‘Bizarre’ changes to Amazon Hub in Iqaluit leave customers in dark
New delivery address causes ‘technical error’; limits orders
Amazon customer Madelyn Moore says changes to parcel pickup rules at Iqaluit’s Amazon Hub are making it more difficult to shop for essential goods. (Photo by Arty Sarkisian)
Nunavut’s only Amazon pickup hub has entered the new year on a confusing note, some Iqaluit customers say.
“It’s bizarre. It just seems like they’re adding extra steps to problems that never really existed,” said customer Madelyn Moore.
Unlike in the rest of Canada, where Amazon orders are often delivered to customers’ doorsteps, Iqaluit residents have to pick up their orders at the Amazon warehouse hub, operated jointly by Canadian North and Amazon.
There is also an option to place Amazon orders to the Canada Post office, but that can take longer.
Moore got an email from Amazon on Jan. 13 that said the pickup hub near the Iqaluit airport would be updating the address of its pickup location on the Amazon app.
“The physical pickup location isn’t changing – only the address details in our system,” the email said.
But for about three weeks after, Moore couldn’t place any orders to the pickup location. After that, the app would only allow her to place orders with four items or fewer.
If she tried to order more items the pickup location would be marked as “out of service.”
“I don’t understand why they would do that,” said April Peters, who has been having similar issues as Moore.
“If you’re ordering four things and another four things and another four things, they all end up coming.”
Amazon acknowledged the four-item limit and said it was a mistake.
“This was due to a short-term technical error that Amazon has resolved. Customers are now able to once again order more than four items for Hub Counter shipping at a time,” said Kristin Gable, a spokesperson for Amazon.
Peters orders gluten- and nut-free food from Amazon because much of it is not available in Iqaluit stores.
“We’re super-dependent on Amazon because we have a child with severe food allergies,” she said.
“And oh my gosh, the amount of stuff that we get from there, like diapers and clothes and stuff that’s just not necessarily available.”
And often, items on Amazon are cheaper than in Iqaluit stores.
Moore said she recently ordered a five-litre jug of laundry detergent for $20, which she says would have cost more than $60 at Northmart.
The new Amazon hub address has led to other changes. Both Moore and Peters said they haven’t been able to order any electronic items containing batteries to the hub – those orders have to go to the Canada Post office.
New rules by the International Air Transport Association regarding the shipping of lithium batteries that “may have a role” in the change, Gable, from Amazon, said in an email.
However, these regulations have existed since at least 2009.
Markus Ruediger, spokesperson for the International Air Transport Association, deferred to Amazon to explain changes to its delivery policy but said it could be related to batteries being classified as “dangerous goods.”
Gable said Amazon is still investigating the questions about the shipment of batteries.
Meanwhile, for customers, the inconsistency at Iqaluit’s Amazon’s hub is “annoying,” Peters said, and if its services deteriorate even more she might look for workarounds with other websites and stores.
Moore agreed.
“I don’t think they realize just how much we rely on Amazon to get even some of just the basic necessities,” she said.
They should close the hub only benefits rich people with credit cards and they end up saving more money than the poor who have to buy their stuffs at north mart.
I am not rich and it benefits me. You can use a pre-paid credit card, visa debit and credit card. You just have to make the effort to get any of the cards Amazon takes
If you can’t qualify for a credit card, it says more about your behaviour than your economic status. Take some responsibility and accountability for your own actions.
What an absurd idea.
In Nature, as within Humanity, those that make the effort to gather the resources they need and want to live are the first to benefit from these efforts.
This was true before the invention of money, before the white man came, and remains true today even within our modern social, liberal democracy.
Everyone being equally poor regardless of personal effort is Marxist thinking, and is a race to the economic bottom that has been tried for over a century by billions of people and found not to work.
Nunavut needs to clearly and emphatically disown this “crabs in the bucket” mentality where our own people may sabotage and undermine the success of others through gossip, bullying, or belittling achievements.
It is very possible in Nunavut to become successful without undermining others. There is almost no scarcity of opportunity in Nunavut, where almost every day we hear of the desperate need for more workers, more business, and increased capacity.
So we need to quickly shed the scarcity mindset where individuals believe that someone else’s success limits their own opportunities.
Ah yes Iqaluit. Nunavut as we know it.
Now for the other 24 communities we have no Amazon Hub at all and cant get things unless paying absurdly high shipping on most items.
Lets take a jar of peanut butter. Shipping copy pasted from Amazon:
$41.42 delivery Wednesday, March 18. Order within 4 hrs 30 mins.
Cry me a river Iqaluit.
They should lower the GN’s Northern Living Allowance for those living in Iqaluit. The amount of money they can save ordering through Amazon is in the thousands.
