Amid a tough economy, many folks are looking for extra income on the side. One TikToker shared her preferred hustle for making over $200 in one day: Amazon Flex.
With Amazon Flex, independently contracted drivers use their own vehicles to deliver Amazon packages. Drivers get to work when they want by reserving blocks of time for delivery shifts.
This side gig has been a saving grace for TikTok user Allison (@abmccarthy). She took viewers along for the ride in her viral video to show how she earned $206 for seven hours of work.
@abmccarthy5757 Total: $206 #viral #fyp #sidehustle #makingextramoney #dayinmylife #amazonflex #amazonflexdriver #goodsidehustle #debtfreejourney ♬ original sound – Allison
“Let’s see how much extra money I can make today,” Allison begins her video as she throws together her outfit. “I’ve been trying to make some extra money on the weekends because I have a wedding and a honeymoon to pay for.”
She explains that Amazon Flex is her favorite way to make some extra cash since she gets to choose her own shifts and deliver packages alone in her own car—the perfect job for an introvert.
Allison says that when she arrives at the Amazon fulfillment center, she puts on her “cute” Amazon vest and packs her car with 42 packages.
Since she wanted a shorter shift, she was a little disappointed to have so many packages to deliver. “Usually when this happens that means that [the stops] are really close together,” she explains.
The clip then shows her delivering packages to different houses. Another downside of that specific shift, Allison says, is that she had to deliver in a “sketchy” part of her town.
“I was a little nervous just ’cause I’m a woman and I was alone,” she says.
In the end, she delivered all 42 packages by 10am, which means that it took her three hours. This brought her earnings to $80.
Since flexibility is a big perk of the job, she was able to take the next few hours to herself to take a break and run some errands.
She was back around 1pm for her second route. “For this block, I had 32 packages and only 28 stops,” Allison says.
She liked the shorter route and some of the perks that came with it, like getting to put a horse. “It was the highlight of my day,” she says in the video.
But even though she had fewer packages, this route took her longer than the first because the houses were spaced farther apart.
In the end, Allison finished the shift in three hours and made $126. This brought her total to $206 for around seven hours of work and $373 for the weekend.
This puts her on par with the company’s estimated earnings. Amazon Flex’s website states that drivers earn between $18 and $25 an hour, but this number can vary based on location, customer tips, and how long it takes drivers to complete the route.
In the comments, the reaction to Allison’s video was surprisingly mixed, with several users questioning why her fiancé isn’t paying for the wedding and honeymoon.
“Why you paying sis? let him pay,” one user wrote.
“Why usnt ur husband paying,” seconded another.
One user cautioned Allison about filming on the job.
“Just a heads up, some people have been fired for posting themselves doing Amazon flex on tiktok!” this user commented. “It’s because of privacy reasons for customers.”
Another Amazon Flex driver recently said she was fired for promoting the job on TikTok.
Viewers also asked if the pay vs. the cost of gas is worth it.
Allison replied to a user’s comment and wrote that she uses about a half tank for a whole weekend. She said for the specific shift that was shown in the clip, she spent $25 on gas.
Finally, Allison’s video inspired others to flex about their own side hustles.
“I do instacart and make so much money from it!” one wrote.
“Be a dog walker/sitter!! i used to make like $400 a week for couple hours a day a week,” another added.
“This is my 1st time seeing your acct, but i would recommend getting a weekend serving job! it’s really not too difficult and you make $$$$,” a third commented.
One user even got into Amazon Flex after seeing some of Allison’s videos. “I started following you when my car that I had for 6 months was totaled and I owed 15k. I pay it off next week!!! Thanks for the motivation,” they wrote.
The Daily Dot reached out to Allison via TikTok comment and Amazon via email.
