We were given a chance to change departments at Amazon. Things like this usually don’t happen, once you are assigned a department you have to stay with that department.
We have changed from inbound receiving to outbound ‘single toys’. In this department we are putting things into boxes instead of removing items. They really have this process down. Remember all those items we were receiving and the stowers were putting away? We now have pickers (people who go around retrieving the items you have ordered). The pickers put the items into a tote and the conveyors bring them to us to be packed. There are 2 places those orders go. If it is only one item, it comes to us in singles, if more than one item is goes to Crisplant.
We have a station that is complete with boxes of all sizes, a tape machine that has buttons for the corresponding sizes of the boxes and a small printer for packing slips. Between each station if a big mesh basket that holds the plastic bubbles that go into the boxes. When we scan an item, the computer tells us what size box to use, we press the button on the tape machine and the tape comes out the right size and wet. Once the box is packed we put what Amazon calls a SPOO sticker in the left corner of the box. As this box goes down the conveyor, the SPOO sticker is read by the computer and it prints out your delivery information. Its then routed to the proper truck for delivery. Amazon expects us to be packing a box every minute or 60 per hour!
We will stay in the outbound department now until the end of our time here. We did this so that we can get in some overtime hours. Amazon has been bringing product into this warehouse since summer so there are not a lot of hours here for all the work campers in inbound. There were about 40 of us that switched departments. But outbound will be very busy soon.
Now we really feel like Santa’s elves!!
We have changed from inbound receiving to outbound ‘single toys’. In this department we are putting things into boxes instead of removing items. They really have this process down. Remember all those items we were receiving and the stowers were putting away? We now have pickers (people who go around retrieving the items you have ordered). The pickers put the items into a tote and the conveyors bring them to us to be packed. There are 2 places those orders go. If it is only one item, it comes to us in singles, if more than one item is goes to Crisplant.
We have a station that is complete with boxes of all sizes, a tape machine that has buttons for the corresponding sizes of the boxes and a small printer for packing slips. Between each station if a big mesh basket that holds the plastic bubbles that go into the boxes. When we scan an item, the computer tells us what size box to use, we press the button on the tape machine and the tape comes out the right size and wet. Once the box is packed we put what Amazon calls a SPOO sticker in the left corner of the box. As this box goes down the conveyor, the SPOO sticker is read by the computer and it prints out your delivery information. Its then routed to the proper truck for delivery. Amazon expects us to be packing a box every minute or 60 per hour!
We will stay in the outbound department now until the end of our time here. We did this so that we can get in some overtime hours. Amazon has been bringing product into this warehouse since summer so there are not a lot of hours here for all the work campers in inbound. There were about 40 of us that switched departments. But outbound will be very busy soon.
Now we really feel like Santa’s elves!!
Is this position any less physically demanding? Doesn't sound like it. But the overtime money will be nice to have.
ReplyDeleteThat's really interesting. Funny you should post this as I have just heard my daughter complain that Amazon doesn't ship to Canada. Apparently she had done a bunch of Christmas shopping, went to check out and was told - No shipping to Canada.
ReplyDeleteCan you fix that for her ;)
Thanks for explaining what you do. I think 60 an hour is a bit much. What if you have to sneeze or scratch your nose. That would cut into the 1 minute you have.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy but not overwork!