Iqaluit is already the lowest and Iqaluit has more expensive freezer and cooler foods compared to communities that can’t be ordered by Amazon
“Iqaluit has more expensive freezer and cooler foods”, lies. Straight up, shameless lies.
Iqaluit has its own sealift rate with NEAS. It is:
17% lower than Kimmirut, Kinngait, and Pang.
24% lower that Kivalliq.
25% lower than Igloolik, Naujaat, and Sanirajak.
29% lower than North Baffin.
37% lower than Kitikmeot (excluding Kugaaruk).
41% lower than Kugaaruk.
If you want to ship an F150 to Iqaluit, it might cost you $3,500. If you want to ship it to Kugaaruk, it’s going to cost you $5,978.
Canadian North charges $4.92/kg to ship cargo from Ottawa to Iqaluit economy. It is:
$10.83 from Winnipeg to Coral Harbour
$11.15 from Yellowknife (already higher prices than Ottawa) to Kugaaruk, 127% higher.
$13.59 Ottawa to Sanirajak, 176% higher.
$15.54 Ottawa to Pond Inlet, 216% higher.
$16.49 Ottawa to Arctic Bay, 235% higher.
Imagine shipping some materials that would cost $1,000 to ship to Iqaluit, but instead paying $3,350 to ship to Arctic Bay.
Iqaluit pays less for diesel heating fuel than all other communities, and needs less of it than most communities.
You want to go on a vacation south with your family of 4? Iqaluit to Ottawa flights will run you $3,934. Arctic Bay to Ottawa? $17,186. That’s $13,252 difference, plus an overnight stay in Iqaluit.
If you have the same job in Arctic Bay as you have in Iqaluit (unlikely since Iqaluit also has the most higher-paying jobs), then with your NNA you might make 10% more in pre-tax dollars. It’s not going to cover it when you can’t benefit from free Amazon shipping, your fuel costs are 20% higher, your sealift costs are 42% higher, your cargo rates are 235% higher, and a single vacation costs you $14,000 more.
People in Iqaluit make more, and can spend less.
You should work for Stats Canada. Gezz boy
Can’t we all agree that we are winning more than the southern Canadian taxpayers, who prop up our standard of living? Let’s remember who the real winners are, all of us!
Capital envy.
“There is also an option to place Amazon orders to the Canada Post office, but that can take longer.”
And therein likely lies the issue, not only does it take longer, Canada Post makes more money. Maybe ask them what’s happening with that as well.
I been having issues with both the Hub & Canada Post for my items. They all arrive in Ottawa they leave Ottawa they a day or 2 later they get delayed time & time again then all of a sudden I’m getting refunds. And to the person who said u have to be rich to shop at Amazon? What site are you on? And I can’t speak for the other communities. I would hope if Amazon & Canadian North Cargo are attached could they not work together to have items shipped up?
Most likely Amazon Corp is as profitable as Northern Stores Corp; both ship their products using Canadian North Airlines; in many instances the same products are being shipped – whether diapers, peanut butter or detergent, ad infinitum. Surely costs for products and shipping are similar for both Amazon and Northern Stores. Northern has the additional cost of its store – inventory, merchandising and in-store staff. Northern Stores has all the additional costs for perishable. Those who shop at Northmart are subsidizing those who shop at Amazon, contribute to higher prices and lower wages at Northmart. That isn’t to say that Iqaluit Amazon shoppers are immoral or should change their buying habits. Just stating the facts. Do your own evaluations. Make your own decisions. Be responsible for yourself.
Start supporting your peers, not Jeff Bezos, he doesn’t need your support.
People need to change themselves for change to the ‘cheap and easy’ system to happen.
Amazon really has you sucked in.
Make the effort to browse. Postal times aren’t that long.
I pay $3.50 for BBQ sauce from Amazon, it is $12 locally. I get fresher product from Amazon. If there were a Canadian alternative I would support them.. Great for vehicle parts. And so much more. We get the better value from Amazon than the rest of Canada.
Bdubya, assuming you use one bottle of BBQ sauce per year, you save $8.50 annually. Is that worth the lineup at the Hub?
Why support local businesses when they don’t carry what consumers want?
There are no “bizarre ” changes. AmaOn has no reason to service Iqaluit. They are a world wide business and our tiny city is getting mercy from them. Go back to ordering all your food and household stuff by sealift for the whole year like we use to. This just sounds super entitled. So sorry you live in arctic and are suddenly inconvenienced. They are closing hundreds of hubs and laying off thousands of workers. We are next. Read the room.
Thinking Amazon operates to make your life better is probably where the problem lies.