An Amazon delivery van. (Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com)
Amazon has revealed a brand new Alexa feature that allows users to tip their delivery driver as a way of saying “thanks,” and it doesn’t cost customers a dime.
On Wednesday, Amazon started allowing customers to tip $5 paid by the company to the driver who delivered their most recent package, the company said in a statement.
To initiate the tip, customers simply need to say, “Alexa, thank my driver.”
The first million thank-yous submitted by customers are eligible for the paid incentive.
According to Amazon’s announcement, the five drivers who receive the most thank-yous will each receive a $10,000 bonus, and an additional $10,000 will be donated to charities of their choosing.
Customers can say thank-you on Alexa-compatible devices, including the Alexa, Echo, Echo Show or Amazon Shopping mobile apps.
“We love hearing the countless stories from customers about the many ways delivery drivers make their lives better. We are excited for this new opportunity to thank these everyday heroes and giving our customers the ability to help us do it,” Amazon said in statement.
Drivers are now dealing with a surge in delivery due to the holiday shopping season.
Earlier this year, Amazon said it will be using more than 275,000 delivery service partners and hundreds of thousands of Amazon Flex drivers, who use their own vehicles and are paid as independent contractors, to deliver items during the holiday season.
The company said the promotion and launch of the new thank you feature is timed to coincide with an upcoming milestone: the delivery of Amazon’s 15 billionth package.
The news comes the same week that Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl Racine announced a lawsuit against Amazon, accusing it of deceiving customers and skimming tips from drivers. The lawsuit was filed in the wake of a 2021 settlement with the Federal Trade Commission in which Amazon was ordered to pay more than $61 million for allegedly stealing the tips drivers had been promised.
There have been several reports throughout the years about poor working conditions for Amazon drivers. At several Amazon locations, union drives were sparked by the reports.
Amazon operates several facilities in the Lehigh Valley, including warehouse fulfillment centers in Palmer Township, Northampton County, and Upper Macungie Township, Lehigh County.
