Thread by @ABeardWalks

If you're interested in #traffic, Amazon deliveries, logistics, #congestion, #environmental issues, and #ClimateBreakdown then grab a cup of tea,.

Settle in for a long thread on same-day delivery, it comes with 14 parts and some additional commentary👇

Let's start with a fun challenge.

Pick 30 random addresses in the town in which you live. Then pick 30 randomly sized items available on Amazon, one for each address. Your task is to plan a journey that minimises the driving time and gets them delivered in a day. 1/14

Now let's make it harder, select 1000 random addresses, and 1000 randomly sized packages.

You've got five days to fulfil all the orders this time, and ten vans with which to work. You've got an hour to get the journeys planned. 2/14

Okay, one more difficulty increase.

Half the packages have specific delivery times, with an even spread across the five days. Same goal as before, but you can't miss any of the specific delivery times. 3/14

The above problem is one I've done a lot of work in as part of my career, and trust me it's complicated.

Delivery fulfilment and the logistics behind it are difficult, especially when hard constraints like specific time slots get thrown into the mix. 4/14

Amazon brought us guaranteed 2-day delivery, which was fantastic, then next day delivery came along and knocked it out of the park.

But that still wasn't good enough! Now Amazon is bringing us same-day delivery.

Amazon seems to have it more or less nailed, but how? 5/14

Let's revisit our challenge briefly. It's Tuesday, your vans have gone out, things are looking good.

But now 50 people just ordered for same-day delivery. What now?! Turn to the gig industry, outsource the last leg of the fulfilment journey and deliver those items on time! 6/14

That's what Amazon does*. When you order for same-day delivery, they look to the gig-economy. They've even got a platform called Amazon Flex, where you can become a 'delivery partner'. Partners rock up to an AFC (Amazon Fulfilment Centre), get some cargo, and away they go. 7/14

As convenience levels go up, demand goes up, which means more 'Flex partners' on the road. Which ultimately means more traffic, more congestion, and more pollution. Last I checked 37% of carbon emissions in Scotland came from road transport. Scotland needs to see this drop! 8/14

With higher demand for same-day delivery, heck even next day or specific delivery, this traffic carbon is only going to rise.

We're in a climate emergency, and we cannot afford to make it worse. 9/14

A reason we're in this mess is the drive for greater convenience by the consumer (i.e. you and me), and a greater desire for market share by providers (i.e. Amazon).

The faster we get stuff, the more we want stuff. The more we want stuff, the more Amazon loves us! 10/14

Jeff Bezos once said at a press conference "One of the great things about customers all over the world: they are divinely discontent. You give them the best service you can. They love it. But they always want a little bit more."** 11/14

People are always going to want and need stuff.

I'm getting my heating system replaced right now; there's stuff everywhere as I type this.

But the significant bit is that difference between want and need. 12/14

How many of the same-day orders were needed so soon? How many could have waited a few days?

Convenience is great, but it doesn't come for free. The cost of convenience is more than a Prime membership; it's environmentally extortionate — a price none of us can afford.

13/14

Next time you go to order something, ask yourself: do I need this item right now?

Bear in mind, the more patient you can be, the less environmentally impactful the delivery can also be.

Ask yourself: do I need this item at all?

No order, no impact. 14/14

*Amazon is probably making a short-term loss on same-day delivery whenever you use it. But keeping your custom is worth more to them longterm than a small loss now. The happier you are with an Amazon service, the more likely you are to keep on paying for it.

**He said that at an amazon air cargo port, which can handle 100 jumbo cargo jets. The whole video I got this from is awful when you watch through the lens of the environment.