Amazon tests utilizing Flex drivers to make mall deliveries
Key takeaways:
- Amazon is testing a benefit that allows contracted Flex drivers to deliver orders placed at mall-based dealers.
- According to a statement viewed by CNBC, the firm told drivers in Las Vegas that it founded the service at a local mall.
Amazon is shifting to its units of acquired Flex drivers to deliver packages from mall-based dealers, letting sellers ship goods from their shops using the e-commerce giant’s delivery service.
In recent months, Amazon has been telling some Flex drivers that it’s trying a new program where workers bring packages from dealers in their area and drop them off at clients’ doorsteps, Amazon said in a notice to drivers that CNBC viewed.
“Amazon Flex is testing a new request type close to you,” the notice states. “Retail delivery offers will let you pick up and deliver pre-packaged orders straight from non-Amazon retail shops in participating local shopping centers.”
The message was sent to drivers in Las Vegas and just had orders placed at shops in Fashion Show Mall, a 2-million-square-foot shopping mall located on the Las Vegas Strip. It’s vague what shops are experiencing in the test.
Kate Kudrna, an Amazon representative, said a handful of “existing Amazon sellers” are participating in the program.