My Experience Working at Amazon || Week 1 

A job where I don't have to talk to people sounds nice.

I work for Amazon. I mostly pack. I have a very small ipod that I listen to every day. Take an old pair of ear buds and cut one of them off. Then string it up under your shirt to your ear. Having longer hair helps cover the wire. We go thru a metal detector at the end of shift. I bought one of those Coke cans that you can unscrew the top and I just put the ipod in there when I leave. I put the Coke can in my lunch box and security just thinks its a regular Coke.

The reason it took you so long to get a start date is because they had to wait until their current employee's burned out, got fired or quit. Amazon had you at their calling and waiting list to ensure they can fill positions.

Working alone for 10 hours sounds like a good job to me

Amazon is a place where introverted people get a job.

Yeah, they should give Amazon Prime to employees. Comcast gives employees free TV and Internet.

this might be the most humble/honest/ realistic review of this job i have seen thus far. coming from someone who can relate, big ups bruh

The funny thing is they say listening to music is a safety hazard because you can't hear but they hire deaf and hearing impaired people which by their own admission would be unsafe for the hearing impaired

Wow! That was the best video I’ve watched of someone explaining about working at Amazon. Thanks!

Thank you for your input about the position. Even though this is two years old, it still provided a lot about what is happening now.

You had probably the most informative video that's I've seen concerning this topic

That's way better than working in a call center and getting yelled at all day by customers.

Amazon: we're sorry you've performed at 99.9% which is below the 100% expected for the third week in row. We're going to have to let you go.

I applied because I’m too antisocial for regular jobs so I would love it

I’ve worked 15 hours in a warehouse. 6 days. I mean yea I was tired, but nice paycheck. But now I’m going for amazon orientation for part time and going to school full time. I’m pretty cool with working my ass off.

Thank you so much! Also very impressive, no cuts in your video.

I worked for Amazon for over 10 years. I worked as a temp for X-mas peak only for about 7 years for extra cash. It didn't take 7 years to be offered full-time, I just had a better job and didn't want full-time and worked only seasonal for extra cash. Another reason I only worked seasonal (X-mas), is like he said, it is soul crushing and physically exhausting during "peak" (x-mas). During peak, 60 to 72 hours weeks are normal. I could only take it for a couple of months. But, it used to be a better place to work in the early days. They just don't give a shit about their employees anymore. He is right, stow (or stocking items) is easy (one of my many jobs there). But other positions are much harder than stow. BTW, you don't get to pick, it is luck of the draw to get something easy like stow or gift-rap (depends where they need people). Picking can be hard. Especially when it is slow. When it is slow? That doesn't make sense. Yeah, I said when it is slow. That is when you have to walk for miles all over the warehouse. When it is slower, the orders are more random all over the building. Stow you stay pretty much in one isle like he said. No matter how busy it is. Stowing is not dependent on incoming orders. You may work 10 to 12 hours, 6 days a week, during peak. This all brings back bad memories....lol.

Worked there I think a 5th time, i even tried 3 different facilities. Only one was good. Amazon is a terrible place to work. The benefits are great but they treat employees like robots.

Cheers for the info bud. Signed up to an agency recently, just waiting on my start. Nice to get a 'heads up' on what to expect :)

Thank you for making this video , I recently got a “ pending start date “ from this job , and this gave me great realistic expectations

I needed to hear this bro. I'm more than likely gonna be starting at Amazon soon and everybody makes it out to be a horror story or something.

In the parking lot rn watching this on my first day😂😂

I'd rather clean inside the sarcophagus at Chernobyl naked than work for Amazon

Thanks for sharing your experience! I start working for them this coming Monday and your video makes me feel a great deal more aware of what I can expect. Cheers :)

Good review. Fair and unbiased; stating facts without sounding bitter. It's only been a week, but maybe that will change

You couldn’t sit during safety training? That speaks volumes about their treatment of employees right off the bat :(

wait, so does your center have any robotics? we have robotics for a lot of the stowing and picking

Thank u 4 this information.I recently applied there to pick up a second part time job with some flexible hours that i can work over the weekends.I liked that you were so straight to the point with this...I was really wondering what to expect.If we could listen to music...I really think this would be a breeze to do as my second job.But overall sounds like a pretty good way to make some extra money.I just subscribed btw.☺

I work at Amazon warehouse. I admit that $15 an hour for part-time work is really good. But it's immensely stressful. You're on your feet for pretty much the entire shift. The only ones who are allowed to sit are the managers. You get two 15-minute breaks, and a single 30-minute break. But the problem is, the break room and restrooms are on the other side of the warehouse from where you work, so you use a little bit of rest time just going back and forth. I definitely wouldn't do this job full time. The pay is not worth the physical exhaustion.

