2019-03-01 Money

MARCH 2019 MONEY.COM (^67)
INSIDE THE CUTTHROAT WORLD OF AMAZON FLEX
the clock. Cleaven Smith, a 40-year-old driver
in Newark, has developed several techniques:
He checks the weather before accepting a
block so he doesn’t get caught in the rain. He
uses Waze for directions because he believes
it’s more accurate than the Flex app. He never
drinks anything within an hour of a block so
he doesn’t have to stop to use the restroom.
Smith, a preschool teacher who works
Flex to pay for his daughter’s dance classes,
also organizes the packages in his Toyota
Camry for optimal delivery speed.
“I learned how to get every little inch out
of my car and still drive comfortably,” he
says. “I’m trying to focus and get it done as
fast as possible.”
To that end, Flex communities are
sprouting up all over the Internet. YouTube
hosts thousands of videos with titles like
“How Much Money Do You Make on Amazon
Flex,” “Amazon Flex—Terminated!!!,” and
“Amazon Flex—Reactivated!!!” Websites like
flexswag.us publish blog posts about why all
apartment buildings should have lockers and
how to use airplane mode to combat app
glitches. There’s even an Amazon Flex Dogs
Facebook page of photos of animals that
drivers have met on their routes.
A FLEX FALLACY?
UT AS WITH EVERYTHINGAmazon,
there are definite downsides
to Flex.
First, it’s not quite as lucrative
as it sounds. Amazon claims that people can
earn $18 to $25 an hour, with the average
driver pulling in about $20 an hour. But
they’re responsible for their own expenses,
like phone data and car maintenance. Those
costs can snowball: Research from Sanford
DRIVERS ARE IN A
CONSTANT RACE AGAINST
ONE ANOTHER TO NOT
ONLY GET BLOCKS BUT
ALSO BEAT THE CLOCK.
“I want consistency
in my life,” says
Kaylania Chapman,
4O, of her delivery
gigs. She’s been
working for Amazon
Flex since 2O16.
PHOTOGRAPHS BYEDWARD LINSMIER