What it’s like to deliver for Amazon two weeks before Christmas
Brooke wanted to be a rally car driver when she was a child. She didn’t grow up to take part in motor rallies, but she does drive for money.
The Melbourne mother is part of a growing army of people who deliver packages for American behemoth Amazon, which is now estimated to be Australia’s second-biggest online retailer after Woolworths.
Brooke delivers products to Amazon customers during school hours.Credit: Joe Armao
We accompanied Brooke – and two Amazon public relations people – on a short journey delivering packages in Melbourne’s north.
The traffic is light just after 10am, but we quickly hit a snag. The “boom boom” sound outside turns out to be a nail in Brooke’s passenger wheel.
The tyre is not yet deflating, so we continue our short route for now.
Brooke started working as an Amazon Flex driver in early 2022 after the death of her father, for whom she had been caring.
Lisa and Caleb, 18 months, accept an Amazon delivery from driver Brooke. Credit: Joe Armao
“I was trying to figure out what I wanted to get into, and this popped up as a side hustle while I was grieving,” she said.
“I just enjoyed getting out after COVID and being able to go places. It was something I’d never really considered doing in terms of driving around and doing deliveries, but it’s been lots of fun. You get to check out different suburbs and houses and designs.”
Brooke said the work delivers surprises, from appreciative text messages from customers to people answering their doors in clothing not fit for public display. “You’d be surprised by what I’ve been greeted with,” she laughs. “I could write a book, to be honest.”
Amazon’s Australian sales have grown by a mind-boggling $2 billion this year to $6.5 billion, Goldman Sachs recently said. This makes Amazon the country’s second-biggest online retailer by sales, after investing more than $15 billion in its Australian expansion since 2011.
Amazon has a number of large distribution centres in Australia.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
“Amazon is now gaining strong momentum across key categories including ambient grocery [dry goods], electronics, households goods/DIY, especially as its robotic fulfilment warehouse in Sydney is now enabling same-day delivery, and its Melbourne robotic fulfilment centre targeted for the 2026 calendar year will enable the company to service … Brisbane/Sydney/Melbourne/Adelaide,” the investment bank said.
Amazon did not answer questions about when it planned to start offering same-day delivery in all major cities, or whether it planned to sell fresh food in Australia.
One of the world’s biggest companies, Amazon is known for its speedy deliveries, competitive prices and aggressive industrial-relations practices.
Until recently, slow delivery times have been the norm in Australia due to low population density and relatively higher wages, said Lauren Kelly, a RMIT University PhD candidate who also works for the United Workers Union.
But customer expectations have changed, thanks to digital labour platforms and huge investments in logistics by retailers including Amazon, Coles and Woolworths.
Increased demand for online delivery in Australia has raised concerns about labour conditions for warehouse workers and delivery drivers, environmental waste and the hollowing out of bricks-and-mortar shops.
Amazon said it was focused on delivering value for Australian customers and “empowering Australian small businesses to sell on our stores”. It said it had more than 7000 employees nationally.
To become an Amazon Flex contractor, people need a biggish car, a smartphone and an unrestricted driver’s licence.
Amazon said the average delivery driver can earn from $116 for a four-hour delivery block. The pay does not cover the price of petrol, parking, car maintenance or insurance, although Amazon provides auto and personal accident insurance while people are delivering. The company refused to say how many people worked as Amazon Flex contractors.
Bernie Smith, the NSW state secretary of the Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association (SDA), said he “called on Amazon to be a much better corporate citizen, in terms of how it pays taxes, how it treats workers and how it interacts with government”.
“There is always room in the Australian market for good and ethical operators,” Smith said, “but there should be no room for those who seek to exploit workers to work at unsafe limits and those companies that avoid their tax obligations to the Australian community.”
The latest official data shows Amazon paid $125 million in tax based on $6.6 billion in income.
Amazon Australia director of operations Sandra McNeil, Amazon Australia country manager Janet Menzies and Amazon Australia devices country manager Kate Gooden.Credit: Dominic Lorrimer
Amazon last week announced it had stopped packing products in single-use plastic delivery bags and envelopes, replacing them with recyclable paper and cardboard alternatives.
Martin Geissdoerfer, associate professor of circular economy transitions at the Monash Sustainable Development Institute, said both Amazon and customers could do better in reducing their carbon footprint.
Amazon could sell more refurbished items on its platform, Geissdoerfer said, while consumers could buy durable, repairable, recyclable items, maintain them well, and ideally resell them when they no longer need them.
“You can reduce returns and opt for slower delivery options rather than ... express,” he said.
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