Week #4 at Amazon
Disclaimer: We are in no way affiliated with or representing Amazon. We are simply detailing our workamping experiences for those interested during our time as Amazon Camperforce associates.
Happy Thanksgiving…..meal that is. We celebrated at work on Friday with a complimentary Thanksgiving meal. The turkey, the stuffing, the taters, the pumpkin pie, pretty much the whole nine yards. While the turkey was a bit on the chilled side by the time we got to it - it was such a nice gesture and a tasty treat during our late night lunch break. As an added bonus, they gave us a 15 extra minutes for lunch and still paid us for those bonus minutes. Thank You Amazon! We felt appreciated and enjoyed celebrating turkey day with our co-workers before things get a bit chaotic at the fulfillment center during the upcoming actual Thanksgiving week. We were a little concerned that they stuffed us full of tryptophan and then sent us back to work, but we found out that tryptophan doesn’t really work without football on TV and a recliner. Sorry turkey dinner scientists!
Thank goodness the holidays and shopping-bonanza are approaching because early this week the warehouse was already at 97.8% capacity and feels like it is about 238% full. That makes both stowing and picking more of an adventure than a task. Places to ‘stow’ that king size comforter you and 10 other people just ordered are nearly non-existence and next to impossible to find and trying to ‘pick’ that tube of moisturizing lipstick in your favorite holiday hue in a bin busting at the seams full of Minecraft figurines, file folders, insulated tumblers, and cases of cat food is like finding a needle in a haystack. Tis’ the season for holiday cheer & frustrated Amazon workers. Don't worry we are still delivering those Amazon smiles daily!
Speaking of daily, we thought we would provide you with a “Day in the Life” of Russ & Betsy. What we do. Where we go. Our Routine.
12:22 PM: Russ wakes up and rolls out of bed. Heads to the living room, opens the blinds, turns on the TV, clicks on the fireplace, and gets comfy in his recliner.
12:34: Reads the local papers online. Checks the indoor and outdoor temperatures to decide how to keep the camper warm without using much or any propane.
1:16 PM: Betsy wakes up. Debates whether to lay there a bit longer or get up long enough to find the way to the couch in the living room.
1:52 PM: Betsy wakes up a second time. This time actually makes her way to the living room. Checks with Russ to make sure he already brewed the coffee and have it in the fridge chilling for our iced coffee before work.
1:53 PM: Check on Meal #1 in the crockpot.
2:34 PM: Eat so-called “dinner” - AKA - Meal #1
2:54: Do dishes, pack lunches, and get next crockpot meal ready.
3:16 PM: Check Facebook & email. Watch a DVR’d episode of something such as Two Broke Girls, Ellen, or equally mindless.
3:44: Panic because we have yet to shower and need to leave in 76 minutes.
3:52 PM: Really panic because we have STILL yet to shower or soak our feet and need to leave in 68 minutes.
4:18 PM: Successfully showered and dressed.
4:22 PM: Prepare iced coffee and snack while we wait for the hot water heater to replenish the tank with steamy hot water.
4:32 PM: Soak our feet in epsom salt, essential oils, and water so hot it burns your skin off. Enjoy the iced coffee to soothe the burn. Ahhhhh….
4:52 PM: Realize our scalding hot water is now a bit chilly telling us it is time to dry off our feet and move on.
4:54 PM: Strap on our shoes and mount our fitbits to the laces. Realize we forgot to put our ouchie cream on our heels so take our shoes back off. Massage heels. Retie shoes.
4:56 PM: Apply muscle cream to backs and wrists as a preventative measure.
4:58 PM: Make sure the jolly rancher supply is ample for the day. Accessorize with our Amazon badge & lanyard.
5:00 PM: Head out the door with lunch boxes in hand. Get in the car. Listen to music during our 7 minute commute to the Amazon facility.
To keep you in a heap of suspense, we will continue with the at work portion of our “Day in the Life” next week. I know that’s cruel and unusual to make you wait that long. I’m sure it will be tough but the turkey and taters this Thursday will help you cope. In reality, in order to not lose readers we decided to stop boring you with all the daily details. Exciting stuff - huh!
At the end of this week, we actually were feeling pretty good. We had a fellow camperforce associate tell us we would feel better physically after about 3 weeks. We didn’t believe it, but he just might have been correct. Dare we say we may be getting used to it? We sure hope not. That certainly wasn’t the plan. Don’t worry, I guarantee it will not take us 3 weeks to get used to relaxing in the Sunshine State.
As always, we will finish up our weekly Amazon Camperforce update with a few silly quotes from the week along with our promised week #4 mileage and favorite “pick/stow” items.
“Only at Amazon can a 45 minute lunch, only feel like 30 minutes.”
“I’m starting to figure out stowing etiquette and when someone breaks code and stows in my aisle - I get mad.”
“Lazy stowers tick me off.”
“My everything hurts.”
“Tell me why they don’t make ice packs and heating pads that can be worn like a t-shirt.”
“I’m pretty sure my flip-flops miss me.”
If you are curious about the world of Workamping, checkout Workamper® News the company that coined the term Workamper® back in 1987. They offer a free membership that allows you to search for jobs and receive the digital version of their magazine. If you do opt for the gold membership which includes additional features like a resume builder & printed magaizine, we would love if you would mention that you were referred by Russ & Betsy simply by using the code AMB103.
RUSS & BETSY'S WORKAMPING REVIEWS / UPDATES:
- - - Texas Lakeside RV Resort in Port Lavaca, Texas (November 2017 - November 2018):
- - - Acadia Bike & Coastal Kayaking in Bar Harbor, Maine (June - October 2017):
- - - Amazon Camperforce in Campbellsville, Kentucky (October - December 2016):
