You Can’t Pay Your Rent With “Thanks” 

That was fast.

This past Wednesday, Amazon unveiled a program where using Alexa to thank your driver after a delivery would provide them with a $5 tip, paid for by Amazon itself. I first learned about this after hearing a driver ask to be thanked yesterday, explaining that it would net him money at no cost to the package recipient. Given the incentives for drivers, it’s no surprise that this program spread rapidly:

“‘Alexa, thank my driver’ exceeded our expectations. We’re glad to see customers interested in thanking their drivers and encourage them to continue doing so,” Amazon spokesperson Lauren Samaha said in a statement sent to USA TODAY Saturday morning.

Unfortunately, Monday’s driver was a bit late. Last Thursday, just one day after the program began, it ended. $5 million in tips had been distributed, but after that, there were no further bonuses to be had.

“Drivers will continue to be notified of the gratitude received. The promotion period where drivers receive $5 with their thank you has now ended,” Samaha added.

An earnest “thank you” is nice. An insincere “thank you” that includes $5 is OK too. But I can’t imagine most drivers will much care about “the gratitude received” when it doesn’t include real money.