When I last posted, we had just arrived at Heartland RV Park in Campbellsville, KY, getting ready to start our time working at Amazon.
We arrived a day early, on a Friday, figuring we would be settled and not have to deal with everyone else that would be coming in on Saturday. Amazon pays for your site up to 2 days prior to your Monday start date. All new “classes” start on Mondays, so most people arrive the Saturday before.
We had originally made a reservation for Green River Resort, which is less than 5 miles from the FC (fullfillment center), where we will be working. It has some grass and a pool, but friends of ours had set up there, only to move b/c of issues at that CG. Evidently, someone lets their dogs run wild and do their “business” wherever and no one cleans up. Also, it is very small and tight and there are “weekenders” which means more noise. So, after hearing their trusted report, we decided to stay at Heartland.
We also could have stayed at the local state park, Green River Lake State Park. I had heard it is very nice, and it is. We drove and looked at it within our first few days here. The negatives are: no full-hook-ups, only water and electric on site, and no letting out your grey water. Amazon pays for a “honey-wagon” to come around once per week and pump out your tanks; once per week is fine for the black tank, but we would have to seriously conserve on the grey tanks to last a week. We’ve done that and been ok for a short time, but we will be here 12 weeks and we didn’t want to have to conserve for 12 weeks, while working, etc. The electric is only 30amp, which means when the colder temps come, we would have to put the propane furnace on sooner, as the fireplace and portable electric heater we have in the bedroom would not be enough to keep the rig warm. We prefer not to use the furnace any more than necessary, b/c of the cost of propane (Amazon is paying for the electric but no allowance for propane). The positive would be a MUCH nicer environment to come home to, but we are here mostly to work, so our time at home will be limited. Plus, we can always go hang out there on our days off if we want to.
There is another park not too far away, Green River Stables. This one is also nice, has grassy spots and full-hook-ups. It is very tight, spots are small. The one main reason we didn’t consider this one is (as the name implies), there are stables, and therefore horses. That might not matter or bother most, but my hubby is VERY allergic to horses, and yes, even just being nearby would make his life pretty miserable.
There are other parks that Amazon has arrangements with, but they were further out and we didn’t want to be that far away. I haven’t seen any of them yet, maybe one day we will drive to see them and if we do, I’ll let you know.
Now, I am not trying to sell Heartland RV Park as anything fancy or even “nice”. In truth, it is a gravel parking lot, a few small trees, laundry room, common room – that ‘s it. There are white painted lines to tell you where your site is, a pedestal, sewer hook-up, and water spigot (which is actually kind of cool – its buried to help keep it from freezing) The advantages to staying here are, we can walk to work, we are surrounded by Amazon workers, no one else and we are all full-timers. We are excited to be around all these full-timers, most of which have probably be doing it longer than us. It will be great to get to know everyone and hear their stories! Having everyone being full-timers and Amazon workers is good b/c everyone here is aware that people are working all kinds of shifts and it is QUIET. It is also closest to the Kroger (grocery store), Walmart and the town in general. Bill and I decided the advantages of being in this situation outweighed the negatives, and here we are!
Sunday we also went shopping at Kroger. I used to shop at Kroger all the time when we lived in Oldham County, KY and I always loved the store. At that time, I was super impressed b/c everyone was so polite and nice, they bagged your groceries for you, even offered to help you out to your car. I’ve since learned that most of the country is like that, just not NJ. Not nice.
We also checked out Walmart and picked up a few things. Bill had bought a HUGE wide mouth Thermos for bringing soup/chili to work for our dinner break, I think it was 32oz. He had really wanted one he saw online that was 24oz, but couldn’t find it. Well, this Wal-Mart had one on their clearance rack for only $9.50! Needless to say, he brought the other one back! I have the matching 16oz one – perfect size for me! I figured sandwiches will get boring and wanted to have a way to bring a variety of things for our dinner break since we won’t have time to go home.
Monday was our first day, and our orientation took place right here at Heartland RV Park in their common room. All the newbies met at about 7:50am for the 8am start time. There was about 30 or so of us. We took care of things like documentation for our I-9’s, talked about things like how the schedule worked, specific job descriptions, etc. We broke for lunch at 1pm, and Kelly (the man in charge of Camperforce (the RV’ers) program) told us “Your best 5 hours at Amazon are now complete!” After lunch, we met outside the front door and got our badges that we will scan to get into the building, as well as use to punch in/out at the time-clock. We spent the afternoon in safety school, learning all the processes they have in place to keep employees safe while working in the building.
