SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — Enough was just enough for Derick Lancaster.
In what has now become a viral tweet, Lancaster, 22, quit his job as a delivery driver for Amazon mid-shift, leaving the keys in the ignition of his van – still loaded with packages – at a gas station in a Detroit suburb and caught a Lyft home.
“It was immature and irresponsible on my end. At the same time enough is enough,” Lancaster told WXYZ of the Monday afternoon tweet that, as of Tuesday, had more than 218,000 likes and had been shared more than 25,000 times.
By Wednesday morning, the tweet had more than 10 million interactions, the Detroit Free Press reported.
An #Amazon delivery driver calls it quits and leaves behind a truck full of packages at a gas station. @_lilderick went viral overnight after tweeting about it and he says had enough.
— Rudy Harper (@RudyHarperWXYZ) July 1, 2020
Tonight, he explains his hasty decision and online outrage. @tv20detroit @wxyzdetroit pic.twitter.com/wsffAJnicN
Lancaster told WXYZ he was frustrated with the long hours, number of deliveries and pay because he often pulled nearly 12-hour shifts to deliver more than 100 packages for $15.50 per hour.
The final straw, he said, was missing his sister’s birthday party.
“She was real upset with me,” Lancaster told the TV station. “There is no set schedule.”
Lancaster told the Free Press that being late to his sister’s graduation party – coupled with the constant pressure to deliver more packages faster – finally took its toll.
“This does not reflect the high standards we have for delivery partners,” Amazon wrote in an email to the Free Press. “We are taking this matter seriously and have investigated the matter and are taking appropriate action.”
Lancaster did return to the Marathon gas station in Lathrup Village several hours after his online tirade to wait for someone from Amazon to pick up the van, he told the newspaper.
Cox Media Group
