Amazon: Hey public, can you deliver this package for us?
Amazon may be considering yet another way to get packages from its distribution centers to your front door. No, it doesn't involve more drones or warehouse bots. According to the Wall Street Journal, Amazon wants to hire members of the general public to act as impromptu delivery drivers -- kind of like what Sidecar does -- rather than paying UPS to deliver the goods. The service, which could be called "On My Way", would store packages at local brick-and-mortar retailers in urban areas where the company's new couriers could grab them.
This idea comes after Amazon saw its shipping costs jumped a whopping 31 percent last year. The company, much like Google and eBay have, is looking to save money on that last and most expensive leg of the deliver: getting it to your door. But given that UPS charges just $8 a pop for the 3.5 million parcels Amazon sends out every day, Amazon will need to hire a lot of drivers if it wants to see any sort of significant cost savings. There's also the issue of who'd be responsible for lost or damaged packages. As such, Amazon has no timeline for moving forward or any guarantees that it won't scrap the idea entirely.
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