Because it’s the holiday season, Amazon is once again offering customers the opportunity to thank the company’s drivers with a $5 tip.
Amazon announced on Wednesday that it is reintroducing the “Alexa, Thank My Driver” programme, which debuted earlier this month.
After launching in early December, the initiative was so successful that Amazon had to shut it down after just one day.
“‘Alexa, thank my driver,’ outperformed our expectations. “We’re pleased to see customers thanking their drivers and encourage them to do so in the future,” Amazon spokesperson Lauren Samaha said in a statement to USA TODAY on December 10.
How do I express my gratitude to my driver?
Customers can simply say “Alexa, Thank My Driver” using an Alexa-enabled device such as an Echo speaker or Echo Show, or through the retailer’s shopping apps.
The driver who made the most recent delivery to the customer will receive a $5 tip. Amazon stated that the programme would be extended until the first million customer thank-yous were received.
During the promotion’s initial run, the five drivers who received the most thank-yous received $10,000, plus an additional $10,000 to their favourite charity.
Why did Amazon discontinue “Thank My Driver”?
The first run, like this new attempt, began on December 7 and was limited to the first million thank-yous, which Amazon reached in 36 hours.
Amazon is being sued over tips.
The first campaign was launched on the same day that Washington, D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine announced a lawsuit accusing Amazon of using more than $1 million in tips from D.C. customers to subsidise its own labour costs between 2016 and 2019.
According to the lawsuit, the company deceived “consumers into thinking they were increasing drivers’ compensation when Amazon was actually diverting (their) tips to reduce its own labour costs and increase profits” through the scheme.
“This suit is about giving workers their tips and telling customers the truth,” Racine said in a statement.