to me, I politely tell them I’m not allowed to accept it, but tips can be added through the app up to 48 hours after delivery. Most people immediately say they will go back and add a tip and I of course tell them how much I appreciate them doing so.
I my opinion, the face to face interaction with customers leads to more tips, which is why I always ring the bell and wait for an answer. But it all depends on timing. There are routes when I may be in a hurry, so on occasion I decide to leave the delivery and move on for the sake of my next drop being on time.
As much as I believe in the face to face, though, I do recommend paying close attention to the delivery instructions given for each address. You do not want to be the one who rings the doorbell when a note says do not ring the bell, sleeping baby! That is one way to assure zero tip! You also don’t want to ring the bell when you are asked to knock! And you definitely don’t want to stand and wait for the door to be answered when the instructions clearly say leave on the porch. Try to make a point of reading the instructions upon your arrival and before you scan the packages for drop-off.
Another simple tip is carrying plastic grocery bags with you on rainy days. Not everyone has a covered porch and the last thing they want are wet items. My warehouse does not provide rain protection bags on bad weather days so I carry them just in case I need them. It’s the little things that could pay big in the end.
*The above is the easy stuff…the next stuff I mention is definitely a case by case basis. I don’t advise doing any of the following, I’m just letting you know what I may do in similar situations, not things I have done! I’m not saying that anyone should follow suit, and I hope everyone understands that being abolished from delivering could definitely occur. I take no responsibility for what happens to you if you copy what I write. Reader beware!!!!!
On many occasions I have gotten a call from the customer stating that they are stuck in traffic, held up at work, or locked in a basement, etc…etc…and they will not be at home to accept their cold delivery items. They are very aware that they have an attended delivery due to the app letting them know that cold items cannot be left on the porch.
So the call comes in during the route. They give the reasons as to why they won’t be home. I remind them that they need to be there for me to leave the items. They explain that I should leave them anyway. I tell them that I can’t possibly break the rules. HOWEVER…I let them know that I have a few more deliveries that I have to drop off before I arrive at their home so it is possible they will be there before me.
At this point I check the location of the drop-off to see if I can adjust my route to give them time to get home. If so, I will adapt accordingly. I also ask them while they are still on the phone, where would you want me to leave the items? This way, I am not exactly telling them no. But I am also not telling them I will break the rules for them.
I figure that all calls are being recorded, so I don’t want to implicate myself going forward. I always get off the phone call by telling them that, I understand their dilemma and I will do my best! Off course I’m going to leave the items exactly where they want! Or at least, maybe I am! As I said, it’s a case by case basis. You have to use your own judgment. I for one would never break the rules for extra tips…
Anything else you can think of? Please let me know!
What Amazon flex are you doing? I have never gotten a tip. I get paid $72 for 4 hour shift. Amazon never asked if I wanted to do flex or .com. But I’d love to get tips
Check in you area and see if they have the Flex shifts available. Some cities have both .Com and Flex, while others have one of each. It all depends on where you are.
I have never received a tip and i do both flex and. Com in phx,az. I did get a Klondike bar from a customer on a very hot day lol!
Tips show up two days after your shift. So if you drive on a Wednesday, you will see your tips start to hit you pay screen on Friday. For many, including myself, it is the tips that make this job worth it. A Klondike bar sounds nice though!
flex. delivery is new in my area. I’ve done 4, 4 hour shifts over two weeks. not one tip.
Hello Someone, when you are accepting the delivery blocks it will either give a flat rate or a range for the expected pay. If a flat rate is listed you are delivering for .Com and there are no tips to follow. If the pay is quoted as a range then you are delivering Prime Now and tips will show up two days after that shift. I hope this helps with any confusion.
I just started…got my first block yesterday…for Prime and had an idea to help increase tips. I am going to have some stickers printed up that say something along the lines of “Thanks for your Prime Now order. I hope to serve you again very soon -Vince”
Nice touch, Vince. Thank you for posting. Have fun out there!
I made $25 in tips from my first block. That was 7 or 8 deliveries. I decided to place an order because I wanted to see the customer side of things. The tip defaults to $5. If a customer isn’t really paying attention, they may think that is a “delivery” charge. I am afraid if I add the sticker, like I was saying, they may go in and actually lower the tip amount. I think I am going to run a few more blocks (assuming I can get them 🙂 ) and see how the tips go before I try the anything.
One time I had a customer ask me to use the hidden spare key and put the refrigerated items in her refrigerator! I think I may have gotten her maid fired, cause she was supposed to be there to accept the delivery.
PS I would not agree to do this, if anything ever happened you’d be the first one suspected.
Crazy! I can’t imagine letting myself into someone’s house and putting items in the refrigerator. Glad you would not follow her request, it would definitely put you in jeopardy if something were to happen to the house. Thanks for posting the story.
I have had 2 customer’s insist I take the cash tip,so I did.I hope i didn’t break any real rules…
It’s hard to turn down the cash, isn’t it? I’m sure you’ll be ok!
How do you work the route in a way that if a customer calls and says I need my delivery first because I’m getting ready to leave,but they are like 2nd or 3rd stop on the list?Thanks for any advice!
For me it would depend on the route and my location when I got the call. If it wasn’t going to impact my other deliveries too much I may accommodate them, otherwise I would just let them know how many more stops I have before I will arrive. If they want an item and they select delivery between 2pm and 4pm they would have to understand that it might arrive at 3:58pm.
Fairly new to flex. Delivered 10 blocks past month. All were 3 hour blocks but for some reason they always take 4 or more hours. What am I doing wrong? Consider myself fast, efficient and well organized. Help is appreciated .
Hello haveittodayray, You are most likely not doing anything wrong. A lot of times the warehouse sends us out on very ambitious routes. The number of stops and miles between them make sense from a paper standpoint, but in the real world…not so much. There are so many variables that can’t be foreseen with Amazon’s algorithms. First and foremost, each route assumes you will be departing the warehouse on time. That rarely happens. And next there are accidents, traffic, construction, parking, bridge openings, six cases of water to be delivered to the 14th floor…you get the point. All that aside, I believe you will get into your own rhythm and be able to complete the routes on time soon enough. You will begin to learn which apps work best for navigation and how to load your car more efficiently to save time. You will also begin to learn how to adjust your routes when Amazon recommends the stops in a bonehead order. There are some posts on this site that could be helpful to you if you have a chance to browse through them. Best of luck to you.