Blog #10 Walking Through the Amazon

Today I am very tired- and I must tell you why I am vey tired! I just finished an 11-hour shift trying to make a few extra dollars for Christmas.

I had been told how great it is to work at Amazon at one of their many warehouses that are located here in the valley. Well the word “great” slowly dissolved when I first applied… let me share with you the process!!

I had applied through ISS, which is one Amazons recruiting facilities. I walked in one Sunday morning and was greeted by a door clerk who told me that I must start my application on a computer. Well that is true, but you must go through a series of computers- up to four as they try to vet out bad apples. I was greeted by one person who talked to me for a mere 5 minutes. She told me that they had an evening swing shift- I accepted.

Orientation was at Plant 6. This facility is LARGE and was told to arrive an hour early to get parking. Well who in their right mind comes to work an hour early.  When I arrived I saw a massive traffic jam for people arriving mixed with people leaving. I thought arriving and leaving a Cardinals football game was a chore.

Orientation lasted 4 hours and I am not sure I even heard one word from the many representatives that spoke. The orientation was in the actual warehouse and where the noise level was very high. They have people who wear blue vest that are called ambassadors and I am sure they mean well, but I felt like I was being trained by kids that have been with Amazon for the years that they have toiled there and not by people that are professional trainers.

My actual first day was sitting in the parking lot for three hours waiting for a badge. I am sure Jeff Bezos would be glad to know that he wasted some money on 26 of us just kicking back.

I finally am in the mouth of the whale. This place is massive and I am told I might walk up 25 miles a day on a 12-hour shift. I never heard much of the floor instruction from our trainer, as the environment was loud. I finally got a challenging approval from the trainer to be set free on the floor.

It might seem complex but the system is vey easy to maneuver.  Sections are numbered and alphabetized. I hand scanner tells you where to go and what to pick. You have a rolling cart that you put the item in and when it is filled, it gets put on a conveyer system. I think I am doing ok for the first day, as my hour average count is 58 items- YEA!! BUT I am told in a few weeks it should be 153 items an hour…. Sorry Mr. Bezo, I do not think I will be around that long.

 

So- I stated that I am very tired! I think I actually walked 125 miles last night and I felt it in the 11^th hour. Wish me the best as I walk into day three of the belly of the beast!!