'You start to learn when shifts become available, but there's no guarantee you'll open the app and something will be there,' Polenz said. In his two years as a Flex driver in Florida, Polenz said he has learned that Amazon usually drops new shifts in the app around 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. 'We all have to fight for a meal and literally have to manually tap several times per second, nonstop, until we see a block.'ĭrivers also join Facebook groups for other Flexers in their neighborhood, where people alert group members when shifts are posted, said Chad Polenz, an Amazon Flex driver and YouTuber who posts videos about his experience as a gig economy worker. 'Their business model is basically one that acts like someone tossing a fish into a bucket of lobsters,' said Jonathan Lee Provost, a former Flex driver. Some of them spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation from Amazon. Many have grown frustrated with the intense and often unpredictable nature of grabbing shifts, or they simply want to make more money, according to several current and former Flex drivers.

Despite the risks, bots have become an increasingly common tool for Flex drivers.

Amazon flex delivery