Amazon is testing drivers to deliver from local malls

Amazon is testing a program in which its contracted Flex drivers pick up and deliver packages from malls, Bloomberg first reported. The program, which Bloomberg says Amazon has been running since last year, could help Amazon fulfill orders for same-day or two-day delivery.

"This is just another way we are able to connect Amazon sellers with customers via convenient delivery options," Amazon spokeswoman Lauren Samaha said in a statement emailed to The Verge. Samaha added that only a handful of vendors participate in the program, but she did not specify which ones.

It's also not entirely clear where Amazon is running the test. Drivers who spoke to Bloomberg about the program mention picking up packages at malls located in Chandler, Arizona, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Tysons Corner, Virginia.

Like Instacart or DoorDash drivers, Amazon Flex drivers use their own vehicles to deliver packages. They typically pick up packages at Amazon delivery stations, but there is also the option to pick up packages at local stores, which Samaha says has been available for years. Mall deliveries will work the same way; only drivers will head to stores inside local malls to pick up packages.

Earlier this month, Vox reported that Amazon has been quietly testing a delivery service that pays rural mom-and-pop stores to deliver packages for the company. In a way, local businesses become a kind of post office: Packages are dropped off 360 days a year, and workers are tasked with delivering them within a 10-mile radius. Amazon previously relied on the US Postal Service and UPS for the final leg of deliveries, where packages arrive at customers' doors, but giving local stores that job could lessen the need to get involved in any of the services.

The retail giant is also looking to conquer other shipping services on third-party websites. In April, Amazon began allowing merchants who already stock products in the Amazon warehouse to add "Shop with Prime" buttons to their websites. This will enable customers to get the benefits of Prime shipping when shopping outside of Amazon and give Amazon's growing fulfilment sector even more business.