Where women are powering Prime Day and empowering themselves

One of our Delivery Service Partners (DSP) launched an all-women women delivery station (for the first time in 2016) in Chennai. In September 2020, Gujarat’s first all-women delivery station, operated by a DSP in the town of Kadi, in Mehsana was launched. On July 1 this year, more DSPs launched two more all-women delivery stations in Kerala – at Aranmula town in Pathanamthitta District and Kodungallur town in Thrissur District.

As Amazon’s flagship event – Prime Day – is set to happen in India on July 26th and 27th, our frontline workforce and delivery partners across the country are looking forward to giving another wonderful shopping experience to our customers. These women-only delivery stations are full of energy, as they gear up for the event as India is slowly moving towards normalcy, but where caution and care are still a priority.

he two newly-opened all-women delivery stations in Kerala are particularly excited for the Prime Day shopping event, since this is the first time the event is taking place after these stations launched. “All of the delivery associates have geared up for this challenge keeping safety as the first priority. There are close to 50 women working at these delivery stations who have shown a lot of commitment and initiative to ensure customers across Kodungallur and Aramula have a safe and seamless shopping experience”, says S Vishnu, a Channel Relationship Manager at Amazon India. But as they prepare for the rush, safety measures taken by the DSPs make the workforce feel safe at the stations. “We will do the same while serving customers – for their safety and ours. We are grateful that Amazon India has trusted us with the opportunity to run this station. Such a big event like Prime Day is a boost for us,” says one of the delivery partners at the Kadi delivery station.

While the newer stations are gearing for the event, Jamuna Rani, proprietor of Sarini Associates, who is a DSP of Amazon and runs the Chennai all women delivery station, broke through a seemingly male bastion in 2016 itself. She says this Prime Day is all about safety. “We have more than 15 associates at our delivery station, and most of them are vaccinated. We are very conscious about the pandemic protocols, so we use sanitisers and change the face mask twice a day for protection. During deliveries, the delivery associate ensures a distance of at least 2 meters with the customer - for their safety and ours,” she adds.

While preparation for the big event goes on and there is an energetic buzz at the stations, Ketan, Channel Relationship Manager, Gujarat adds that the Amazon Prime Day is an opportunity for our partners and their associates “to shine as they bring they delivery smiles to our customers.” And what is heartening to note is that the women delivery associates have become role models for society and their own families. One of the women at Kadi station echoes the sentiments of her co-workers when she says, “We feel independent and can support our families, thanks to this job. We have now gained respect of our families; they are so proud of us when we leave for work daily and that feels really good.”

Anusree AS, Team Lead at the Kodungallur delivery station, says that they are grateful for this opportunity. “Women who I work with here feel that they have taken the correct step in their career. Their message to the society is to be brave and carve out a space for women, and thus move towards equal opportunity across genders.” The new found independence means families too are becoming more supportive. Says Jamuna Rani, “Families are getting used to these women working during the pandemic. And the support will only increase because there is a will to do something different and a passion to fulfill desires."

Well, she couldn’t have said it better!