# 2-min reserve block



## uberer2016 (Oct 16, 2016)

I've been working for Amazon Prime Now for 6 months now and I think there should be a better solution to assigning blocks than the current system. I have a solution and I'd like everyone's opinion on what would be wrong with it.

If Amazon needs 5 drivers within the next hour, 5 blocks will sent out to 5 random available drivers with push notifications. Drivers will have 2 minutes to accept. Blocks will show destination so once accepted, it cannot be cancelled. (App should also show approximate time of getting to destination.) After 2 minutes, if any driver rejects, next random driver will receive the block.

If there's only 30 minutes until block start time and no driver has been found, then that block will be made available to all drivers first come first serve.

This meets the on-demand nature of Prime Now, providing warehouses with drivers whenever needed. Basically, you use 2-minute reserve block unless there's less than 30 minutes until block start time.

Benefits:

1. Eliminate the need for drivers to waste so much time just trying to acquire blocks. This makes drivers happy and make them more willing to stay. Drivers that stay longer are much more experienced hence much more productive. Experienced drivers could make more deliveries with less chance of being late. New drivers get lost and make late deliveries to complex apartments costing Amazon money.

2. Fair distribution of hours to all available drivers. If a warehouse has 300 drivers and does 6,000 delivery hours in a week. Each driver could get a minimum of 20 reserved hours. If a driver worked less than 20 hours a week, then the left over hours would be given to another random driver. If during slow time and there's only 3000 delivery hours in a week, each driver would get 10 hours. The current system highly favors the technologically savy drivers to acquire many more hours without much effort.

3. Not that Amazon cared but this would basically eliminate all bots without having to spend time and resources on how to deal with them.

*I'm willing to working for $16/hr if I don't have to tap for blocks.* The time saved from not having to fish for blocks would be more than worth the $2. One hour of tapping without getting a block is like wasting $16 since I could be making money during that hour.

*Amazon would save money by offering less pay per hour while the drivers would be even happier working for Amazon. What could go wrong?*


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## Basmati (Sep 14, 2014)

I like the current system. The system you are proposing would mean I get much less work.


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## uberer2016 (Oct 16, 2016)

Basmati said:


> I like the current system. The system you are proposing would mean I get much less work.


I like the new system. The current system gets me much less work. lol

To those who think Amazon doesn't care as long as they get their drivers whenever needed,

The problem is when you have like 20 botters getting most of the hours every week, what happens to the other drivers? Well if they don't get work, they're going to look elsewhere. Hence, driver retention rate would be low and Amazon would have to deal with new drivers (and late deliveries) all the time. An experienced driver who could deliver more packages on time saves Amazon on having to use more drivers and saves Amazon from having to pay for late deliveries.


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## nighthawk398 (Jul 21, 2015)

Sounds like Uber math less pay means more money for you


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## jester121 (Sep 6, 2016)

uberer2016 said:


> I've been working for Amazon Prime Now for 6 months now and I think there should be a better solution to assigning blocks than the current system. I have a solution and I'd like everyone's opinion on what would be wrong with it.
> 
> If Amazon needs 5 drivers within the next hour, 5 blocks will sent out to 5 random available drivers with push notifications. Drivers will have 2 minutes to accept. Blocks will show destination so once accepted, it cannot be cancelled. (App should also show approximate time of getting to destination.) After 2 minutes, if any driver rejects, next random driver will receive the block.
> 
> ...


TLDR version: "Waaaahhhh, I don't get as many blocks as I wanted!"

Work the system before the system works you.


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## primnowpro (May 17, 2017)

No thanks


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## Behemoth (Jan 26, 2015)

$18 plus tips barely make this gig worth it. Unless you deliver using your bike. But anyway, no thanks!


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## kmatt (Apr 25, 2016)

uberer2016 said:


> I've been working for Amazon Prime Now for 6 months now and I think there should be a better solution to assigning blocks than the current system. I have a solution and I'd like everyone's opinion on what would be wrong with it.
> 
> If Amazon needs 5 drivers within the next hour, 5 blocks will sent out to 5 random available drivers with push notifications. Drivers will have 2 minutes to accept. Blocks will show destination so once accepted, it cannot be cancelled. (App should also show approximate time of getting to destination.) After 2 minutes, if any driver rejects, next random driver will receive the block.
> 
> ...


I can't believe you spent that much time typing up that load of $hit.


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## uberer2016 (Oct 16, 2016)

Seems like you guys are all botters. What I'm suggesting really helps Amazon's bottom line so hopefully they'll consider it.



nighthawk398 said:


> Sounds like Uber math less pay means more money for you


Yes, less is more. Getting paid $16/hr for 2 hours of work without fishing means $32 for 2 hours. Getting paid $18/hr for 1 hr of fishing plus 2 hrs of work means $36 for 3 hours so it comes out to be only $12/hr. As you can see, you're making more if Amazon pays less by going with the new system. The tips for Prime Now makes the gig more than worth it. Now a day, Amazon gives you a full load for each block. If you're making at least 7 deliveries in a 2 hour block, rarely will you make less than $60. At least that's been my experience so far.


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## Side Hustle (Mar 2, 2017)

kmatt said:


> I can't believe you spent that much time typing up that load of $hit.


LOL


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## impoorlikeyou (May 24, 2017)

Behemoth said:


> $18 plus tips barely make this gig worth it. Unless you deliver using your bike. But anyway, no thanks!


sarcasm or do you flex in a 10 mpg suv like alot of the people i see at the warehouse? i drive a prius and make 144 everyday driving only around 60 miles... less then 4 dollars worth of gas.


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## Coocoocoocoo (Aug 22, 2016)

You should send your proposal to amazon thru the flex app..under feedback. Or shoot them an email.
Speaking for myself, I get under 20 hours now, so I approve, except for lowering the pay to $16 an hour. That part of your proposal, I think is irrelevant.


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## Poolepit (May 17, 2016)

It's kill or be killed out there. Only the strong survive. Adapt or die.


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## Another SD driver (Jan 25, 2016)

uberer2016 said:


> 2. Fair distribution of hours to all available drivers.


What you mean is fair distribution of all hours because you don't want to be bothered with trying to get those hours.

Also, if I can only work from 10-4, and the hours I get sent are after that time, now I'm screwed. Your definition of fair is pretty biased. 


uberer2016 said:


> The current system highly favors the technologically savy drivers to acquire many more hours without much effort.


Tapping a screen does not require any knowledge of technology at all. A monkey could do it. If you don't want to tap all day figure out when your hours get dropped. 


uberer2016 said:


> *Amazon would save money by offering less pay per hour while the drivers would be even happier working for Amazon. What could go wrong?*


Stop working for Amazon. Uber needs more people like you. GTFO with your less is more bs.


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