The phrase “Don’t take base pay” has almost become a slogan among Flex drivers. A war cry that bands us together letting Amazon know that we won’t settle for chump change. We continue to chant this phrase because so many drivers, especially the new ones, still take the base rate blocks.
There’s a divide between Flex drivers who are willing to take the base rates and be happy with it and then those who refuse to take anything less than $25 an hour. On the extreme ends of this one side will get angry with the other demanding that drivers stop taking the base rates. While the other side says mind ya business.
The truth lies somewhere in the middle. If you’re a driver who’s happy with the base pay rate, then go ahead and take those blocks. Just know, that you probably could have made more money simply by having patience.
This has become such a movement that drivers have spotted cars with window messages:
Even while relieving ones self the message can be seen on the walls:
The Waiting Game
It can be hard to stay patient after missing block after block. Endless red banners that proclaim “Sorry, this block has been taken”. With hours of tapping eventually you just break down and settle for the base rate or a small surge. Taking the base rate doesn’t always seem so bad because time is money and $18/HR is better than $0.
The Base Rate Takers
Many Flex drivers speculate that new drivers aren’t aware that blocks will “surge” so they take the base rates out of ignorance. A surge is where a block will increase in pay due to a heavy demand for drivers. Basically, a block that sits unaccepted on the Amazon Flex app. Those packages need delivered, so the pay increases for the block to attract more drivers.
New drivers are seemingly unaware of how this system works. So seasoned Flexers yell from the rooftops in an attempt to educate. “Don’t take base rates!!” they say, but it often falls on deaf ears.
Habitual base rate takers often do not care so much about the pay. They want to work their own hours. So they take the blocks that fit their schedule at the base pay without issue.
The Surge Crew
Team surge often comes off as demanding and arrogant. As if having worked Amazon Flex for a long time has earned them some sort of badge and authority. They’re often putting down other drivers who take the base rates. Posting screenshots of their surged blocks like trophies.
While Team Surge can be a bit aggressive they do have a valid point. Often waiting 15-20 minutes before a block start time to accept will result in a pay increase. If all drivers did this there would be a higher demand for drivers. Then all of the blocks would begin to surge.
Basically, some Flexers want to create the “Surge Club” similar to how Uber drivers where doing by turning their apps off and on again simultaneously as reported in this article by Business Insider.
We all know, rule number one, we don’t talk about ‘Surge Club
https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-drivers-artificially-triggering-surge-prices-reports-abc7-2019-6
The major difference being that Amazon Flex drivers don’t have to be shady or game the system. They only need to collaboratively wait for blocks to surge before accepting them.
What’re Your Thoughts?
There’s no shortage of drivers going back and forth on this subject. Flexers have long been debating online about “Don’t take base rates”.
Here’s your chance to let us know how you feel about it. Drop it in the comments section.
Appreciate it!