An Amazon Flex worker explains the biggest challenges of Prime Day deliveries

• Amazon's Prime Day runs July 16 and 17 this year.
• But some Amazon Flex workers are already busy with deliveries.

Amazon's massive Prime Day sale doesn't start until July 16.

But for one Amazon Flex delivery worker in Alabama, work started picking up this past week.

The worker said she picked up six "blocks" — shifts between three and six hours long. That's more than the worker has usually been able to claim in the past.

"I was basically booked up for an entire week, which really doesn't happen," the worker said.

"It seems they are making sure to get all of the regular stuff out in anticipation" of Prime Day, she added.

The Flex worker, who made deliveries for Amazon during Prime Day in 2023, asked not to be identified by name, but Business Insider has verified her identity and work for Amazon.

For many Amazon delivery workers, Prime Day has become one of the busiest times of the year. The 2024 version of the event, which will take place on July 16 and 17, promises to be no different: Amazon has already spent weeks promoting some discounts and deals. It's promising new deals for shoppers every five minutes during the event itself.

This year, Prime Day will also occur the same week as Alabama's tax-free weekend, a three-day period when shoppers can stock up on supplies for the new school year without paying sales tax.

Amazon employs a few different kinds of delivery workers. Those who work through the company's Flex program are independent contractors using their own cars and are paid by the block. Making certain types of deliveries, such as grocery orders from Whole Foods, comes with the potential to earn tips.

The Flex worker BI spoke with says she's seen more new faces at the Amazon facilities she frequents — a sign, she said, that Amazon is staffing up in advance of the banner shopping week.

"Prime Day, and then right around October, those are the two biggest times when they hire people because that's when everybody's shopping," the worker told BI, referencing the fall increase in hiring ahead of the holiday shopping season.

One challenge for Flex workers is delivering all those packages within the time allotted for the block, the worker said.

The worker recalled delivering about 30 packages per three-and-a-half-hour block earlier this year. Lately, though, the worker has noticed that number reaching closer to 40, especially during evening delivery shifts.

And if you don't do it, "they'll just say you're unreliable, and you're gone," the worker said.

Getting shifts with the best pay also requires a strategy, she said.

During a normal week in her area, a three-and-a-half hour block of delivering packages pays $63, the driver told Business Insider. That rate can go above $80 if drivers wait until hours — or even minutes — before a shift, she said.

But in the run-up to Prime Day, those higher offers come up sooner — even a full day before the shift, she said.

Workers are also competing with the influx of new drivers around the event. Speaking to BI on the Thursday before Prime Day, the Flex driver said she still hadn't seen any blocks for next week, but she's ready to grab whatever shifts she can.

"Everything just hits bigger and quicker" around the shopping extravaganza, the driver told BI.

"The Amazon Flex program gives individuals the opportunity to set their own schedule and be their own boss, while earning competitive pay," Amazon spokesperson Branden Baribeau told BI.

"Amazon Flex delivery partners are able to work when they want – including on and around Prime Day – with the vast majority finishing their delivery blocks early," Baribeau said.

"When something like a delivery partner repeatedly not showing up for a scheduled block or not following our Terms of Service occurs, our team manually reviews each case to determine if eligibility to deliver with the Amazon Flex program should continue," Baribeau said in response to a question about when Amazon considers deactivating Flex workers.

Baribeau said that Flex workers earn $26 per hour on average.

Do you work for Amazon Flex, Whole Foods, Amazon Fresh, or another part of Amazon's retail operations and have a story idea to share? Reach out to this reporter at abitter@businessinsider.com