An Amazon Flex driver showed a package dropped off next to a mailbox far from the recipient’s front door. They made it abundantly clear why the delivery stopped at the driveway’s edge.
Redditor DependentMonth-8242 took to the r/AmazonFlexDrivers subreddit on Sunday to discuss the situation.
Showing the package dropped at the edge of a snowy driveway, the driver complained, “This might ruffle some feathers but I refuse to deliver a package to someone’s door if they know they have a package coming and don’t even attempt to clear their driveway.”
The driver continues, “They certainly aren’t going to pay for a tow truck if my car gets stuck. This happens entirely way too often.”
While it’s clear in the photo where the driveway is, as a higher ridge of snow is present on either side of the driveway, it does still contain a thin layer of snow—and possibly ice underneath it.
Don’t risk it for the biscuit
Guidance from Amazon Flex, posted Dec. 29, 2023, encouraged drivers to make safe choices while dealing with winter weather.
“When you’re delivering this winter, and any other time, you should never make a delivery if you feel unsafe. Your safety is our priority, and your standing will not be impacted for reporting a safety concern,” Amazon wrote in a blog.
The advisory continued, “If you have a question when you’re delivering, you can contact our driver support team through the Amazon Flex app. There is also an ‘Emergency Help’ button, which offers the option to contact 911 if you need emergency services.”
For its part, the bulletin pointed out that Amazon would “install ice plates outside the buildings to help mitigate slip, trip, and fall incidents during cold conditions,” but also advised drivers to wear slip-resistant shoes with closed toes to better navigate snow and ice.
It also pointed out that “when we learn of a weather event that may impact a delivery block you’ve scheduled, we communicate in real time through Amazon Flex app notifications and emails before, during, and after the events.”
Viewers weigh in
Many of the commenters coming into the forum understood the driver’s reasoning.
“I always say ‘if the USPS doesn’t go down there, I don’t go down there,’” one reasoned. “This also applies to dirt roads that go up or down hills.”
“I live in a rural area,” began one. “It usually takes us a few days to get our long driveway clean after a big snow and I have no problem with this at all. I wouldn’t expect anyone to try to come up our drive if they didn’t feel comfortable. I wish you guys were allowed to just put packages in our extra large mailbox, so you didn’t have to drive all of the way up to the house on a normal day.”
A postal deliverer said, in solidarity, “I’ve held mail for over a month for houses because they refuse to shovel or put salt down. You did the right thing.”
One, however, found the situation to be an occasion for humor: “What if you’re delivering the shovel?”
The Daily Dot has reached out to the creator via Reddit direct message.
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