An overwhelmed Amazon driver just couldn’t take it anymore and abandoned 80 packages along a Massachusetts road during the holiday shipping crush because they were “stressed,” authorities reported.
A Lakeville police sergeant discovered the packages on the roadway and into the woods before dawn last Sunday, just days before Christmas, which was captured on his body cam.
There were “three large totes full of Amazon packages that were spread out several feet into the woods,” according to a statement from Lakeville police, who returned the deliveries to the local Amazon distribution center. The driver who dumped the packages, who was not identified by police, turned up at the station with an explanation the day after the packages were found.
The driver said they intended to report the incident to Amazon. Police have no plans to file charges.
“I am proud of the way our Lakeville Police officers handled and investigated this matter. At this time, we are not seeking criminal charges and are considering this a human resources matter for Amazon,” Chief Matthew Perkins said.
“Sgt. Robert likely saved a Christmas headache for many local residents by noticing these totes and getting them back to Amazon, hopefully in time for a holiday delivery,” he added.
Other glitches were threatened this holiday season when Amazon workers represented by the Teamsters went on a surprise strike over an impasse with the company over contract negotiations involving better wages, improved benefits and safer working conditions.
Teamsters general president Sean O’Brien told Amazon customers in a statement on X that shipping delays could have been avoided had Amazon had negotiated with them.
“If your package is delayed during the holidays, you can blame Amazon’s insatiable greed. We gave Amazon a clear deadline to come to the table and do right by our members. They ignored it,” he wrote.
Amazon insisted its operations would not be affected by the strike. The Teamsters represent some 7,000 Amazon workers, but that number accounts for only 1 percent of Amazon’s total workforce.
The strike began last Thursday in Queens, and was joined by workers in facilities in Illinois, Atlanta, San Francisco, Victorville, and City of Industry in California.