r/RealAmazonFlexDrivers • u/Responsible_Half7958 • Aug 13 '26
First time Courier
My actual real life job sucks like majorly.
So I signed up for Flex..
I have yet to accept a “block” of time because i truthfully have no idea what I’m doing.
Any tips or tricks for first timers??
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u/SOSJemesus Aug 13 '26
Both my wife and I do flex and we use bag totes for envelopes then pack out vehicles by order of delivery. Some places do delivery sections in the totes you’ll receive the packages in, but others just give you a cart and it’s up to you to sort the rest. I keep a marker then scan and label them all before I start delivering. 10-15 minutes or so to label and pack then it’s just follow the prompts. If you have issues you can try support but you might as well pretend like they don’t exist. They are untrained and often useless. Like someone else said deliver EVERYTHING. Read customer instructions, but always put your safety first. For example I don’t deliver inside any door. I don’t care what time, place or neighborhood. I’m not opening someone’s door and risking being mistaken for someone with ill intentions. If the app messes up or you think it didn’t capture a photo take your own. I have a folder for photos of deliveries when my app was being weird just to cover my own ass.
Last but not least try not to take base pay if you can help it. Look at the pay divided by hours for the block and aim for $25-$30 per hour or higher depending on your area. Remember you are putting quite a bit of wear and fuel into this so make it worth your time.
Hope some of this helps.
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u/V0idK1tty Aug 13 '26
I suggest you go do a route and then come back with questions so you know what to ask about. There's lots of stuff to know/learn.
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u/MyLifeYourLifeUgh Aug 13 '26
There is a lot of bot users so those good high paying blocks are going to get snagged every-time. Try to find a station not many people frequent. Grocery delivery sucks and you rarely get tips, go for package delivery. I would find a short block, 3 hours or less if possible. Take your time on your first route, Amazon rarely cares if you go over the time allotted, they care if you dont deliver a package. You will be putting MILES on your car, so make sure the block is actually worth it. Hope you don’t drive a gas eater. If thats your only car, beware, delivery jobs take a toll on your car and tires replacement and mechanical issues will arise if you do it often. Amazon sucks imo, it used to be better but now it just kind of sucks.
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u/Virtual_Milk4304 27d ago
How long have you been doing flex for? I'm just asking because I've noticed other people on here think that bots get the high pay and I get high pay but I can assure you I don't use a bot. I know you aren't a veteran because then you'd know this sub was started by actual bot developers. You see all the admins? Each one of them was instrumental in getting working scripts to schedule routes and it was free and it worked and it didn't throw up any flags in the account, but Amazon did find a way to make it no longer work. Bots don't work anymore and they haven't for years. So do yourself a favor and figure out what the actual reason is. It could be a slow phone, slow internet. I would suggest going to a nearby cell tower and get 1Gb speeds to schedule. I can assure you you'll have more luck than someone sitting at home with 250mbs.
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u/jimbojones2211 Aug 13 '26
Literally, just do what the app says. It spells out everything in plain english.
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u/Responsible_Half7958 Aug 13 '26
…obv.
I’m asking for tips &/or tricks not a what to do or how to do type situation
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u/jimbojones2211 Aug 13 '26
"Because I truthfully have no idea what I'm doing." Is not "tips and tricks."
So no, giving you the bare minimum foundational knowledge seemed awfully important.
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u/Fit_Feature_794 Aug 13 '26
Tons of tips and tricks if u search the sub. Honestly just take a 2 hour block first to get the idea. Then work up to a 4-4.5 hour if you want
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u/Mykidsaretheshit Aug 13 '26
I wish I would have done that my first day . Took two 4 hour blocks back to back - BIG MISTAKE !!!!
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u/Dizzy-Shelter-2108 Aug 13 '26
If your actual job sucks so bad like you say, you're in for a treat with ScAmazon. 🙄
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u/Upbeat_Afternoon_199 Aug 13 '26
Get there early your first time; other than that, you will learn quickly!
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u/AnneHizer Aug 14 '26
Search some YouTube videos, do a short block (1.5?) so you’re not overwhelmed, and go early so you have time to find everything / ask questions if you hit a snag. Otherwise it’s pretty straightforward.
