Steve admits to butterflies on his first day on the job as an Amazon Flex delivery partner but says his initial nerves soon disappeared, and that he now enjoys the work so much that he has permanently shelved his retirement plans.
“I like driving and being out and about so it works really well for me – I’ve lost weight since I started doing this in August last year because of the exercise. That’s another plus. But the big tick for me is the flexibility,” he says.
Steve, who celebrated his 62nd birthday recently with one of his two daughters at beautiful Cabarita Beach on the northern NSW coast, says the extra income from driving with Amazon Flex also allows him to take regular holidays away.
“You can work the days you want and then have a week off without having to ask for time off, and that was very attractive. I can plan my work around my life. I really didn’t want to get tied down with a job that wouldn’t allow me to take regular holidays,” he says.
Steve retired early from his job as a payroll HR systems consultant to care for his wife Karen when she was diagnosed with cancer. When Karen sadly passed away two years ago he decided he needed a new challenge.
He started his new career as a ride-share driver before the pandemic and Covid-related rules and lockdowns made it impossible, and decided to try Amazon Flex because he felt the regular work and getting out would revitalise him.
“It’s not about the money for me, even though it helps,” Steve says.
“When I retired I worked out I could manage financially, but it was more about something to do and the extra income helps with things like trips away. It covers my day to day expenses and saves me from touching my superannuation."
Steve says he fell in love with his new work and the purpose it gave him each day.
“It has helped me mentally and physically. I’m not one who can sit around and do nothing. I have mates who play bowls but I’m not ready for that. I do four-hour blocks in the afternoons and I usually work four or five days a week,” he says.
With his daughter Prue, 39, living in Canberra, and her sister Bree, 35, living in Brisbane, Steve says the flexibility of his new career, allows him to regularly travel to see both his daughters from his base in Newcastle, north of Sydney.
“My daughters think it’s great,” he says.
“They’re happy I’m doing something and not just sitting around and growing old. I feel younger, healthier and fitter after losing weight than what I was four or five years ago when I retired. It’s been great for me.”
Steve also likes that it’s stress-free work after the pressures of corporate life.
“The Amazon customers I get to meet are always happy because they have got their packages, and they appreciate how quickly they’ve been delivered. I love doing it and seeing them smile, and I plan on keeping driving and delivery Amazon packages for as long as I am able,” he says.
Learn more about Amazon Flex.
