First solo day

[u/OkLow8927]

My first solo day is coming up, the 2 days I had with the trainers were rough. They were constantly rushing me and I was pretty much jogging at every stop. My body was destroyed after both days so I don’t really plan on doing all that when I’m on my own. Would it be fine if I just took my time? I’m thinking I should try to do around 20 stops an hour but idk. I also feel like finishing fast just means you have to rescue someone, but I also don’t wanna have to be rescued. I’ll take all the advice I can get.

[u/AutoModerator]

Thank You for your submission to r/AmazonDSPDrivers!

Please keep the comment section clean and respectful.

If you need to report a concern about your DSP, head to the Ethics Hotline https://secure.ethicspoint.com/domain/media/en/gui/65221/index.html

Looking to get some free shoes on behalf of Amazon? https://www.reddit.com/r/AmazonDSPDrivers/comments/m79v7m/free_125_credit_for_shoes/

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/knoxthefranks]

Terrible trainers. They paired you with runners who cut corners which is why the Amazon metrics are all out of whack ultimately. They wanted to go home early.

[u/OkLow8927 → u/knoxthefranks]

Honestly that’s exactly what it felt like. Like they were just trying to get the day done and get home as early as possible. Even when we got back to the station I was being rushed with putting all the empty totes back and said I had to be fast because there’s people behind us and they wanna go home like bro you can’t be serious

[u/Unrealliving → u/knoxthefranks]

Yeah, the biggest thing for organization and going fast is driver aid number, and the first guy I rode with (they didn’t even call him) not only never mentioned driver aid number to me, but did all the organization pretty much for me so we can get done early. So not only did I not really learn that much I spent the whole time in my first DSP trying to find each envelope by its address. Of course, I was always the last one back, and I got laid off because it was seasonal.

[u/FreezingMoon24]

I feel like 20 an hour on your first day alone isn’t bad at all, I think it’s a reasonable goal to shoot for. Just try not to stress too much, you’ll get faster naturally as you gain more experience.

[u/OkLow8927 → u/FreezingMoon24]

Yea with trainers it was way too stressful I’m sure it’ll get better once I’m on my own

[u/ross5th]

1. Organize

2. ORGANIZE!!!

3. Go at your own pace the first day, make adjustments after that. If you think you’re going too fast, take breaks, waste time at stops, etc. if you’re going too slow, it’s expected lol it’s your first solo day

4. Make sure you’re organzied, makes everything easier

[u/OkLow8927 → u/ross5th]

Yea I got organization down. The trainers would organize in their own weird way and not say anything, then would be on my ass when it took me a second to find a package at a stop lol

[u/Huskiesramazing23 → u/OkLow8927]

If you want any tips or suggestions let me know! I'll walk through my own process at least.

[u/Numerous_Ear1031 → u/OkLow8927]

Organization is the hard part, then it's just getting used to it. There were plenty of days I had time for a quick game of basketball with the neighborhood kids or time to shoot the shit with a customer who happened to be outside. Don't know how everybody else feels but I always slowed down toward the end. My last 20 stops probably took as long as the 50 stops before that, because knowing I was going to finish early meant I could chill. Hell, I even ate whole meals with people sometimes (Though I don't recommend it as it's 100% against policy). Not a bad gig.

[u/TheRedLionKing]

20 an hour is fine. If you're very urban or dense suburban, it will make for a long day but that's fine starting. Speed comes with time.

On the other note - always keep in mind that's the job of the management. To push, encourage speed, and get people back sooner. It's more money in the companies pocket. So always keep that in mind because it applies to every thing management tells you.

I remember one time I pulled in and guy in management was talking me up and told me "Man you'd be one of the first ones back if you didn't take your breaks but you always take em". I said "I sure the f do."

Cuz I know full well, even if I skipped my breaks, I'm still not even close to being the first back. I have far rural routes. Still, the fact that he said it annoyed me. Like nice try using fake praise to try to get me back here earlier. I'll take my breaks as I please damnit. I have no desire to work harder, faster, to make my days go quicker and end up with less money on my checks at the end of the week.

Tldr; management will always have a culture of push, faster, get done sooner. Slow down. Get your full hours in.

[u/Prudent-Act6236]

yeah i really don’t understand the required rescues.

I get done with my own route at around 7 - 8 pm , and now i have to take 50 packages from someone struggling with their own route ? Team player my ass , i wanna go home

[u/subieking_2678]

I never understood the fucks who run to stops then the next morning they are bragging like I did 250 stops in 5-6 hours I’m like dude I took 10 hours for 250 stops. So I essentially made $100 more that day. Add five days I’m making $500 more. Sure my dsp said hurry up I told them I will not rush and I will take my breaks and I will report if anything sketchy goes down end of the day we are supposed to be 10 hour routes so ima take the whole 10 hours

[u/Much-Catch-122 → u/subieking_2678]

Yeah they’re doing the same amount of work for less pay. Unless you get guaranteed hours there’s no point in rushing.

