Buying online

[mharrington]

I keep hearing about the virtues of buying online (say, at Amazon) as opposed to going into a brick-and-mortar store, one of them being that it saves gas. But when you buy something online, isn't gas still being used for you to get your product? You yourself may not be using gas, but the delivery person is, right?

 

[Tiggerish]

I keep hearing about the virtues of buying online (say, at Amazon) as opposed to going into a brick-and-mortar store, one of them being that it saves gas. But when you buy something online, isn't gas still being used for you to get your product? You yourself may not be using gas, but the delivery person is, right?

Well, yes, but if you drive yourself, you’re using gas in both directions. Theoretically, the Amazon driver is being more efficient by sparing your drive out to the shop. He’s coming to you, and your neighbor, and their neighbor, etc.

 

[StarWarsGirl]

Well, yes, but if you drive yourself, you’re using gas in both directions. Theoretically, the Amazon driver is being more efficient by sparing your drive out to the shop. He’s coming to you, and your neighbor, and their neighbor, etc.

Also saves gas if you're going to multiple locations.

For instance, the cat litter I buy is hard to find in stores for some reason, so buying it online saves me from having to run around in multiple stores. Whereas the driver gets the product from the warehouse and delivers it to you and other packages to those around you.

And not going into multiple stores saves my sanity. Big plus.

 

[mharrington]

Well, yes, but if you drive yourself, you’re using gas in both directions. Theoretically, the Amazon driver is being more efficient by sparing your drive out to the shop. He’s coming to you, and your neighbor, and their neighbor, etc.

That's still using gas in more than two ways, though. They're using a lot more gas getting around more.

 

[mharrington]

Also saves gas if you're going to multiple locations.

For instance, the cat litter I buy is hard to find in stores for some reason, so buying it online saves me from having to run around in multiple stores. Whereas the driver gets the product from the warehouse and delivers it to you and other packages to those around you.

And not going into multiple stores saves my sanity. Big plus.

Again, though, they have to cover a lot more ground by going to many stops all over the place. Plus, it has to be harder on the environment.

 

[DryerLintFan]

Again, though, they have to cover a lot more ground by going to many stops all over the place. Plus, it has to be harder on the environment.

Have you factored in the gas to get things to the stores via diesel truck? They typically get only about 6 miles per gallon, whereas the smaller delivery trucks that, say, Amazon use get closer to 14.

So you’d have your big rig trucks get goods from the airport to the distribution center, but then from there either another fleet of big rigs (6mpg) will take the goods around to individual stores, where we would then drive also to go buy them, OR a fleet of smaller delivery trucks would bring them to your house (16mpg)


At the end of the day the only way to truly minimize carbon emission impact is to minimize what you buy overall.

 

[mharrington]

Have you factored in the gas to get things to the stores via diesel truck? They typically get only about 6 miles per gallon, whereas the smaller delivery trucks that, say, Amazon use get closer to 14.

My car, though, gets at least 30 mpg.

So you’d have your big rig trucks get goods from the airport to the distribution center, but then from there either another fleet of big rigs (6mpg) will take the goods around to individual stores, where we would then drive also to go buy them, OR a fleet of smaller delivery trucks would bring them to your house (16mpg)

At the end of the day the only way to truly minimize carbon emission impact is to minimize what you buy overall.

There are times, though, when we might forget something at the store and have to go back.

 

[DryerLintFan]

My car, though, gets at least 30 mpg.

can you explain to me how this comment has anything to do with my point?

 

[mharrington]

can you explain to me how this comment has anything to do with my point?

More miles per gallon and shorter distance? My point is that my car is smaller than even an Amazon delivery van.

 

[DryerLintFan]

More miles per gallon and shorter distance? My point is that my car is smaller than even an Amazon delivery van.

Are you,…. Going to the distribution center and bringing all the merch from there to the stores?? Because if not, you missed the point.

 

[mharrington]

Are you,…. Going to the distribution center and bringing all the merch from there to the stores?? Because if not, you missed the point.

No, I'm going to the store and hope for the best. Plus, I'm pretty sure delivery drivers must pay for their own gas, too. It must also be a burden on the delivery people. What is your point anyway?

 

[lazyboy97o]

No, I'm going to the store and hope for the best. Plus, I'm pretty sure delivery drivers must pay for their own gas, too. What is your point anyway?

Most people interested in saving on gas are interested in their personal cost, not the overall consumption of gas.

Delivery drivers who are part of a fleet like Amazon do not pay for their own gas. Someone using a service like Amazon Prime which includes shipping is not paying for shipping on individual items which are not typically more expensive than the same items in a store.

