Current:Home > FinanceAmazon uses mules to deliver products to employees at the bottom of the Grand Canyon -MoneyMatrix
Amazon uses mules to deliver products to employees at the bottom of the Grand Canyon
View
Date:2025-04-14 14:57:05
Amazon revealed that not all of their Arizona delivery workers are two legged.
The e-commerce company said in a blog Tuesday that some workers ride mules to help bring packages to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
The donkey-horse hybrid has long offered trips in and out of the canyon, as well as supplies for those in Phantom Ranch, the historic oasis at the bottom of the canyon, the company said.
Mules also serve as mail carriers and delivery partners. They deliver products like fresh produce, beer and toilet paper to Phantom Ranch employees, Amazon added. The company deliveries are only offered to the employees who both live and work at the bottom of the canyon.
Reports:Amazon Fresh lays off hundreds of grocery store workers
"We bring down pretty much anything that Phantom Ranch might need and any sort of packages they want delivered," Phantom Ranch mule packer Annie Zenin said in the post.
An Amazon representative told USA TODAY the mule rides take four hours to get to the bottom using the Grand Canyon's Bright Angel Trail and about four to five hours to get back up.
"Our delivery methods vary depending on the location, but the mules that carry Amazon packages to the bottom of the Grand Canyon are one of the most unique ways customers can receive their deliveries," the representative said.
Carly Lupien, head mule packer at Phantom Ranch, said in the blog that the team starts the packaging process at 2:45 a.m. That way, the delivery can take place before the extreme heat arrives. Packer responsibilities include weighing inventory items, feeding and cleaning the mules and hoisting them with the supplies. The mules head out right at sunrise with two packers each leading a string of five mules.
"One of my favorite things about this job is that I’m helping these people that live down at the bottom of the canyon," Lupien said. "We haul it down there and whenever we show up they’re like, 'Do you have our packages? We got something from Amazon. Did you bring it down?,' and we’re like, 'Yup, we got it. Right here.'"
Amazon also shared a video of the process offering those curious an opportunity to see the mules move for themselves.
veryGood! (2)
Related
- 2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self
- How Alex Jones’ Infowars wound up in the hands of The Onion
- 'Red One' review: Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans embark on a joyless search for Santa
- Outgoing North Carolina governor grants 2 pardons, 6 commutations
- Intellectuals vs. The Internet
- Democrat Janelle Bynum flips Oregon’s 5th District, will be state’s first Black member of Congress
- Martin Scorsese on the saints, faith in filmmaking and what his next movie might be
- Dozens indicted over NYC gang warfare that led to the deaths of four bystanders
- In ‘Nickel Boys,’ striving for a new way to see
- New Orleans marks with parade the 64th anniversary of 4 little girls integrating city schools
Ranking
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- Florida man’s US charges upgraded to killing his estranged wife in Spain
- Judge weighs the merits of a lawsuit alleging ‘Real Housewives’ creators abused a cast member
- Burt Bacharach, composer of classic songs, will have papers donated to Library of Congress
- Costco membership growth 'robust,' even amid fee increase: What to know about earnings release
- Outgoing North Carolina governor grants 2 pardons, 6 commutations
- Are Dancing with the Stars’ Jenn Tran and Sasha Farber Living Together? She Says…
- Study finds Wisconsin voters approved a record number of school referenda
Recommendation
Moving abroad can be expensive: These 5 countries will 'pay' you to move there
Halle Berry Rocks Sheer Dress She Wore to 2002 Oscars 22 Years Later
UFC 309: Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic fight card, odds, how to watch, date
Olympic champion Lindsey Vonn is ending her retirement at age 40 to make a skiing comeback
Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
Trading wands for whisks, new Harry Potter cooking show brings mess and magic
Kyle Richards Swears This Holiday Candle Is the Best Scent Ever and She Uses It All Year
Mean Girls’ Lacey Chabert Details “Full Circle” Reunion With Lindsay Lohan and Amanda Seyfried