Thanks for sharing this. I went through the hiring process and now waiting for a start date. Hope its not three weeks like you did! Thanks again!

waiting to hear back from them after the group intake. Thanks for this video so i know what to expect. :)

Is It normal to work ten hour shifts in the states? I live in Finland and the normal workday is 8 hours including 30min unpaid lunch break. Oh and 2 10 minute Coffee breaks.

This video was really helpful, thank you so much.

Thank you for this explanation! Very informative!

Omg I work fulfillment for Target and the conditions are practically heaven in comparison to your story! Granted, I am in a store and not a warehouse. I do picking/packing and typically get a good 8-12 miles of walking in during an 8 hour shift. We can listen to music with earbuds in the back and even on the floor if you’re sneaky and don’t get a complaint. Plus I get paid $15/hr, though I know that’s standard for Amazon workers now too. I always talk to my coworkers on the job and am only alone doing stuff for maybe half my shift, not 10 hours of being alone with no music. Godspeed to anyone who is working in a fulfillment center like Amazon, I know I’m a lot more thankful for my job after watching this

Great video man. Very insightful

Dude its Scan item, place in bin THEN scan the bin, never scan the bin before puttin the item in just incase it doesn't fit. Someone didn't listen during training.

This was very helpful. About to go to my hiring event. Thanks for posting.

Are they flexible on hours like they claim they are? I'm trying to get a 4 or 5 hour a day shift with specific hours of 4am to 9 am. I cannot go even 1 minute over 5th hour since I have to leave and drive to my current job which starts at 10 am.

Hey thanks for the review, it was cool, and thanks for mentioning the micromanaging issue because I hate that.

Im an associate at a FC and no cell phones, no music, short breaks, you can charge your phone before or after work but not during work. On your feet all day.

A company started in a garage an now it's owner is going to space an his employees can afford to live in a garage. Keeping America great . Thanks Jeff.....

You answered every question and concern that I had. Thank you

How do u look at for what schedule to make like when I was applying for amazon it keep saying that that position is full but there hiring at the same time so like I’m confused about that so how did u figure out?

The overfill warehouses are just rented properties they throw some stuff inside. It would probably be some sort of a lease violation to throw in pipes and toilets

I work for a competitor, but the situation sounds similar - my company however does play music over the overhead speakers and allows employees to use 1 earbud in their ear for music...which is a good thing

Thanks for making this video. As someone who’s considering working for Amazon they are building a new facility here we’re I live. Very helpful.

I start there next week. I don’t have a car ( I take the bus ) so I need to bring my phone . I understand you can’t bring it into the warehouse but is there like a locker or somewhere I can put my stuff ?

I currently work there. It's not that bad. I've been there for 2yrs. Im single, no kids. Bought a house and new car on the salary. If you're good at making the most out of your pay you're good. I've had alot of warehouse jobs.... amazon by far is the least amount of work I've done for moderate pay. We just got our base pay raised to $15 an hr. Not bad!

You wouldn’t hear forklift trucks or other vehicles blowing their horns at you if you were listening to music. It’s a huge safety concern. One slight work around is that most warehouses do allow radios by a computer station or on the truck itself. However, headphones are most definitely a no go. Never going to happen. They are watching you... it’s all on reports. They can easily tell if your numbers don’t line up. They knows exactly who touched what and when. I don’t know about Amazon, but some employers incentivize you by publishing these reports as if they are leader boards, showing who is the fastest. If you want to impress people mirror the problem solving team you mentioned. They are most likely the ones who will move up the ranks.

Holy shit, this sounds like my dream job!!!! Easy, alone, quiet, 30min lunch, free water bottle with free water, don’t have to deal with other people’s shit or the normal workplace drama, stand in one spot for 10 hours, kinda do your own thing and you’re telling me you still get paid?!?! Freaking sign me up!!! I’ll even go buy my own $5.00 knee pads. Could have saved 30k going to school. Just gotta find that sugarmomma now;)

Hey any idea how I can pass my drug test I failed it but Idk how I don’t smoke or do drugs does it affect if u ate something bregore taking the test or drinking water ? Any tips

They don't want you to bring your phone into the facility because they don't want you catching them doing bad things like the work environment. Having your phone on you has nothing to do with stealing.

Y’all got to understand each facility is different and older. In my case in brookshire it’s a new facility. 18 an hr can’t complain there as a college student.

Care you supposed to ride a forklift cuz i want to apply but can't ride a folklift

Good job....laughing here. You nailed it! I also have just started and omg I hate not having to listen to my podcast that are at least an hr long and that would help pass the hours.