Wednesday and Thursday we were on our own – picking like everyone else. This job isn’t rocket science, the hardest part is just getting to know which direction to move in next when your scanner tells you to move to a new area. We have not done up stairs yet, but all bets are off next week – no preferential treatment any more. That will be the REAL test of how this is going to go – I’ll have to report after completing a FULL 40 hour week and let you know. From what I’ve heard through the grapevine – soreness will set in; have plenty of Advil on hand; ice packs might be beneficial; etc. Time will tell! BTW they also have vending machines near the nurse station that dispense free Advil, Asprin, Cold Tablets, etc. The Nurse station also has BioFreeze (Icy Hot)!!
As far as the work environment goes, it isn’t too bad. It is a warehouse, some areas the lighting is better than others, the rows we have to push our little carts around in are small, JUST big enough for us to fit. Some rows you can pass someone else, other rows you have to pull into an aisle. There are fans everywhere to keep air moving, which I very much appreciate. The supervisors seem genuinely glad to have us there. We start our days with stretches and stretch again after lunch. They have free safety items in kiosk’s and free bottles of water in frig’s throughout the facility. The lunch/break rooms have huge frig’s and lots of microwaves for lunches. They provide forks, spoons, condiments. They even provide free Hot chocolate, Cappuccino and coffee. There are vending machines with a ton of different items available for purchase. Overall, so far so good, it isn’t a bad place to be. If my attitude about this changes, you will be one of the first to know.
OH – the other thing I wanted to mention is we had bought pedometers. Cheap ones from Wal-Mart (like $5.00 a piece ones) – well guess what? They didn’t work very well – Ha! Who could have guessed that? Anyway, since we really do want to be complete dorks and keep track of our “miles walked” – we ordered some online from guess where? AMAZON! Ha! We should get them later next week. We have been told through the grapevine that people are averaging between 10 and 15 miles per day, some more, some less. Another thing we shall have to wait and see for ourselves.
Til we meet again…
I may just have to try it so I can walk off the pounds! Have fun!
I’ve heard the Amazon fitness plan works wonders! I’ve got 11lbs to lose – I’ll let you know how it works!
I understand it’s non of my business on how much they pay, but could you tell me any way? TIA..
Jack – it’s fine! The day rate for Workampers at Amazon is $10.75. We are working the split shift so we make $0.75 an hour more so $11.50. Night shift earns this much also. Plus, if you complete the season, you get $1.00 per hour for every hour worked bonus. Plus, they pay your campground fees – and we don’t even get a 1099 for that!
The view out your back window isn’t all that bad.
It isn’t the best view we’ve ever had but it’s isn’t the worst either. Just gotta watch out for those people in the Aztec!
Anxiously, read the post looking for your news. I’d say…so far so good! Hugs, Pam
Ask me again in a week!
Sounds like it is going to be quite the adventure! Say hi ti Dino and Lisa for us.
Will do! Looking forward to the checking acct going UP for a change and the scale going DOWN!
Hugs to you both and a pat on the head for Daisy!
My husband and I are thinking about this for next year…..thanks for the information so far and will be waiting to hear more of what you think about this.
Thanks for reading Sandy!
So far so good! I think I mentioned that a week from today we might feel differently, but people come back year after year – can’t be that bad – right?
Thanks for sharing, great read. I hope things work out. BTW they do bag your groceries in Jersey but won’t help you to your car. They also pump your gas. Lol.
Thanks Marty for reading! Glad you liked it!
I would love to know where in NJ you’ve had your bags packed for you! I lived there until 1996 and never had my groceries packed – even when I had 2 small kids with me!
I did develop an appreciation for gas pumped though after we moved out of NJ! I had never heard of such a thing as pumping your own gas!
Very interested to hear more about your Amazon adventure, Robin and I hope to do this next fall when we hit the road. I need to go take some advill, my knees are aching after reading your post.
Mike
Shoprite and Wegmens in Manalapan
Ok – I stand corrected! I’m glad you are getting good service! I recently shopped in 3 different ShopRites and none bagged for me!
