2019-03-01 Money

MARCH 2019 MONEY.COM (^69)
FLEX CAMARADERIE
HE EXTREME CONDITIONSare
inspiring some Flex drivers to
fight back. They’re focusing their
efforts on finding better ways to
get blocks. Developers have written scripts
and apps that automatically select shifts,
while other drivers rely on clickers, or
physical machines that sit on a phone and
mimic finger motions.
Amazon threatens cheaters with deactiva-
tion, but Carlos Orjuela, 48, a former Flex
driver in San Diego, says he doesn’t think
he’s breaking the rules.
Orjuela cobbled together a clicker from
cardboard, styluses, and a computer fan when
his wife had trouble grabbing blocks about a
year ago. Since then, more than 16,000 people
have viewed his YouTube video explaining
how to assemble it. He says he “didn’t want to
hurt Amazon in any way,” but “it was impos-
sible to get shifts unless you had the system.”
He accepts PayPal donations from anyone
who wants a pdf of the clicker directions.
“If they are using software, it’s cheating,
and I don’t like that,” Orjuela adds. “This is a
free option that is helping people.”
That theme of goodwill comes up a lot
among Flex drivers because they recognize
the unpredictable nature of the job. They
may battle one another over shifts, but
Manzer says they are united. Drivers do care
about one another—and the customers.
They cheer whenever a customer leaves a
basket of sodas and snacks, and drivers even
purchase Amazon-branded gear so they don’t
look suspicious stacking boxes on the porch.
“When you see a 6-foot-4, 300-pound guy
coming toward your front door, you’re more
scared than I am,” Manzer says. “[The] first
thing [I say] is, ‘Just Amazon coming to
make your deliveries!’ ”
FLEX, DROP, GO
Manzer looks for his
next route after a
successful delivery.
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