Over the years, Amazon has been under fire for a multitude of things: poor warehouse conditions, actively opposing unions, engaging in anti-competition and price discrimination, among many, many other things.
Among these, there’s a number of Amazon workers who have been speaking out about how being a courier for the company has been less than ideal (to put it lightly. Very lightly).
This was one of the reasons why some customers have started putting out snack stations for the hard-working delivery drivers to help ease the pains of the job. However, when it comes to normalizing such initiatives, folks approach it with a bit more caution. In fact, folks are torn about it.
To snack or not to snack? That was the question left with commenters after an Amazon driver insisted on frequently putting snacks out
Image credits: Tony Webster (not the actual photo)
"If you order from Amazon every day, every other day, or damn near every week, I'm pretty sure you got the same driver almost every day"
Image credits: aniyamitch
Image credits: aniyamitch
"And you ain't putting no snacks out there? Y'all got a bond now. Y’all see each other damn near every day, and you ain’t leaving no snacks? You're wrong. You're wrong"
Image credits: aniyamitch
The 19-second video went viral with over 950K views and 130K likes
In an interview with Bored Panda, Aniya noted that it was meant to be a lighthearted observation, but commenters "blew it out of proportion"
Image credits: Darina Belonogova (not the actual photo)
A woman by the TikTok tag of @aniyamitch posted a short video jokingly venting her frustration with frequent Amazon delivery customers.
She explained that those who order every day (or near every day, no less than once a week) must have a certain kind of bond with the delivery drivers by that point, right? Despite this, she was surprised to see some of them not putting out snacks for her or other drivers as a tip of sorts.
“If you order Amazon every day, every other day, or damn near every week, I’m pretty sure you got the same driver almost every day… and you ain’t putting snacks out there?! […] Y’all got a bond now! Y’all see each other damn near every day, and you ain’t leaving no snacks!? You’re wrong, you’re wrong,” said Aniya in her video.
In an interview with Bored Panda, Aniya explained that a lot of her customers actually do put out snacks. So, when she noticed how some regulars went against this trend, the thought just came into her head to record a video about it.
Aniya did note that the video was meant to be a lighthearted joke. But then the internet happened, blowing the video out of proportion. Hence the 954,600 views, 130,400 likes, and a whole lot of debate.
The video spawned a heated debate on whether snacks for delivery personnel should even be a thing
Image credits: Gül Işık (not the actual photo)
Well, folks online were torn on this. On the one end, there were supporters of the idea. Reddit alone is testament to all of the feel good initiatives out there that keep drivers hydrated, nourished, and otherwise happy. So, it was only natural for commenters to get inspired by this idea.
One person even elaborated that they are about to move, and so they’ll be figuring out what snacks the drivers like and putting them out.
This is, however, not an option for some folks. One commenter pointed out that they live in an apartment building. So, setting up a snack station would probably be an invitation to the neighbors to come and raid it.
It’s also not really an option for those who prompt for getting their deliveries at Amazon lockers. Folks reasoned that this way, their packages don’t fall into the wrong hands, i.e. get delivered to a different address or get stolen by porch pirates.
This was actually in part the reason why those arguing for the other side were against snacks altogether—why do drivers deserve snacks if they are the ones who lose parcels, deliver them to the wrong address or, on very rare occasions, use them for soccer practice. Note that this is not the case with most couriers, but there’s always that one guy who ruins the fun for everyone else.
The key argument within this discussion was one that fits any tipping culture debate: if the driver is getting paid a salary (let alone by huge corporations), why should the customer have to invest even more by handing out snacks on top of what they have already paid?
Aniya doesn’t work as an Amazon driver anymore, but did mention that a simple increase in salary would resolve the issue: “A change in wage would definitely solve the problem because Amazon drivers go through so much.”
If you consider snacks a tip of sorts, then it only seems to add to the chaotic culture present in the US
Image credits: Liza Summer (not the actual photo)
The US is often criticized for having one of the most convoluted tipping cultures in the world. Ironically, tipping is commonplace, yet roughly 66% of Americans have a negative take on tipping.
The culture is said to be going “out of control” as companies encourage customers to tip virtually everyone for practically everything all the while getting away with paying sub-par wages and hoping the consumer picks up the financial slack.
Tipping is supposed to be a means of showing appreciation for a job well done. This is even more appropriate in cases of frequent patronage, which actually supports Aniya’s take on the issue of snacks.
The problem with tipping is that it is being taken to an uncomfortable degree. The number of places where folks are expected to tip is increasing and the average US tip, which is already the highest in the world, ranges from 15% to 30%.
I get it, workers directly benefit from this and this is truly a nice way to express gratitude for an outstanding service. But it also opens up a black hole where it can perpetuate income inequality, forcing employees to rely more on tips than on their rightful wage and thus dragging down the customers with them.
So, what are your thoughts on any of this? Do you support snack stations (or tipping in general), or is that a slippery slope you’d not want to go down? Share your takes and stories in the comment section below!
Commenters on TikTok were torn on the issue, with some saying that's what a salary is for, and others taking action and getting snacks
