quote:

Perhaps UPS will start charging a more reasonable amount now.

Maybe UPS should do what Amazon seems to be doing. Just let the drivers run packages in their personal vehicles. Then they could avoid all of the overhead that causes their pricing to increase. You know, trivial stuff like commercial insurance, commercial trucks, federal and state motor carrier rules, inspections and taxes, commercial drivers licenses, etc...

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Originally posted by sourdough44:
I had Sunday delivery with Amazon Prime the other week. It ended up being a U.S Mail truck midday Sunday. I didn't want to ask to much, he seemed to say he was out only for Amazon on Sunday.

Same thing for me. I asked the USPS lady if they were contract delivering for Amazon, she said yes. It was strange to see that indeed. Fulfillment and distribution is very interesting work. I used to program systems for high volume fullfillment.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
I had Sunday delivery with Amazon Prime the other week. It ended up being a U.S Mail truck midday Sunday. I didn't want to ask to much, he seemed to say he was out only for Amazon on Sunday.

Same thing for me. I asked the USPS lady if they were contract delivering for Amazon, she said yes. It was strange to see that indeed. Fulfillment and distribution is very interesting work. I used to program systems for high volume fullfillment.

I’ve found it interesting that USPS seems to be perfect when delivering for Amazon but screws up everything else.

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Off topic: one of my biggest pet peeves is that it's increasingly challenging to buy something I want where the seller is actually Amazon. I'm okay if the seller is some other known, reputable firm with a local presence somewhere.

What I don't like and am seeing increasingly is the third party no name vendors with limited reviews and especially with a noticeable amount of negative reviews. I hate that. I may start using Prime less if this becomes worse.

To avoid this I will frequently select “Amazon”from seller menu on drill down at left side, or also view the see all buying options screen to show seller more clearly. A slight PITA, but worth it on some items.

I don't care who sells it or how they get it here, but the two day Prime delivery has slipped to 4-7 days.

RMD

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:

quote:

Perhaps UPS will start charging a more reasonable amount now.

Maybe UPS should do what Amazon seems to be doing. Just let the drivers run packages in their personal vehicles. Then they could avoid all of the overhead that causes their pricing to increase. You know, trivial stuff like commercial insurance, commercial trucks, federal and state motor carrier rules, inspections and taxes, commercial drivers licenses, etc...

Except personal auto insurance has exclusions for commercial use...so I'm not sure how these uber type businesses get around that?

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Originally posted by Strambo:
personal auto insurance has exclusions for commercial use...so I'm not sure how these uber type businesses get around that?

I believe that Uber and the other similar services provide supplemental insurance. I think that his is paid for out of their (Uber's) cut. Somebody here should know. I have to believe that out of our many thousand members, we have at least one who drives for Uber or Lyft.

Amazon plans on locating 50,000 jobs three miles from my house. Hopefully I get a nice bump in house value from having HQ2 located a bike ride away.

quote:

Originally posted by wrightd:

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
I had Sunday delivery with Amazon Prime the other week. It ended up being a U.S Mail truck midday Sunday. I didn't want to ask to much, he seemed to say he was out only for Amazon on Sunday.

Same thing for me. I asked the USPS lady if they were contract delivering for Amazon, she said yes. It was strange to see that indeed. Fulfillment and distribution is very interesting work. I used to program systems for high volume fullfillment.

It's been four years since USPS started a contract to deliver Amazon packages on Sunday, yet people still don't seem to understand it.

Amazon is the evil empire. Unfortunately, by the time most of the country realizes this, it will be too late.

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Originally posted by Top Gun Supply:
Amazon is the evil empire. Unfortunately, by the time most of the country realizes this, it will be too late.

Its already too late. The only competitor is walmart.

I dont think theyre evil but grocery stores will be the next to get nuked by them.

quote:

Originally posted by Deqlyn:

quote:

Originally posted by Top Gun Supply:
Amazon is the evil empire. Unfortunately, by the time most of the country realizes this, it will be too late.

Its already too late. The only competitor is walmart.

I dont think theyre evil but grocery stores will be the next to get nuked by them.

