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Q&A: Will you deliver for Walmart??
Interesting article on how WalMart plans to crowdsource the “last mile problem” by having customers deliver online orders to others (click here). Think about the following points:
1. Will you buy products online if these are delivered at your house by a stranger instead of FedEx?
2. Will you consider signing up as a delivery agent for WalMart?
1. I wouldn’t feel comfortable if the product I bought was delivered by a “stranger.” I would only order products if there were from a trusted source such as USPS, Fedex, and UPS. In addition, tracking shipment must be needed as well as a refund if you didn’t receive the product.
2. I would not consider a delivery agent for Walmart because there’s a lot of risk. One of the risks is that sometimes the customer wouldn’t be at home which makes me hold their stuff until they arrive. There’s also the risk of damaging the product. It’s a big headache for this and should use a respectable delivery agent.
1. Initially, I would trust strangers to deliver to my house. However, I would pay close attention to the news regarding this program and if it does not receive any bad publicity then I would consider it.
2. I have no reason to be a delivery agent for Walmart. Between my job and my other commitments, I would not have the time to do this. Also, it would be difficult for Walmart to make this program provide enough value for it to be worth it.
1. Having been a delivery driver before, I would not want strangers bringing my products to my house. There are too many problems having to deal with synchronizing times and trusting that they wont tamper anything.
2. Having been a delivery driver before, I would not sign up as a delivery agent. There are too many times that I’ve brought someone’s order to their house and they were no where around to pick it up. This leaves you with the responsibility of the product, in hopes that they get back to you. Then you either have to go back to the drop off house or back to Walmart. It’s very time consuming and a waste of gas.
1. I would feel comfortable someone delivering a package to my house. I personally use Uber, where Uber contracts out people, who Uber screens, to pick you up by whoever is closest. I would feel safe then a package being delivered to my house then by someone. I would hope that Walmart would do some sort of background checks on people who sign up to deliver however.
2. I would sign up as a delivery person. Walmart makes it sound like you are barely going out of your way. If I was to receive a discount on my bill or even gas paid for just driving a little out of my way I would definitely do it.
My answer to both questions would be no. The reasons for both are similar. For question 1, the reason I would not want strangers, who are not professionals delivering packages to my house for me is because there are too many unknown variables. If he is late, he is not an employee of Walmart, so how do they punish him? If he arrives without my full order, do I hold him accountable or Walmart? Also, except for his word, you have nothing to hold the delivery driver on and overall, I would have a lack of trust in this system. As for question #2, I would not want to drive for Walmart, because I would not want to be held accountable if something went wrong.
1. The main reason why I order online is because of the security and reliability that comes with using transportation companies such as FedEx, USPS, and UPS. Having a random individual contracted by Wal-Mart delivery my orders is not something that I would feel comfortable with, mostly because of the security with the location of my household or work place.
2. I would not sign up to a delivery agent as I think it would present itself as a security problem. I would not feel comfortable going into a rural area or an area with limited surveillance to a household or office of a random individual.
1. I have already experience problems with some of the most trusted delivery sources out there. I can’t imagine what could happen if a stranger delivered my products to me. Also, I rely on tracking my shipments as much as possible, so depending on someone without being able to track their whereabouts is a little nerve-wrecking.
2. I would not sign up to be a delivery agent for Wal-Mart simply because I just do not think I would enjoy the job. I love doing hands-on jobs, particularly jobs where I would have to travel, but I know others who have been in the delivery business and they all have expressed negative opinions.
I have already had some negative experiences with Fed-Ex so I don’t think there’s any way I would be able to trust a complete stranger to deliver products to me. I also feel like that with a complete stranger, it would be difficult to hold them accountable if anything should happen to my order.
I would also not sign up to be a delivery agent since I think the job would be pretty frustrating. Most delivery agents I’ve met consider their job to be frustrating, especially when no one is available to pick up the delivery. I also think that anyone studying MIS is way overqualified for a job like this, especially if they are this far into the curriculum.
1. Having a stranger deliver products to me would not be on the top of my list. I would feel much more comfortable with a Fed-Ex employee bring me products and I also enjoy the tracking system they have on the products.
2. I would never want to be a delivery agent for Wal-Mart because I would not enjoy it and I would not feel comfortable in a newly developed system that is not established.
1. I do not have a huge issue with a stranger delivering my product, as long as there is accountability. As another student mentioned, companies such as Uber who now has UberX, which is basically a rideshare, show how trends are changing with the ways that products or services are being delivered.
2. Although I wouldn’t mind having my products delivered, I wouldn’t personally enjoy being a delivery agent for Wal-Mart.
1.) I would definitely not buy products online if they were to be delivered by a stranger. I would be very uncomfortable with a stranger handling my order and showing up at my house. FedEx drivers are professionals at what they do – not just some random person off the street trying to make an extra buck. While I don’t personally know the people from FedEx delivering my order, I’m at least reassured that they are trained in what they do and are working directly for a company, not contracting with one. I also would feel that tracking and reliability would not be the same with a person as it is with an actual shipping company.
2.) I would not consider signing up as a delivery agent for WalMart – I would not want to be liable for any loss or damage of the product. Just as I wouldn’t want a stranger delivering a package to my home, I wouldn’t want to deliver a product to a stranger’s home either.
1. I would not trust a Walmart customer or a “stranger” to deliver my products. It is unsafe and a lot could go wrong. Also, you would not be able to track your product. I would rather put a product I bought in the care of USPS, UPS, or FedEx.