Let’s say we each want to get a new video game. You drive to the store and pay $60 for the game. I order online with free delivery and pay $60. You’re paying more because you have to pay for gas. You are also putting much more time into getting the game than I am.

 

[mharrington]

Most people interested in saving on gas are interested in their personal cost, not the overall consumption of gas.

Delivery drivers who are part of a fleet like Amazon do not pay for their own gas. Someone using a service like Amazon Prime which includes shipping is not paying for shipping on individual items which are not typically more expensive than the same items in a store.

Let’s say we each want to get a new video game. You drive to the store and pay $60 for the game. I order online with free delivery and pay $60. You’re paying more because you have to pay for gas. You are also putting much more time into getting the game than I am.

But doesn't the delivery driver have to pay for their own gas, too?

 

[lazyboy97o]

But doesn't the delivery driver have to pay for their own gas, too?

Drivers for the US Post Office, FedEx, UPS or companies that do their own deliveries like Amazon do not pay for the gas themselves. It is paid for by the company.

Gig drivers for services like Door Dash are going to pay for their own fuel but that’s part of why there is a delivery fee. In those services you’re essentially paying someone to go to the store for you. This is part of online shopping but still relatively new and not what people usually mean by online shopping. In this case people are paying for the convenience of not going to the store.

 

[mharrington]

Drivers for the US Post Office, FedEx, UPS or companies that do their own deliveries like Amazon do not pay for the gas themselves. It is paid for by the company.

How do they know how much it's going to cost?

 

[lazyboy97o]

How do they know how much it's going to cost?

The same way any other business figures out their costs. When you buy online there is no line item cost charged to you for gas. If you are charged for shipping then it is a single charge for everything related to shipping. It’s no different than mailing something.

 

[mharrington]

The same way any other business figures out their costs. When you buy online there is no line item cost charged to you for gas. If you are charged for shipping then it is a single charge for everything related to shipping. It’s no different than mailing something.

I'm not focusing on myself, I'm trying to figure out how the drivers pay for their own gas. From looking this up on Google, it seems that Amazon Flex doesn't pay its drivers or reimburse them for mileage, as the drivers are independent contractors who are responsible for covering fuel costs, vehicle repairs, and other job-related expenses.

When I tried to look up information on Amazon drivers, the thing of Amazon Flex popped up, and since that's pretty much all that keeps coming up, I have to assume that Amazon, period, is like that.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I'm not focusing on myself, I'm trying to figure out how the drivers pay for their own gas. From looking this up on Google, it seems that Amazon Flex doesn't pay its drivers or reimburse them for mileage, as the drivers are independent contractors who are responsible for covering fuel costs, vehicle repairs, and other job-related expenses.

When I tried to look up information on Amazon drivers, the thing of Amazon Flex popped up, and since that's pretty much all that keeps coming up, I have to assume that Amazon, period, is like that.

Most drivers delivering for Amazon are not Flex drivers. They’re Amazon employees driving Amazon vehicles with Amazon purchased fuel.

Most pizza delivery drivers use their own vehicles too. It’s just built into the understanding of the job. It varies by jobs. Sometimes the assumptions are just built in or companies can use mileage rates, with the IRS setting a common rate.

More importantly, why does it matter? You were asking why people shop online and you don’t get charged for the delivery driver’s gas as a specific charge.

 

[Disstevefan1]

I keep hearing about the virtues of buying online (say, at Amazon) as opposed to going into a brick-and-mortar store, one of them being that it saves gas. But when you buy something online, isn't gas still being used for you to get your product? You yourself may not be using gas, but the delivery person is, right?

If you are avoiding using Amazon to some how save gas, I do not see how that works.

Either way gas is being used, by you or the Amazon delivery van, and by the way, there are some Amazon electric delivery vehicles.

You could even rationalize that lets say you go to the brick and mortar and you use your car, the Amazon vehicle will still be on the road (maybe driving by your home), now there are two vehicles on the road, you and Amazon, while if you ordered from Amazon there is only Amazon vehicle on the road.

if you think WDW is magical, let me tell you Amazon is magical!

Click on something in the morning and it’s at your door step the same day!

Amazon is much more magical than WDW.

There are many reasons not to shop at Amazon, for example supporting local businesses, but saving gas is not one of them.

 

[mharrington]

More importantly, why does it matter? You were asking why people shop online and you don’t get charged for the delivery driver’s gas as a specific charge.

I'm focusing on the perspective of the delivery person, rather than the customer. It seems to me that with Amazon, the customer is all that matters, not the people having to do the work.