Always wear knee guards in warehouse work. They should be supplying them, but if they don't, get your own. I wore my own, but where I worked, they did provide some crappy ones. Being young, people think it's no big deal now, but good Lord...you feel it when you're older.

Really like this kinda videos.

thanks for this video, I'm starting my job in a similar facility in Canada and this video was informative, funny thing is I was expecting most of the work environment, I just hope there wont be any surprises :) :)

Your video was alot better than others who have posted about their experiences with amazon.

amazon treats its workers horribly. its one of the worst companies to work for, but whatever pays the bills i guess. hated working there last christmas

It's a paycheck dude paychecks are hard to come by these day no interview, no resume !👍

Do they drug test for weed ? They banned the testing of marijuana in ny but I’m not sure if this will affect my chances of getting hired

Hey people I love in nyc about to work at amazon. Our pay here is 19.50 How much do they take from taxes at the end of the week ?

Do you realise there was an Amazon advertisement played before I could watch this video?!

i currently work for amazon here in canada! idk wut facility yall been at but mine was like brand new, robots everywhere. super clean, and it was a fun job experience. i applied with a friend and we were placed close to each other were we could chat the whole time we worked. it was fun and chill. managers were nice. idk if this is just a canadian amazon thing. but ya. still working there, night shifts and enjoying it a lot. obviously it general labour and is tough the frist few weeks, but i stuck through the first few weeks and my body adjusted and now its chill.

Is there still a line to be searched before going home. I don care about being searched but dont want to stand there for an hour unpaid.

Do you know what the fc associate 1 do at amazon?my department is support. And its a fulfillment building .

Not long until those jobs are completely robotized

i worked as a packer at amazon. basically i scanned an item, it showed up on the computer what box you needed and then i would package it, print a label scan it again and throw it back on the line. it was awful.

Did you ever have any hiccups in terms of your first night orientation? Were you locked out even of you arrived early or on time? Were there any markings on the building door you were supposed to report to?

If you get hired on at the Tracy California Amazon can you smoke in your car and eat lunch in your car? Or are the parking lots to far away ?

so do you get information about black Friday sales?

I was hired about 2 years ago as a Night Seasonal Stower (a bit slow moving of nights, 10 hours felt more like 12+)... Pretty much the same first week as you; however, while I was working there, I also worked part-time at Titan Aviation, which is the "Amazon Prime Airlines (Prime Air)" and "Prime Air Drone" Contractor, but not directly working for Amazon; then I got converted to a permanent (Blue) badge and transferred into ICQA (the people who count items) for about a month before I transferred over to Pick, since 10 hour ICQA nights felt like 15 hours (unless I was doing Damages), then went to Pick (by far the best entry level position if you like your night shifts feeling like they're going by faster ('sometimes') and after about 10 months of Picking nights, I became this facilities IT Human Resource Rep because of my Bachelors Degree in Computer Science and CompTIA + Linux Certification, and finally quit the Part-Time "Prime Air" job because I wasn't getting enough sleep between both jobs (I was like a zombie most days and working 7 days a week 60+ Hours during Peak with little sleep). I started off making about $12.25 per hour Seasonal with no bonus' (VCPs) until the (Blue) conversion, then I submitted my Degree and it went up to about $17 per hour for the same job (also $17 per hour was my starting pay with "Prime Air"), and by the time I reached I.T., I was making around $38 per hour; however, the normal IT people only made around $20 per hour, but I haven't seen anyone else with a degree or even a High School Diploma in that position yet, plus I think they might be idiots. I think they convert them just because their friends of people they know higher up. I wouldn't recommend working there unless you just desperately need a job (because money is necessary to keep your life rolling), you'll most likely stay stuck in the same category, and even if they ask you to train for another position, it's still the same pay and same quality of position because it's never a promotion until you reach a new Level (eg. Level 2, Associate 2) on your title. Well, good luck to you, if you don't get that, you're making the same pay and it's not a Promotion. It's possible, but if your young enough to go back to school, please take this job to help you get help on the finances of school, through your own employed budget. Good Luck. This company is evil, so if you can, please take your classes that Amazon will pay far as far as not doing anything they're trying to make do in their own classes that they mostly fund. Otherwise, just skip it! If you're a kid still who still has time to go to college, you can do better than this. Please kids, do something that's worth your effort. I want ALL you young people to do better than what Amazon offers by getting a REAL Job that pays real money... I don't recommend making any less than $30 per hour if you have a Bachelors Degree. Otherwise, just take what they offer only for the purpose of paying off your real school debts, sorry... but this is good if you just have to do it or need financial help for the purpose of living.

