Edge Cases, Amazon, and COVID-19
Context:
I live near a larger city, but my home is in a rural area. My local Post Office has one small main room, and 90% (at least) of the patrons don’t wear masks. This is a region with a high rate of COVID-19 cases, and I’m immune compromised.
Problem:
I am unable to get regular mail at my apartment, due to zoning regulations. I have to go into the local Post Office to get it. UPS and Fed Ex deliver to my door, but USPS does not.
Amazon used to have a setting that would de-prioritize shippers. I (user) could call in and request that items do not ship from USPS to this address, and my items would ship from UPS or Fed Ex automatically.
In the last few months, during a pandemic, that option has changed. Now the system chooses shipping services automatically. For efficiency, speed, location? (I don’t know why it changed). After a conversation with an Amazon Customer service agent, I found out that I’m not the only one with this problem. Shipping choice affects many customers.
Result:
If I order from Amazon, it’s mail roulette. Will it arrive at my home, or will I have to go into the one-room Post Office to get it? Will it ship via the new UPS to USPS option (where UPS ships, and USPS delivers it)? Or will it ship via UPS or Fed Ex directly to my home? Who knows!
I no longer (if I can help it) order from Amazon. Everything I used to buy, everything, I order from another vendor. And other vendors are not hard to find (ie. Walmart ships via UPS or Fed Ex). That’s at least $100 monthly, lost for Amazon. Very efficient.
Questions:
How does the system currently work? How does the system choose who to ship to? What factors influence that choice (business costs, item locations, warehouses, ship schedules, company priorities)? What are the current system settings, what factors go into this and why?
Why the change? What was the reason for the change? How hard (expensive) would it be to roll it back? Is it even possible to roll it back? What are the current limits (system, costs, budget, design) and options on shipment choice?
“Shippers are selected depending on the weight of the package and the distance it has to travel from our fulfillment center, requests for specific shippers will not be accommodated.”
How might Amazon…
- Be more transparent about order shipping specifications (weight of items in cart, fulfillment center locations, any determination made) to give customers context (in advance) on their shipping carrier.
- Give customers shipping preference for an additional cost? If the weight and distance are an added cost to Amazon, customers could take on that cost in exchange for shipper preferences. (Additional shipping carrier costs added-in during checkout. A subscription based system that allows carrier preference for a limited length of time. Etc).
- Revise and Restock items at fulfillment centers based on customer trends, so that a range of purchased items are available to ship out via shorter distances. This would create a cheaper fulfillment process for Amazon, and hopefully give customers more carrier options too.
- Bring back the old system. Roll it back, and or remake the old system to allow for previous shipper prioritization.
- Design a new system that allows users to choose their preference on shipping. (The option to choose which carrier. The option to block specific carriers. Possible limits on how many carriers can be blocked or chosen).
- Create a system that determines carrier selection based on previous delivery. (Missed packages? Delays? Positive receipt?) All deliveries logged in system and scored. Best option via system stats chosen for customer during checkout.
