I buy loads of stuff from Amazon and, about a week ago, packages started being delivered by 'AMZL'. Apparently this is Amazon's own in-house logistics company -- Amazon Logistics.

I'll tell you what ... they're terrible thus far.

Last week I got the text that a package had been delivered. I was home so I ran upstairs to grab it. Nothing there.

I did of quick google of 'AMZL' to see who the hell they. Lots of people bitching and saying the drivers deliver packages in rented Penske trucks.

So I look back outside (this was all in a matter of a few minutes) and sure as shit there's a yellow Penske truck up a ways in the neighborhood. Right as I was about to go track him down he took off and left.

That package was delivered two days later (this was supposed to be two-day Prime).

I ordered a new wheelbarrow tire. Placed the order on 8/16. It still not delivered and it says when I go to track it "if this isn't delivered by 8/23 check back with us".

WTF?!?

Speaking of tracking, 'AMZL' doesn't let you track shit like you would with UPS (location, times, delays, etc).

That was Prime shipping too. Everything I buy is Prime. It'll be a week tomorrow!!

I checked, and every damn order that's been shipped this week is being delivered by 'AMZL'.

For fucks sake ... for years it's been UPS and Ontrac delivering my Amazon goods (and 99.999% of the time it's on my doorstep in two days or less).

Apparently my region is now strictly 'AMZL' ... at least it appears.

They better get their shit together. And quick! I buy time-sensitive stuff sometimes and count on it being to my house in 2 days. I can't be having this.

I should add that they have delivered some stuff on-time ... but this is ridiculous.

My last few AMZL deliveries were by some shady dude in a beat up minivan full of Amazon packages.

At least mine showed up the 2nd day so I can't complain too much.

I guess that's one good thing about living out in the middle of nowhere. 2-day shipping will remain so for me...for now.

quote:

Originally posted by Skull Leader:
I guess that's one good thing about living out in the middle of nowhere. 2-day shipping will remain so for me...for now.

Same here. I don't get that two hour delivery stuff or whatever that Amazon offers in certain areas, but I'm pretty sure that I don't care. I'd rather have the big brown truck keep making my deliveries.

I'm sorry, but I find both comfort, and humor in your issues.
We run a retail business in midtown Nashville.
We have been operating in our current location since 1981.
Yes, we are a "brick and mortar" business, but we also have an ever expanding website (thanks mainly to my wife of 32 years [as of this Thursday]). We can deliver many items ordered from our website in one or two days to many parts of the continental USA.
Our local customers like the fact that they can stop by & pick up items on their lunch hour or on their way home from work.
Don't get me wrong, Amazon gets many things right. But if you have a problem, who will you talk you? Jeff Bezos?? I think not.

If you call our business, you are able to talk to one of the owners. My wife (who truly knows the most about our business), myself, my mother-in-law (who is a wonderful lady that raised 8 kids, and created a very good business, but she's 85 now, so leave her alone), or my sister-in-law......OK, talk to me or my wife.
(Sorry, I don't have the most confidence in my SIL, but that's the way it is in a family owned business, sometimes).
Anyway, I believe that Amazon has now become too big. Which is OK for us little guys.
(Damn, is the term "little guys" bad these days? I've become so confused)...

Jet.com is my go-to online retailer for general products now. Prices are competitive, 2 day shipping is free on orders over $35 and there's no membership fee.

I've had great luck with the instant message chat feature on Prime. Tell them about the problem and it will be resolved. Twice they simply lifted the charges on items that were delivered late.

quote:

Originally posted by craglawnmanor:
I'm sorry, but I find both comfort, and humor in your issues.
We run a retail business in midtown Nashville.
We have been operating in our current location since 1981.

I understand and appreciate the point you're trying to make.

My wife and it both try to "buy locally" to the extent possible. The smaller and more local the store: The better. Problem is: More-and-more stores, from small to large, keep reducing the variety of what they have on the shelves. "We can order it for you" is the refrain most often heard in response to the complaint that they no longer stock something they used to. That is: Whey they don't just reply "We no longer carry that item."

That is why more-and-more of our business goes to on-line retailers. Not to save a buck or two, or save the drive time.

To the OP: They start doing that to us and AP will be history here.

quote:

Originally posted by Mr. Kook:
Jet.com is my go-to online retailer for general products now. Prices are competitive, 2 day shipping is free on orders over $35 and there's no membership fee.

As a FYI, Walmart owns them. I've had good luck with Walmart, they delivered one of those lightweight Stackon safes NOT beat up and on time for less money that the shipping alone would have cost a few years back, just putting it out there is all.

Amazon's in house shipping tends to get a bit better as it gets more established in your area. They started here around 6 months or so ago and were bad at first but they have gradually gotten better. I haven't had an issue with a delivery in a long time.

I'm just glad they stopped using lasership. What an awful POS company that was.

Who would have ever believed anyone on this forum would be happier with the brown trucks over someone else?

Honestly, UPS has been great to me. Always on time, the drivers are great and make an effort to make sure that the packages are placed in a good spot to avoid damage.

I've only had one issue, where a package was placed on the ground next to my mailbox. Which is 150' from my house. Other than that, no issues.

I'm getting some Amazon deliveries in unmarked, Sprinter style vans. So far all orders have been on time, if not early.