I was looking at amazon jobs recently and the website says they have full time work at the main fulfillment center, but they have other smaller facilities where they want people to do 4 hour shifts. Does anyone know anything about these 4 hour per day jobs? Is this just one option or is this the new norm?

Is it hard can u get fired right away? I've never worked in a warehouse that's why I ask

I work at an Amazon non sort FC. We pick and stow mostly with order picker machines. We do some walking picking but it mostly on machines because it's most larger items. It's a great place to work, imo.

OMG THEY GIVE YOU A WATER-BOTTLE THE FIRST DAY?!?!? THAT'S AMAZING! THANKS AMAZON!!!!

For the background check and drugs test do they email you or send it mail ? Or call you ? How do you know your up for second event ? Thanks for your info

I will be working there as a young teenager. So, what will you say that my duties will be and how will it feel like??? Is it going to be stressing standing for 10 hrs??

Your video was very helpful cause I start tomorrow and I needed to know what I'm getting into.. But in all I just trying to get paid....

It's amazing how wealthy Amazon is and that how stringent employees are treated. Welcome to the world of the rich and famous!

what kind of test questions do they give you on your orientation day

Thank you so much for uploading about your experience! Not a lot of videos on it

They're building a huge Amazon warehouse near where I live. I refer to it as the new prison.

I currently work at amazon FTW6 , 12 hour shifts 3 days a week. They work you to death and only care about numbers. When I applied they told everyone there’s only one mandatory day of overtime. But right now it’s peak season and they’re making Pickers work 4 weeks 5 days 12 hour shifts. ICQA 3 weeks , and Stow 3 weeks The easiest jobs at the big facilities are Pack and icqa. In stow and pick there’s more room for errors and more errors means you get fired.

Good luck....you're gonna' need it buddy!

Thank you for sharing. Very helpful commentary.

I work there and i must say its great. I have contracted hours, I dont have to talk to anyone and i get paid weekly. They blast high energy music and everyone is chill. My job is packing. Once you're in the flow you turn into a robot and it goes so quickly. I really don't understand these horror stories. Maybe im just lucky

My hiring event is tomorrow I've worked as a fast food manager for a few years... I'd like to think I can handle this. It's gotta beat dealing with angry drunk people on closing shifts

Is a "Stower" the same as a Sorting Associate?

I am curious - did you stay on until week 2? :-)

Drug testing, because you gotta be high to take this job. Sounds like a nightmare.

I go to orientation tomorrow for a personal shopper job for amazon at a whole foods. Hopefully it goes well haha. Thank you for the video!

What do u do as a sortation worker is it the worse or not?

Very informative, great video, thank you !!

Ya. I worked at a Fulfillment Center for 2 years, summer 2015 thru spring 2017. It was HELL. There were good days, here and there, but it sucked balls. No Amazon prime discount, no optical or health insurance until after 13 months of employment, no goals or aspirations or incentives, ANYBODY COULD WORK THERE: large hiring groups, orientation, annoying "safety" LECTURING, ZERO physical training, Managers being ages 18-25 and only being managers bc they have a masters degree in business, but don't care for lifting a box themselves, Micromanaging "what are you doing" /excessive hovering and helicoptering, scolding and criticizing, Do This, Don't do This, Don't Do That, No That's Not Allowed. "15min break" is really 12 minutes to Pee and Drink Water and Socialize, constant daily "assignments, very little consistency to repetitive work areas, too few bathrooms for 220 employees per shift, not allowed to stand around, if you don't have a box in your hand you get yelled at, too few boxes for too many employees, they would hire high school aged teenagers 15yrs old - 19yrs old to work in a warehouse with people in their 20s/30s/40s, there would be senior citizens in their 70s/80s also working there. No high school diploma necessary, no English necessary either, lots of illiterate immigrants and fresh-off-the-boat Islamic North Africans and Phillipinos would come in not speaking a word of English but get hired anyway, they couldn't read in English either, so a lot of sorting boxes required the ability to Read In English. Little to no training, had to learn from New Friends, not managers. High school social atmosphere x5000. Too much slave labor. Lots of robotic sorting machines were being installed in Spring of 2017, and I was already witnessing and being a victim of Not Enough Work/Too Many People, lots of verbal and emotional abuse form managers, just a lot of gossip and bullshit and Favoritism and Hurtful People. It wasn't emotionally or safe for me anymore. I left.

I think it depends on the facility you work at. Ive been @ amazon 4 over 2yrs. The 1st few weeks are the worst.

how many times do they drug test you ? can you smoke cannabis if it's legal in my state like Boston?

How long do you plan on staying with amazon? Is it worth it staying longer than a couple months?