"Competitor," I'm not so sure, but the only real comparison is Google. The two of them are making the Matrix a reality. They are already way too much a part of our lives--even (especially) for those of us who try to limit their intrusion.

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Originally posted by Skins2881:
Amazon plans on locating 50,000 jobs three miles from my house. Hopefully I get a nice bump in house value from having HQ2 located a bike ride away.

they've not decided on VA just yet.

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Originally posted by FenderBender:

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:
Amazon plans on locating 50,000 jobs three miles from my house. Hopefully I get a nice bump in house value from having HQ2 located a bike ride away.

they've not decided on VA just yet.

You are correct, not on VA or even at that location, but I'm hoping they do. Between Metro Station and if they choose that location, I should get a very nice bump in house value right when I'm ready to sell or move in a couple years.

It checks every box for Amazon though - proximity to international airport, mass transit, and proximity to major city. Come on Jeffy B make skins some moolah please.

quote:

Originally posted by davetruong:
I've not had delivery issues yet, but their couriers are not as "professional" as the standards.

In the city, every Amazon driver I've come across is a shady character that has a strangely out-of-place vibe about them. The talent pool for courier drivers is pretty much dried up. UPS has the best pay and a strong union, FedEx is right behind them. DHL and other small hyper-fast world delivery services do well also. What's left are shitty LTL carriers and the deadbeats who failed at getting a position with one of the mentioned brands.

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Originally posted by David Lee:
There are a lot of Prime Air jets in the sky. They have new hubs in Columbus and Cincinnati.

Out here, the N.Cal hub is Stockton, S.Cal is Ontario.

quote:

Originally posted by Skins2881:

It checks every box for Amazon though - proximity to international airport, mass transit, and proximity to major city. Come on Jeffy B make skins some moolah please.

It makes a lot of sense geographically as well. The majority of the US population lives East of the Mississippi. VA, splits the coast N/S. Personally, I think Richmond is a more likely candidate as the weather won't interfere nearly as bad as with NOVA (especially Dec-Mar with the snow) and the traffic flow is a little better. I bet the tax rate will be a lot less as well. Amazon already has 2 sort centers (Midlothian and Ashland), with a few people saying they are hunting for more real estate down that way. Who knows with something as big as Amazon.

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Originally posted by V-Tail:

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Originally posted by newtoSig765:
Wanna get rich? come up with an app that will map a delivery route for these private drivers. Not just Point-A-to-Point-B, but the most efficient way to get from A-to-B-to-C-to-etcetera.

Back in the early 1960s I got started in computer programming while working at Bell Labs. The OR (Operations Research) guys were working on this. It was called "The Traveling Salesman Program."

That was what came to mind when I read the post as well. The Traveling Salesman problem is a mathematical formula that can be applied to many situations where you try to optimize how to get to a certain point/outcome based on a starting point. The challenge is the amount of math involved as the number of "stops" increases. It quickly gets to supercomputer type levels. I was a senior in college when we studied it in an advanced mathematics class (Computer Science degree). I was all set to make it rich by applying it to currency exchange rates. Basically start with $1USD bounce it through several foreign currency exchange rates and come back out in USD and pocket the profits. My hopes were quickly dashed when I learned upon research that there is a different rate that the bank pays to the common man based on a buy or sell...

quote:

Originally posted by TMats:

quote:

Originally posted by Deqlyn:

quote:

Originally posted by Top Gun Supply:
Amazon is the evil empire. Unfortunately, by the time most of the country realizes this, it will be too late.

Its already too late. The only competitor is walmart.

I dont think theyre evil but grocery stores will be the next to get nuked by them.

"They are already way too much a part of our lives--even (especially) for those of us who try to limit their intrusion.

Thats what they said about the radio, cars, TV, planes, hairspray, so on and so on.

I really think this is different, Deqlyn, hairspray and your radio doesn't know what you're buying...hell, what you're thinking about buying. Where you go, what you eat, where you eat, what you're interested in, what you're not interested in...

It is different, yet the same, in that as technology advanced throughout history everyone has said the next thing is ruining the world.

Why go to the grocery store when you can grow it and kill it yourself? Someone else handle your food? Thats crazy talk!