The team that delivers: meet Amazon Flex delivery partner, David

David has been an Amazon Flex delivery partner since March, here is his story…

“I’m 67 years old and recently semi-retired. I worked in the pharmaceutical industry for most of my life. While I was comfortable finishing that part of my life, I didn’t want to have to dip into my superannuation. So, I decided I needed to find some part-time work.

"About a year ago, I started driving for a rideshare company, just to supplement what I could earn. That was fine for a while but once the COVID-19 pandemic struck, my wife got extremely nervous about me driving lots of strangers around in my car—and fair enough too. She persuaded me to temporarily stop driving passengers until all this passed.

"One day, while out on a walk listening to one of my favourite tech podcasts, they spoke about how Amazon had launched this delivery service called Amazon Flex. It hit me straight away that this would be a great alternative to rideshare. I looked into it, filled out the needed paperwork, and signed up with Amazon Flex in March.

"This is perfect for me! There is no pressure, you do not get chased to work, you decide what suits your lifestyle and then go about getting work for those days.

"There is an app that we use and on Friday evenings the blocks of work are released for the following week. You can then go about filling in your available time during the week for when you’d like to work. You can also go online on the day and see if there is anything available.

There is a lot more certainty in this work compared to other flexible working options. Once you have that block of work booked, it’s yours and it is guaranteed. With rideshare work I could have been waiting around for a long time without booking a job. The flexibility and certainty of Amazon Flex driving is important to me.

"Being an Amazon Flex delivery partner gives me a sense of purpose. I get to drive around, listen to my podcasts, and deliver people their packages. One of the great aspects of the work is seeing the looks on peoples’ faces when they get their parcels! At the moment, we are asked to do contactless deliveries. But, as part of how the Amazon Flex app works, I take a photo of where I have left the parcel, which is then sent directly to the customer. It’s very satisfying when you hear an “oh, thank you so much!” as someone opens the door to see their parcel waiting for them. It gives me a sense of satisfaction when I hear that.

For me, I can see myself being an Amazon Flex delivery partner for a while. It is the perfect work for me at this stage of my life. I have had two grandkids born during the pandemic and I cannot wait to be able to be with them. That’s why being an Amazon Flex driver is perfect for me, it means that I am my own boss and get to work on my own terms. If I want work, it is there for me, but if I have plans there is no one breathing down my neck to get back to work. There is a sense of liberation, and because of the extra money I can earn with Amazon Flex, it has meant that we haven’t had to dip into our nest-egg as well. I can’t tell you the sense of security that gives me for our future."

What's your favorite Holiday Food? BBQ Roast Pork with crackling.

What is your favorite holiday tradition? Try and get the whole family together on Christmas Day. That’s 12 in all.

What's on your holiday present list? A Sonos Move portable outdoor speaker.

Learn more about Amazon Flex.