Editor’s note: This is part of an ongoing series of stories on the impacts of Amazon’s rapid growth in Florida, covering effects on real estate, small businesses, the job market, politics and more.
SARASOTA – Nearly five years ago, John Sprague was newly retired, living in Apollo Beach and looking for something to do.
Sprague, who had just moved to Florida from Ohio with his wife, needed a non-golfing way to stay active. Working could be good, he thought, but he also didn’t want to get a job where he’d be tethered to a set schedule week after week.
Amazon Flex, the global e-commerce giant’s app platform, turned out to be the perfect fit. And it’s only getting busier, he says.
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Over the course of those four and a half years, Sprague has delivered up to Spring Hill and down to Englewood, and everywhere in between. He picks up three- to five-hour delivery blocks at a time at $18 per hour, although the rate spikes up during busy times.
The money Sprague gets from Amazon is all he gets – there’s no fuel reimbursement and no tips, unless he’s doing a grocery delivery through the app on Amazon Fresh. But for him, it’s worth it – he can use the money to pay for things like travel and home renovation projects so he doesn’t have to dip into his retirement fund.
“I definitely enjoy it. I get to meet a lot of people – customers, drivers and people that work in the warehouses,” he said.
What is Amazon Flex?
Just like drivers on Amazon’s payroll, Flex drivers deliver packages to homes and businesses from the company’s fulfillment centers across the U.S. But instead of working set shifts, and getting a W-2 at the beginning of each year and benefits, Flex drivers have the option of working whenever they want.
Current Flex drivers interviewed by the USA TODAY Network – Florida gave a variety of reasons for joining the delivery service. Some, like Sprague, wanted to do something to pass the time. Others take it on as a second source of income. And others do it full time, along with other app-based gig jobs like Postmates or Lyft.
Tammy Lusk, a mother of two and former retail worker currently living in Venice, works gig jobs full-time. On top of Amazon Flex, she uses Instacart, DoorDash and Uber Eats.
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The main downside of Flex is drivers aren’t told where they’ll be delivering to when they pick up a shift, Lusk said. Drivers find out after arriving at the delivery station, which means she could end up having to drive anywhere from Lakewood Ranch to North Fort Myers if she picks up packages in Venice. Plus, the app is very specific about what order in which to drop off packages.
Still, Amazon Flex is her favorite of the app-based jobs. She estimates that she makes about $200 per week on the app alone for roughly eight hours of work.
“You’re committed to a certain amount of hours, you go to the station, you put the packages in your car, you’re given a route, say ‘OK see you later’ and you go out and deliver,” she said. “You can stop and go to the bathroom. If you need a drink real quick, you’re able to do that.”
Over the years Amazon’s physical footprint has grown substantially in Florida. The Venice delivery station Lusk works out of didn’t exist two years ago.
In his nearly five years with Amazon Flex, Sprague said he’s seen a huge change. Things used to be really busy around the holidays and then slow down in between, but now it’s more of a steady pace, he said.
The biggest change is the addition of the new Seffner delivery station, which opened in June of last year. That facility is entirely focused on same-day delivery, Sprague said.
“We start earlier now. We used to start at 9 or 10 a.m. but now we start at 3:30 a.m.,” he said.
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