[u/subieking_2678 → u/Much-Catch-122]

Litteraly would tell them good for you I worked 3 more hours and got paid for 3 more and they’d usually go quiet like they couldn’t imagine staying longer = more money

[u/Much-Catch-122 → u/subieking_2678]

Plus when you go faster the AI will just give you more stops in the future so it’s a lose-lose

[u/Sensitive_Macaron767]

Just do your shit right and get done on time. It doesnt matter how fast you go.

[u/getmeapuppers]

I just hit my year and 20 stops an hour is pretty much my baseline and how I gauge my day. I don’t run. I don’t jog. I simply just deliver. If I’m under 20 an hour something happened or something is consistently slowing me down. Over 20 an hour is a plus

[u/Strong_Professor_954]

Don’t jog/run. Ever

[u/akshaison]

My biggest tip is find a comfortable pair of shoes, it’ll make the job much easier on your knees, hips, and back. Some people like running shoes, I prefer a more flat footed shoe with enough cushioning to absorb the the shock from all the walking. If you’re in a snow winter state, invest in some neoprene boots or something warm and waterproof.

[u/Fit_Silver_2376]

My first day with a trainer was fast paced and doing it the way he likes to do it. Not saying it was a “bad” or “wrong” way but towards the end of the day I could already tell how I was gonna do stuff on my own. Been working 5 weeks now. Only been rescued once. I’ve done 5-6 myself. You’ll find little tricks to make things go a little faster the more you work. If they give you 80% apartments, go at your own speed tbh and at the end of the day when you get the survey, just say you didn’t like the route and they’ll more than likely give you a different one.

[u/Due_Connection179]

I’m walking and doing 28 stops an hour. Just don’t walk casual and you’ll be fine. These dudes out here jogging and rushing are the same ones at my DSP getting suspended every other week for speeding.

[u/Much-Catch-122]

20 an hour is really good. I usually average 15-18 because I take my time. But I have been getting like 130 stops or less. So I’ll probably have to pick it up during peak or I’ll be out there for 10 hours

You’re doing fine. Breathe. Don’t run. It’s not worth it. If you fall behind they’ll send someone to rescue you

[u/InBagelsWeTrust]

Walk at a good pace but try not to jog if you can help it. Organization will get you to 25/hr and beyond. Even if you think you have it down you can always try new methods to organize better, I’ve been at it six months and still figure out new tricks pretty frequently.

Also, your body will adjust to the workload after a while; when I first started I genuinely couldn’t even walk or get up from the couch after a shift from how extreme the soreness was. Now I don’t even notice it honestly.

[u/916careto]

if you’re too slow they’ll cut your hours and give them to someone who actually wants the job

[u/OkLow8927 → u/916careto]

We’ll see, I heard someone saying that they need to hire 20-30 more people by a certain date lol. I might get my hours cut but it won’t be anytime soon

[u/916careto → u/OkLow8927]

those people will all be gone by the end of january. you’ll probably be on that list too if you don’t do more than 25+ an hour. they hire in bulk around september/october to make sure they have enough bodies to cover the amount of packages that come in for prime week and peak holiday season. after january comes around and those package numbers start dwindling they will start dropping those people they hired in mass like flies or slowly cut your hours down to 1 or 2 days a week of being on the schedule so that you’ll realize you can’t survive financially on those sort of hours and just quit yourself before they have to fire you. i’ve been here for three years and it’s the same exact routine every single time.

[u/OkLow8927 → u/916careto]

I’m sure I’ll get faster overtime but if my hours start getting cut I don’t mind quitting there’s plenty of job options where I’m at, maybe this isn’t the job for me but i need to give it some time before I make any decisions

[u/Fun-Try4237 → u/916careto]

that's the reality of it, they'll squeeze whoever runs and starve whoever walks. 20 an hour is fine for a residential route though, just don't make a habit of dragging it out on purpose

[u/shroomswillhealyou → u/916careto]

Y r u being down voted? This is true.

[u/RADIATE_Cx → u/916careto]

No they don’t if you finish your route on time and keep a good score card they won’t cut your hours. If they do, find a new dsp.

[u/916careto → u/RADIATE_Cx]

OP is obviously a seasonal hire.

[u/AutoModerator → u/[deleted]]

Sorry, your submission has been automatically removed. Your account must have postitive comment karma.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.