Was nice to meet you guys when we pulled in. Very good ‘first time Amazonian’ post! Hope to see you again. The longer the season goes, the less time anyone is social 🙂
Thanks Laurie!
We got hired on for the Tennessee center, but I decided it may be to much walking for me. The real clincher was knowing I would have to go up and down the stairs and didn’t figure I would be able to hold up for 12 weeks. Maybe do some more walking next year and then give it a try next time…..good luck !!!
Thanks Trina! There are other jobs besides ones that involve walking – some people are packers – they pack the boxes with the stuff we pickers pick! You should ask about that type of position!
Nice recap!
Right now with less orders we are actually walking more with the distance between each pick. Last week I walked between 14 and 17 miles daily for a total of 64.5 miles in four days!! I didn’t feel too bad, but I did treat myself to a massage yesterday. 🙂
Thanks Jessica! I’m sure however many miles it is – it’s more than I’ve been doing! We have pedometers on the way! I’ll let you know!
Really great post. Lee was talking about it this morning and said what a grat recap it was. Keep em coming, those of us who haven’t tried this yet are definitely learning from your experience!!
Thanks Tracy! And Lee! It is certainly different than anything else I’ve ever done! Or Bill! I’ll keep everyone updated!
Hi from your (twice) neighbors in Tarentum. SO enjoyed the whole blog. You have a great writing style – very readable and fun. Good luck with the Amazon gig. From your earlier posts, I was interested in reading about the Keys, Outer Banks and the Jersey Shore. We have not yet visited any of those places. Need to put them on “THE LIST”. Great photos too! With your great outlooks on life, I am sure you will make the most of this Amazon experience. We also use Amazon a lot. You might see our names on one of your picks!! Nancy and Tom Snyder PS: We both laughed at the pix and comment about the sewer hookup!!
Thanks Nancy and Tom! Glad you enjoyed reading! Bill and I were both disappointed we didn’t get to spend any more time with you guys than we did! Glad I was able to lengthen your “LIST”! LOL! Ours gets longer just about every post I read! Haven’t started yours yet but it’s on the to-do list!
Thanks again and keep in touch!
Amazon has a very interesting incentive program encouraging you to complete the season (A season is 12 weeks, right?) I suspect an additionial $480 will motivate a lot of folks to complete the season!
We will not be fulltiming until 2018, but where can we find out more information about the Amazon work program?
We learned about the Amazon Camperforce program by subscribing to Workamper News, which is dedicated to connecting employers looking for RVers to work and the RVers looking for work. Check it out!
Thanks for reading and good luck in your planning!
I have been ready your blogs non stop. That is all I seem to do anymore. I feel like I know you better than some of my best friends now LOL. I read that when you first started you wouldn’t even get out of you PJs because you would just read all day. That is me, well for the most part. I do have to get dressed to go to work, but it is hard for me to break away from the ready. I read it first thing in the morning, while I am at work, (although sometimes my work computer blocks it – how dare they) when I get home, after dinner. I just love your story. I can’t wait to hear more about your work at Amazon. We have talked about doing that as well once we become full timers. How far in advance did you apply to Amazon? We are not planning on doing the full time RV for about 4 more years but we really want to go to the RV Dreaming convention. I thought maybe we should go in 2018. Do you think that is good timing for us or would you suggest we go earlier, later?? Thanks again for all your blogs, stories, post. I have loved every bit of it. Have a great day and keep the blogs coming.
Chris,
Thank you so much! I understand exactly how you feel!
As far as applying to Amazon – we applied back in late June. The getting hired process took about a week, between the “interview”, them getting us the paperwork (via email) and is getting stuff back to them. It was pretty painless.
As far as going to a RV-Dreams rally – I would go sooner than later. They give so much info, it could really help you in your decision making – what rig to get, etc. I have no idea where you live, but I know they plan to stay pretty much closer to their families in KY, so I doubt there will be one in the west for now, but as all things – things are subject to change.
Again – I appreciate your kind words! I plan on keeping up with the blog – I do it for me as much (or more sometimes) as for every one else.
Silly question. What do you have to wear working at Amazon? I didn’t know if you had to get anything special for that. Hope the week is going great for you.