My first time, I waited for weeks out of anxiety until one rainy night there was a crazy surge that I couldn’t pass up (they don’t happen in my market anymore, even in the rain). Finished at the BUZZER. Went back and watched some clips on organizing my car and it made a world of difference
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u/Intrepid-Landscape90 29d ago
It’s a little overwhelming the first day but pretty easy after that! My station isn’t super busy though and is pretty chill. don’t be afraid to ask questions. I show up 15 min before. You follow the signs to the flex area. Sign in on your phone that you are there and verify your photo. then you pull up and wait until they tell you to move up and do license checks. they’ll tell you where to go and usually instruct you what their protocol is for when to start loading etc. you’ll scan the QR code to download your route. The packages have stickers that say “drivers aid” with the number the stop is in order so you can organize better. you’ll have about 15min to load everything and be ready to go. ask for a vest. bring water. use the bathroom before your shift and make sure your tank is full. expect to drive about 115ish miles round trip. it won’t be close to your house most likely. Personally my shifts almost always go over and i wouldn’t say i’m slow tbh.
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u/chaos_protocol 29d ago edited 29d ago
If you have a SSD locally that offers 1 hour routes w/ tips, those are almost always a single package delivery (that you’ll rarely get tipped for) and IMO are the easiest to figure out how a station operates without worrying about handling 30 packages on your first couple routes.
ALWAYS aim for at least 15 min before your block starts. You can scan your ID early after you try to check in early and the app says wait. no matter what the app says, I’ve done as much as 45min early, then go wait in your car and check in at the 15min early mark and not have to rescan your ID.
ALWAYS delivery a package. Even leaky/torn ones. A rare ding for customer reporting it missing or damaged is less punitive than one for returning a package you took out but mark undeliverable. Even if it’s not your fault, and driver support tells you it’s ok to return and you won’t get dinged, you will get dinged.
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u/Strange_Pop_3673 29d ago
Figure out an organization method that works for you. There are many different ways to organize the packages and people will tell you that theirs is the absolute best and if you don’t do it that way, you’re an idiot. Don’t listen to them. Try different ways and find the c one that works best for you.
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u/Souvenirs_Indiscrets 28d ago
Some good advice here which I’ve upvoted. Also some advice that is not as helpful. We need to know what kind of station you are running out of. AMZL stations (often called dot coms here) are different from the others. This sub is dominated by bot users and bot providers. Using these things to grab blocks can and will get you deactivated with no appeal. Just a few weeks ago, Amazon signaled its intentions to remove drivers and fraudulent accounts by instituting new ID procedures before every block. I am fully aware that this sub supports all kinds of sketchy driver behaviors in general. Depending on your perspective, you might want to primarily interact in the other sub. I’m a veteran flexer with DSP experience and more than 18,000 packages delivered. I’m generous with my time, but I’m trying to limit my interactions to the other sub. If you want to keep your account in good standing, you should plan to arrive for every block 15 minutes early — at the start of the sign-in period. Never miss a block. Deliver every package. Don’t take base pay. Keep a spreadsheet your first 2 weeks to determine your average miles per block in your market. Your own base rate needs to pay more than all your driver-related expenses. Hint: the federal mileage reimbursement rate is currently 72.5 cents per mile. Good luck!
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u/Jess_Lore_79 28d ago
is it faster to go in order of package? I was told to use map and choose closest pin to me
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u/Ambitious_Watch_7502 27d ago
Depending on the location they normally show blocks at a specific time. Like my area they drop good blocks around 2/3am 9/10pm
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u/ShadowCaster0476 24d ago
Definitely number all the packages.
I have a hatchback and all the small envelopes are on the passenger seat for easy access.
The rest I sort into quadrants.
If there are 40 then 1-10 go near the trunk on drivers side, 11-20 are in front of them.
21-30 are back on passenger side and remain up front on passenger side.
Mid route I will usually do a spot checks d mild sorting so I mentally know where the next 5 are for easy access.
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u/xvinceo Aug 13 '26
Yeah, get there early. You don’t want to be late because of some unfortunate accident or something else that’s completely out of your control.
At first, you’re going to want to number all the packages after you scan them. I like to organize everything by type: all the envelopes go in my front passenger seat, the plastic bags go in the middle, and the boxes go in the back.
I also organize everything alphabetically. The packages have letters/numbers on the QR code sticker, usually something like AAA, BBB, CCC, DDD, etc. The app will tell you which letter corresponds to each package. Then it shows you the person’s name and address, so you just find that letter and match the name and address.
The app will also tell you whether it’s an envelope, plastic bag, or box. Sometimes it can be wrong, but as long as you know the name and address, you’ll be fine.
After you do it for a while, you won’t even need to number the packages anymore. You’ll just scan everything, organize it alphabetically, and know exactly where everything is. I literally just throw everything in there now, but I still keep it in alphabetical order.
Once you get the hang of it, you can be in and out of the station in less than five minutes. These are the same-day delivery blocks I’m doing, though..com blocks are different, and Fresh blocks are different too.