We are just beginning week 12, and we still do not have an end date yet.  When you sign up for Amazon Camperforce, you agree to work until 12/23.  That is the last date they will keep you working.  The past 2 years, we were out around the 2oth.  This year, we have been speculating that 12/19 will be our last day, since it is the end of the work week (Wed – Saturday).

The motto for Amazon is “Work Hard.  Have Fun.  Make History.”  We have been doing all three here in Jeffersonville, IN.

WORK HARD 

We are on week three of 59 1/2 hour work weeks, and our bodies are tired.  The mindless walking for 11 hour days does take it’s toll on our minds and bodies.  I can only talk to myself for so long!  Sometimes I start to have strange conversations, and ponder such things as:

– Do all these people buying yoga pants, really do yoga?

– Is Calvin Klein related to Ann Klein?

– When did ‘adult’ coloring books become so popular?

Yes, working 18 of 21 days makes the brain turn to mush.  The body and mind are exhausted.  This year, they have added 5 extra minutes to our afternoon break, which may sound trivial, but we appreciate having 5 more minutes to sit and relax.

On Tuesdays, we pick up our $100 Visa gift cards, so that alleviates some of the pain!  And getting 19 1/2 hours of time and a half pay is also nice!

HAVE FUN 

Amazon tries to keep employee moral high during peak, by providing meals, treats, and incentives.  In addition to the Thanksgiving meal, we have had pizza provided for lunch three times, and had mini banana nut bread loaves as a break treat.

They are also having many contests, although it is a bit more stingy than last year.  Instead of having a lot of smaller prizes, they are offering a $500 Visa gift card every day to one person, for perfect attendance.  In addition, they have a weekly attendance drawing for a Kindle Fire HD 6.  One of our fellow Camperforce won this!

They started offering ‘vendor bucks’ as incentives for picking over 200 items per session.  The bucks are like play money, that is used for the vending machine.  At first we were not excited about winning money for the vending machine, until we discovered we can just hit the change button, and receive 4 quarters back!  We do not have a washer/dryer in our unit, so receiving free quarters is a bonus!  To date, we have received $19 in free quarters!  So Amazon is currently paying for our laundry!

They also have $25 and $50 Amazon gift card drawings as prizes, based on the number of items you have picked.  I was fortunate to win a $50 Amazon gift card from one of the drawings.

MAKE HISTORY 

Our facility has been pretty busy, although compared to last year, it seems like we are slow.  Last year was such a crazy, chaotic time.  This year, management has done a much better job preparing for peak season.  It has gone pretty smooth.  On 12/1, our day shift Picking department set a new record of picking 357,000 units.  They also set a 24 hour record of picking 690,o00 units, and another record of 3,900,000 units in one week.

This week, they are having “crush” week, and they are trying to go over 700,000 units in a day.  We shall see!  Between Black Friday/Cyber Monday, 15% of all Amazon orders world wide were fulfilled by our center.  So we are making history at SDF-8!

ODDS AND ENDS 

We continue to pick a lot of ugly Christmas and ugly Hannakuh sweaters.  Coats, purses, wallets and plush bathrobes are very popular.  Star Wars apparel is also selling like crazy.

We had our ‘last supper’ with our Jeffersonville group tonight.  Having everyone on the same shift has been great!  We have met a lot of wonderful people, and really have been able to spend more time with everyone as a result of carpooling, and working together.

Here are a few pictures from dinner tonight, at Big 4 Burgers in Jeffersonville, IN.

Hopefully we will find out our end date in a few days.  Once we are done, I will have a wrap-up on our time here at SDF-8.

Quote for the day:  “Respect your fellow human being, treat them fairly, disagree with them honestly, enjoy their friendship,  explore your thoughts about one another candidly, work together for a common goal and help one another achieve it.” – Bill Bradley