mediatechnology wrote: ↑Sun Dec 01, 2019 6:41 am
If Amazon was being subsidized by USPS why would they invest capital to build out their own shipping infrastructure?
Most of that investment appears to be moving heavy freight long distances using cargo planes and not last mile delivery of customer packages.
Last mile is the expensive part... that's why UPS and Fedex(?) have cheap shipping services where they partner with USPS for last mile delivery.
I've talked about this before but I have an issue with USPS not recognizing my street address in their data base... hilarity ensues when UPS or Fedex shipping software uses USPS database that claims my street address does not exist but tells me they cannot ship to a PO Box. I have had long discussions with my local postmistress when they put stickers on my package telling me to use my PO box address, for a shipping service not allowed to deliver to PO boxes.
Amazon does do its own delivery here using sub-contractors.
They do a lot of damage to the neighborhood.
When you see one coming run and if they come into your driveway check your property for damage.
Their delivery vans look like hell from all the things they've backed into.
I am not holding my breath to see amazon delivery vans in Hickory any time soon. And I live in (near) downtown Hickory, many of my fellow residents live deeper into the sticks. This is one of the reasons for USPS franchise and sundry support for rural areas.
Amazon also occasionally uses people delivering packages in their personal cars.
I haven't seen that recently.
Amazon is trying to pitch me their local drop box for delivery pickup, but the drop box they suggest was something like 50 miles away.
Most of the Amazon packages recently are now are UPS and USPS delivered.
My wife and neighbors use Amazon a lot.
I finally reached a compromise for the address conundrum. I add #297 (my PO Box number) to the end of my street address and that keeps the postmistress from putting stickers on my package.
I think drones for last mile delivery will eventually cause enough accidents to be banned.
Don't bet on that, the trend (IMO) is toward even faster deliveries and humans are already too expensive. I don't know that flying drones are the best (cheapest) solution. I could imagine self driving delivery vans, getting packages to our driveway, with rolling robots making the final several yards door delivery. Security seems a concern but I expect residential security cameras to become more pervasive, some are already doing facial recognition.
Smart self-driving vehicles with even rudimentary communication should not hit each other, unless they get into a road warrior mode bumping competing delivery services off the roadways.
Who knows smart door locks may allow the delivery robots to drop the packages inside the house, or into secure package lockers.
Again unlikely to happen in Hickory anytime soon. There is one TV commercial pimping doorbell cameras that begins "everybody loves doorbell cameras". I usually dive for the mute/remote, because sales pitches like that do not resonate positively with me.
JR