2. I would not consider being a Walmart delivery agent because there is a lot of risk involved. One risk could be if the person was not home, you would have to hold their stuff until they arrive. Another risk could be damaging the product. Whose fault does it become?
1. I would not buy products on Walmart’s website if I knew that a customer would be delivering my products for me and not a professional delivery person from FedEx. FedEx has been around for many years and i think a lot of people would agree that there is a trust there that if FedEx or any other professional delivery company like UPS is delivering your package, you feel comfortable that your product is not going to be destroyed or manipulated.
2. Though customer’s gets a discount on their shopping bill and gets refunded for the gas used to deliver the products, I would not want to be responsible for delivering anyone’s products. If the product gets accidentally damaged or lost, I would be liable for that; I don’t think it would be worth the ‘discount’ that I would get off of my shopping bill.
1. I would not feel comfortable having a random person deliver my order to my house because of the higher percentage of theft. I would 100% rather have a known shipping service deliver my online order to my door.
2. I would consider being a shipping agent for Wal-Mart if they were paying for it. I would definitely deliver other peoples products to their house as a secondary source of income if I had the opportunity, especially as a college student. However, if it were to be unpaid I would not do it.
1. While there is some discomfort in the idea of a stranger delivering my products, if Wal-Mart created standards and requirements (license, car insurance, background check on accidents/theft activities, liability insurance) for their drivers, I would have more trust in the system. No matter what, there will always be a risk of your products getting lost or damaged, so the problem generally lies in the trust towards the delivery person. If you think about it, drivers for UPS and Fed-Ex are ordinary people; any person could apply to be a driver for those companies, like they could apply for this program. The only way this program will work is if customers instill trust in other consumers, who are just like other UPS and Fed-Ex deliverers.
2. I would consider signing up to be a delivery agent. If I had the time to commit to this program, I would have no problem delivering goods to people located close to me. Getting a discount on my shopping bill and getting reimbursed for costs are great incentives. I do not shop at Wal-Mart that often, but I would love to see other retailers, like Target, try to implement this system.
1. It wouldn’t be an issue to me to have a stranger deliver my packages. I think of it like having take-out food deliver to me… those delivery people are strangers, but they get the job done. However, I would like Walmart to be responsible if anything goes wrong during the shipping process.
2. I would do it if I was in-between jobs and looking to make extra money, but I would like it if they offer more than just a discount on the shopping bill. I think cash would be the best option to get more people to consider being a delivery agent.
1. I wouldn’t want a stranger delivering my products that I buy online because I wouldn’t trust that it would get there. Maybe if Wal-Mart had a way to make them accountable but they aren’t employees of Wal-Mart like the delivery drivers for FedEx are employees.
2. I don’t think i would sign up as a delivery agent for Wal-Mart, I wouldn’t want to be responsible for getting peoples stuff to them.
1.) I wouldn’t buy products online from Wal-Mart if they were going to be delivered by strangers. I wouldn’t feel comfortable with random strangers showing up to my door with packages. It seems like a safety concern and it could be exploited by criminals.
2.) I wouldn’t want to be a delivery agent because if something were to happen to the package I wouldn’t know how to react. Also if the customer were to ask questions about Wal-Mart or problems with package I would be ill advised to help them because I wouldn’t have the knowledge to help.
1. I would not by products online from Walmart if they were delivered by a random person. There are enough problems ordering products with reputable delivery systems, I feel like a lot of mistakes would be made.
2. I would never want to be a delivery agent. FIrst off I am reall bad with directions and would get lost. I also would not want to deliver to people I don’t know.
1. I would not want a random person delivering my products from Wal-Mart. It is dangerous and full of potential problems for the consumer and Wal-Mart. I do feel that people could take advantage of this system and leave Wal-mart liable for many thefts and stolen property.
2. On the other hand I wouldn’t mind being a delivery agent for Wal-Mart. I am responsible and good with handleing products. As long as I would not be liable for the products, I would do it, but I doubt that would ever happen.
1. Will you buy products online if these are delivered at your house by a stranger instead of FedEx?
I would not consider buying products online if they are delivered by a stranger. The reason is because these strangers, aside from being strangers, are not professionals and are not trained in delivery like FedEx would train their employees. I do not want someone handling my products or coming to my announce that I don’t trust.
2. Will you consider signing up as a delivery agent for WalMart?
I would not consider signing up as a delivery agent because you never know who you might be delivering to.
1. I would not trust a “stranger” to deliver my products. Companies like USPS, UPS, and FedEx are trustworthy. Also, you are able to track your purchases.
2. I would not consider being a Walmart delivery agent because I wouldn’t want to be responsible for stuff that doesn’t belong to me.
1. No, I wouldn’t buy products online if they were shipped to my house by a stranger because I’d prefer to have them shipped by a professional I’d be able to trust, such as FedEx.
2. No, I wouldn’t consider signing up as a delivery agent for WalMart because it wouldn’t offer me enough value for me to take on the risks of being a delivery agent and being responsible for products.
1. I would not buy products online if they are delivered by strangers because there are too many risks involved, such as robbery. Walmart also faces major risks on its end with this type of service because it is hard too hold these deliverers to the same accountability standards as FedEx has established with its employees. There is a significant issue with trust in this process, that ultimately makes me very uncomfortable with strangers delivering my packages.
2. I would not consider signing up as a delivery agent for the same risks that I listed above. You are not familiar with the person you are delivering to and too much responsibility is place on the delivery agent. I would not want to be held accountable for any package mishaps.