Call Amazon and complain, they'll extend your Prime.

quote:

More-and-more stores, from small to large, keep reducing the variety of what they have on the shelves. "We can order it for you" is the refrain most often heard in response to the complaint that they no longer stock something they used to. That is: Whey they don't just reply "We no longer carry that item."

That is why more-and-more of our business goes to on-line retailers.

On-line retailers is why more and more local retailers are reducing inventory. The very problem you're lamenting is caused by the very thing you're doing.

I have had several friends shut down their local retail presence for this exact reason. They were tired of people coming in to fondle the merchandise and then running home and buying it on line.

It's exactly why I have never opened up a retail showroom.

Luckily it won't have that large of an impact on my regular operation. We do get a call or two a week from somebody who has bought a safe online and needs it installed, or from a manufacturer that needs warranty service. If it was a product that is available locally and not purchased locally, we have no interest in dealing with it.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:

quote:

More-and-more stores, from small to large, keep reducing the variety of what they have on the shelves. "We can order it for you" is the refrain most often heard in response to the complaint that they no longer stock something they used to. That is: Whey they don't just reply "We no longer carry that item."

That is why more-and-more of our business goes to on-line retailers.

On-line retailers is why more and more local retailers are reducing inventory. The very problem you're lamenting is caused by the very thing you're doing.

I have had several friends shut down their local retail presence for this exact reason. They were tired of people coming in to fondle the merchandise and then running home and buying it on line.

Please re-read what I wrote, because what I wrote is not what you describe.

I don't do that. Never have and never will. Neither does my wife. We both regard that as unethical. If I use a brick-and-mortar's time, space, stock and labour to examine a product, a brick-and-mortar is where I buy it.

I have used on-line pricing to establish what is a reasonable price for an item. And I have been known to say things like "I don't expect you to match on-line/big-box prices, but I can get it for <this> <there>. Can you work with me?" Nine-times-out-of-ten they can and will. Most times I do the math and figure the difference is small enough to make it worth my while to do my part to keep them in business.

I could count on one hand, and have fingers left over, the number of times the small store didn't win out over the big-box store or local didn't win out over on-line.

Years ago I was in the market for a certain router. Told tool store guy "I don't expect you to match on-line pricing, but the average on-line is <this> and your price is <this>. I'd prefer to give you my business. What can you do to help me do that?" He came back with a price $5 lower than the number I gave him.

Just a week ago or so I decided it was time for a power pole pruner. Tree guy told me what he paid for his. I was going to head for Big Lawn & Garden Retailer. "Check the hardware down the street. They carry Stihl now." "They do! Thanks for reminding me." Checked on-line prices. Went to small local hardware store. On sale for the same price as the lower on-line prices I saw. Sold! (I would have happily paid more, there, if necessary.)

Contrast that with my wife going to local pet food store and finding they no longer carried a pet food they used to. Ok: Resort to big box retailer. Now they no longer carry it. Ok: Now Amazon gets our business for that food.

That's what I'm talking about.

I'm not saying you yourself do it.

I'm simply saying that the problem you described is caused by those who do. It's the Walmart/Big Box/Amazon effect.

As you find more and more online, you'll find even less in small businesses. Where you once were able to go down the street and buy it, now you'll have to wait for AMZL to deliver it. If they decided to get around to it. But what are you going to do? It's the only option now.

I was home officing earlier this month, and I received an Amazon notification that my package was delivered. I get up and look out the window and there is a car (obviously a personal vehicle not a corporate vehicle) sitting in the middle of the cul-d-sac. She walks thru my neighbors lawn, gets 10' from the door and chucks the package by the front door. She then begins walking towards my house so I open the front door to avoid the thrown delivery.

The delivery service was Amazon's Uber-like service where people sign up to use their personal vehicles to deliver packages part time.

quote:

Originally posted by ensigmatic:
More-and-more stores, from small to large, keep reducing the variety of what they have on the shelves. "We can order it for you" is the refrain most often heard

I want a butter bell (crockery butter-keeper thing that uses water to seal the butter against contaminants).

Bed Bath & Beyond keeps my email inbox loaded with 20% discount coupons. Ten or more a week.

Had to go to the credit union yesterday to deposit a couple checks, so stopped in BB&B in the same strip mall.

Lady had no idea what a butter bell is. Yanked the trusty iPhone out of my pocket and showed her a picture of a butter bell on the BB&B website.

"We can order it for you."

Nope, if somebody is gonna order it, I will order it on Amazon, 25% less. I tried to do business at a local store, no joy.

I am seeing my USPS mail guy delivering for Amazon on Sundays...he is driving the mail truck too (he has delivered a couple of Prime shipments to me on Sunday)...so I guess Amazon is contracting the USPS for Sunday delivery as well as private contractors...

Truthfully, I am amazed that with the landslide of online orders, for everything from ammo to zip ties and every conceivable thing in between, that any online retailer is able to meet the demand (which grows daily) in any timely manner...

I've had orders that were a day or three late but they eventually get here...it can be annoying though...but I'm still amazed at how well everything works with the sheer volume.

quote:

Originally posted by ryan81986:

I'm just glad they stopped using lasership. What an awful POS company that was.

Yeah, holy shit they were a terrible delivery company. Tried multiple times to deliver to my office at 8:30 or 9:30 at night...then would try again the next day, at the same time. I had to call lasership and complain before they actually attempted before COB.