There’s a new Amazon delivery station in Pullman, and it’s part of a $4 billion push to get orders to rural areas faster, according to a press release from the company.
Katelyn Alexander is a mom who lives in rural North Idaho who said getting orders quicker would be helpful.
“I buy basically everything but groceries on Amazon,” said Alexander, who has to drive about two hours to shop at brick and mortar stores like Costco, Target or TJ Maxx to buy clothing or household goods.
Shopping on Amazon saves her family money, and a lot of time they would otherwise spend in the car driving to stores, Alexander said.
But UPS announced earlier this year that it would be cutting the volume of packages it delivers for Amazon, its largest customer, by 50% by the second half of 2026.
Fewer deliveries means people like Alexander who live rurally often have to make a trip to the nearest town.
“We have to go to the post office in Pierce to pick up our orders, so that has been frustrating,” she said.
The 28,000-square-foot-building, which began operating in October, is what the company calls a “‘last mile facility.” It’s the last stop before items are delivered to a customer’s doorstep, said Farah Jad, a regional public relations specialist for Amazon.
Since it started as an online book retailer, Amazon has grown massively. It’s now the world’s largest online retailer.
The model of free shipping for Amazon Prime members put the squeeze on big chain retailers over time. Rite Aid recently shuttered all stores nationwide, including its Pullman location in June. Shopko once had a location in Pullman but the company closed all locations across the country for good in 2019.
Yet, Philip Watson, a professor who studies regional economics, said the company’s low prices on basics can have an interesting trickle down effect and bolster some local businesses.
“They help other ones by increasing the disposable income that communities have,” Watson said.
Watson works at the University of Idaho, right across the border from the new Amazon facility. When people buy cheaper basics on Amazon like diapers and pet food, that saves money they can then go spend locally at a coffee shop or a restaurant, he said.
With the new facility, there will be more than 100 local full-time and part-time jobs created, Jad said. Already, the company employs more than 92,000 full and part-time employees in Washington state, according to a press release sent on October 24.
With the new facility, the company will also be looking to hire people in the Palouse region for what Amazon calls flex jobs, Jad said. These are independent contract delivery positions where people drive their personal vehicles, similar to delivering for DoorDash or Uber Eats.
Jobs for delivery drivers have already been listed online in both Moscow and Pullman. People will also be hired for logistics at the facility to assist with sorting and handling packages, Jad said.
Amazon has faced criticism over its labor practices in the past. Last year, the U.S.Department of Labor and OSHA tasked the company with improving safety measures for workers, and those changes apply to the new delivery station.
