Warehouse Operative at Amazon

diamount

diamount

diamount

Soldato
Joined
3 Sep 2008
Posts
3,406
So yeah, it's the peak recruiting season for Amazon via PMP. I know you're practically on your feet for 11 hours, but I've no intention for this job to be permanent just to smooth out my income as a contractor, my job is either feast or famine and I really don't want to eat through my savings when it's completely dead.

So - anyone experience it?
 
Disclaimer: I did it in Holland for a competitor 17 years ago, so what I say may have very little relevance but here's my experience anyway:

It sucks balls harder than Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. It's non stop pressure from the second you walk in until the second you go home. Toilet breaks, fag breaks and whatever other breaks you can think of are severely frowned upon and the smoking area where I worked was situated as such that it shamed you for smoking. The orders flow fast and hard and getting just one item wrong will throw your pace off, thus ruining the rest of your day. It was hand on heart the worst job I ever did, never again.

If you're looking for an easy way to make a few bob on the side then practice your "brrrrr, it's freezing" face and go deliver pizzas. On a crap night I made £20 in tips and on a good night £100+, plus the wages. Yes it gets cold and riding in the rain sucks but you get used to it and it's infinity times better than stacking crap in a warehouse.
 
Inbox me said:
Disclaimer: I did it in Holland for a competitor 17 years ago, so what I say may have very little relevance but here's my experience anyway:

It sucks balls harder than Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. It's non stop pressure from the second you walk in until the second you go home. Toilet breaks, fag breaks and whatever other breaks you can think of are severely frowned upon and the smoking area where I worked was situated as such that it shamed you for smoking. The orders flow fast and hard and getting just one item wrong will throw your pace off, thus ruining the rest of your day. It was hand on heart the worst job I ever did, never again.

If you're looking for an easy way to make a few bob on the side then practice your "brrrrr, it's freezing" face and go deliver pizzas. On a crap night I made £20 in tips and on a good night £100+, plus the wages. Yes it gets cold and riding in the rain sucks but you get used to it and it's infinity times better than stacking crap in a warehouse.
Click to expand...

This. If you have a small engined car then it's even better as you get to stay dry.
 
Do they play Jeff Bezos' laugh every time you fall down? It's pretty bad by all accounts. I'd try RM or other delivery hubs first, if that's your thing for seasonal work. And with the rain forest, the actual deliveries are probably marginally better than the warehouse grind.
 
Have a look at your local RM delivery offices they normally take on loads of seasonal workers and there's many less stories of being basically a slave walking a marathon every day compared to Amazon.
 
If you've nothing to lose so to speak and can just walk away it is a whole different story to those who need the job :S

The first 2 weeks will be absolute killer unless you are in great physical shape but you'll quickly become conditioned to it.

I'd look around at other companies if possible as from what I can make out Amazon seem to have one of if not the most regime like conditions in their warehouses compared to other companies. On the flipside time generally flies if you are busy like that and often the shift will probably go quite quickly.
 
My friend worked in the Swansea distribution centre for around 6 months. He told me it was hell, very target driven... some being almost impossible to achieve if you actually want to take a break.
 
tom_e said:
Have a look at your local RM delivery offices they normally take on loads of seasonal workers and there's many less stories of being basically a slave walking a marathon every day compared to Amazon.
Click to expand...

Doesn't look like they're recruiting Christmas temps near me.

Vargas said:
I know someone who works at the Dunfermline warehouse, they quite like it, nightshift suits them. I can get more details if you need them.
Click to expand...

Yes please, it's night shift I'm also looking at.
 
Vargas said:
I know someone who works at the Dunfermline warehouse, they quite like it, nightshift suits them. I can get more details if you need them.
Click to expand...

Ditto. However the fella I know isn't keen on it. Zero hours contract but they're required to work 40 hours a week. From the end of November there will be compulsory overtime so he'll have to work 65 hours a week. I'm sure he also said that each person was expected to pick 60 items an hour. Bills needed to be paid though so he's sticking at it.
 
You get a scanner with timer and a basket, order appears, scanner provides you with location of the first code, isle 13, unit B7, shelf 20. You run several football pitches through the warehouse to find the first item with scanner counting you down, the moment you scan the item and chuck it into your basket, the next code appears on the scanner and counter resets, maybe it's just round the corner, maybe it's several football pitches away, rinse, repeat. Seinfeld's "mail never stops" scenario - it never gets quieter, it never is not busy.

Youtube up BBC's Panorama: "Amazon The Truth Behind the Click"
 
Last edited:
v0n said:
You get a scanner with timer and a basket, order appears, scanner provides you with location of the first code, isle 13, unit B7, shelf 20. You run several football pitches through the warehouse to find the first item with scanner counting you down, the moment you scan the item and chuck it into your basket, the next code appears on the scanner and counter resets, maybe it's just round the corner, maybe it's several football pitches away, rinse, repeat. Seinfeld's "mail never stops" scenario - it never gets quieter, it never is not busy.

Youtube up BBC's Panorama: "Amazon The Truth Behind the Click"
Click to expand...

Who needs a gym membership or to go training post work then though?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom