An Amazon delivery driver used social media as a platform to call out her regular customers, saying she’d appreciate some shows of gratitude, like snacks at the door.
Sparking an online debate over tipping culture, netizens are expressing rage over A’Niya Mitch‘s suggestion that customers need to offset poor workplace conditions created by huge corporations like Amazon.
Mitch’s clip, that was posted in March 2023, was given life again in early October when a cyber citizen commented “I hope they fire you. Looking for a damn handout for doing your job…”
Over the past several years, numerous reports have surfaced about Amazon putting its workers behind customers in its explosive rise to retail dominance.
In fact, according to the Guardian, there are dozens of warehouses across the U.S. that are currently being investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) for “unsafe working conditions, ergonomic hazards and failure to properly report injuries.”
And in 2022, CNBC reports that due to pushing “unmanageably high quotas,” “nearly one in five drivers making deliveries for Amazon suffered injuries in 2021, a 40% increase from last year’s injury rate.”
To compensate for poor company treatment, one Amazon driver started a testy exchange when she asked her regular customers to leave snacks as a tip for package drop-offs.
Recording from her delivery truck, A’Niya Mitch said, “If you order Amazon every day, every other day, or damn near every week, I’m pretty sure you got the same driver almost every day… and you ain’t putting snacks out there?!”
@aniyamitch psa #amazondriver ♬ original sound – IMD Ni 📺
Adding that she usually has 115 stops and knows all the customers and their dogs, Mitch continued, “[…] Y’all got a bond now! Y’all see each other damn near every day, and you ain’t leaving no snacks!? You’re wrong, you’re wrong.”
Netizens say she’s wrong
Almost 1 million people viewed her TikTok video, which created lively conversations among people expressing their annoyance over her suggestion.
One writes, “Ur wrong!! Ur getting pay for that , go to the store and [buy] ur own snacks.”
A second adds, “So if it’s a bond why don’t u bring me snacks instead since u already driving??”
A third shares, “should I put out a blanket and nap pad as well? You get paid to deliver!”
Another writes, “My Amazon driver never leaves me snacks, either. I am so disappointed, but I suppose I need to realize that it’s not his job to give me snacks.”
Speaking with Bored Panda, Mitch explained the clip was meant to be a “lighthearted joke” and shared that a lot of her customers do put out snacks.
Mitch also said her video was directed at those who don’t offer food, contradicting her claims that it was a joke.
More than anything, Mitch shared “change in wage would definitely solve the problem because Amazon drivers go through so much.”
That would certainly ease the burden of customers having to feed their delivery drivers.
One user, who goes by the TikTok handle anskarrad, commented on the clip October 1, and clearly irked by Mitch’s post, she reignited the conversation.
“Postal Service workers don’t expect it. Get the hell over it. It’s a gift, not required,” anskarrad writes.
“lol I can’t stand an entitled […] woman. she can get tf up and deal with the packages,” writes another cyber citizen in response.
anskarrad again comments, saying “I hope they fire you. Looking for a damn handout for doing your job…That’s what you get paid for. I’m not giving you extra.”
Provoking Mitch with the last comment, the now former Amazon deliver driver shared a new clip, aimed at anskarrad.The clip shows Mitch dancing in a shite housecoat, the words, “when y’all more mad than the company about a video 6 months ago.”
Mitch captioned the post, “…girl i left there after that video for mo money (they begged me to stay) [I don’t care] about you or them snacks. Amazon loved my videos and me.”
@aniyamitch Replying to @anskaradd girl i left there after that video for mo money (they begged me to stay)idc about you or them snacks😂😂😂Amazon loved my videos and me , sorry stinkabutt #imdni #aniyamitch #amazon #amazonprimeday2023 #amazondriver ♬ original sound – 💯Epic Entertainment💯
Holiday snacks
The concept isn’t that unusual. In 2019, a homeowner, who leaves treats for delivery drivers over the holidays, posted a door camera clip of one driver dancing and singing as he grabbed some snacks from her doorstep.Kathy Ouma left a sign next to a basket of goodies that read, “UPS, USPS, AMAZON, FEDEX – please take some goodies to enjoy on your route. Thank you for making holiday shopping easy. The Ouma family.”
The delivery man is very excited when he spots the snacks and reads the note, “This is nice,” he sings, followed by: “Oh wow, this is sweet.” He then does a happy dance and heads back to his truck.According to Mitch’s TikTok, her last day with Amazon was March 14, 2023, only 10 days after she posted her clip asking for snacks. She shared that she started a job working as a security guard shortly after.
Maybe people in the building she’s now working will bring her snacks.
What do you think about leaving snacks for couriers? Though Mitch says Amazon loved her videos and that she left on her own, there is no evidence surrounding her claims.
I think it’s nice leaving little gifts over the holidays for postal workers and frequent delivery drivers, but it shouldn’t be expected. Plus, if you live in a high rise, you never meet any of the couriers who oftentimes leave parcels in a mailroom, so there’s no chance to build any kind of bond.