The holiday season for Amazon workers is hectic, but this year, there is a way to show your appreciation for all their hard work with a few simple words. If you tell Alexa, “Alexa, thank my driver,” the driver who last delivered your package(s) will be given a $5 tip. Per the company’s blog, the feature is now available to U.S. customers with an Alexa-enabled device (Echo, Echo Show) or the Alexa or Amazon Shopping mobile apps, making it easy to thank drivers in the U.S. anywhere.
In celebration of this new feature, each driver who received a thank-you from customers will be matched with an additional $5 from Amazon’s pockets, at no cost to the customer. They’ll be doing this for the first 1 million thank-you’s received. The five drivers who receive the most customer “thank-you’s” during the promotional period will be rewarded with a $10,000 bonus and an additional $10,000 to their charity of choice.
The new thank you feature is part of a promotion that Amazon says it’s running to celebrate its impending milestone of 15 billion packages delivered. That means that Amazon will pay about $5.1 million to workers through this promotion. For comparison, Amazon spent over $4.3 million on anti-union consultants last year. According to Amazon Flex, delivery drivers make between $18 to $25 an hour. Drivers contracted through Amazon Flex are gig workers who use their own vehicles to make deliveries on their own time. Amazon also contracts drivers through Delivery Service Partners (DSP), which are independently operated businesses.
“For drivers, it’s more than just the packages that they deliver — they form relationships with customers, provide support to the community in tough moments, and sometimes play the role of the unexpected hero,” Beryl Tomay, vice president of Last Mile Delivery at Amazon said in the blog post.
Meanwhile, Amazon is being sued by the DC Attorney General, seeking penalties for allegedly misleading consumers by using tips to cover couriers’ base pay. “Nothing is more important to us than customer trust,” Amazon spokesperson Maria Boschetti said in a statement, per Bloomberg. “This lawsuit involves a practice we changed three years ago and is without merit. All of the customer tips at issue were already paid to drivers as part of a settlement last year with the FTC.”
12 Stocking Stuffers That Your Family Will Actually Enjoy & Probably Thank You For
1) 5-Inch Squishmallow Farm Animals
Everyone loves Squishmallows! Kids, teens, and even adults find these adorable squishy toys perfect for their rooms. These farm animal-inspired ones are definitely adorable and are part of the small set of Squishmallows. At just 5 inches, these have a solid possibility of fitting at the top of the stocking so they can peek their tiny heads out and smile at you on Christmas morning.
2) Bob Ross Paint By Numbers Kit
Bob Ross is a cultural icon. His soothing voice and way of making the world beautiful is why even after his passing the world still loves him. This paint-by-numbers kit may not be the same as painting while he does, but it’s a good start for the people who don’t have as much artistic ability.
3) iWalk Portable Charger
If your kids or loved ones have an iPhone these iWalks would make a great stocking stuffer. It’s a portable charger that can be super useful for trips, and they’re very compact which makes them great for storage.
4) I’d Rather Be Golfing Socks
I know I said this wouldn’t be all socks, but these are great for the dad’s stocking! Or any golfer really. Plus these novelty socks come in a variety of different styles and such so you can pick for any type of activity.
5) Back Scratcher
Listen, the number of times this would come in handy for me are too many to count. But again a great gift for dads and they do fit very well in a stocking.
6) Fidget Toy Pack
Let’s be fair, we all know that fidgets are one of the best things to get for a stocking. Kids love them and so do teens. This package has over 40 different fidgets so you can separate them among the stockings you have and fill them up!
7) LOL Surprise Ball
The surprise collectible balls like these make great gifts. They’re always fun because of the surprise on top of the fact that they are the perfect size for a stocking.
8) Monster Truck Balls
And in case you want something fun for the kids who love trucks and things, this monster truck surprise ball is perfect.
9) Fuzzy Cabin Socks
I love fuzzy cabin socks. These are perfect for cold and cozy winters, and snuggling up under blankets. If you have any teen girls who love fuzzy socks this is a huge win. Plus this comes as a pack so if you want to separate them into individual stockings you can.
