16 Insider Insights from Amazon Warehouse Staff

During our previous update on Amazon warehouse workers in November 2015, the general sentiment was that working at one of the company’s 110 U.S. fulfillment centers was physically demanding yet financially beneficial. Spending most of their day on their feet, these 'Amazonians' (the company’s term for its workforce) handle receiving, stocking, sorting, picking, packing, shipping, and troubleshooting for the vast array of items sold by the online giant. These sprawling facilities, ranging from 600,000 to 800,000 square feet, can each house over 1500 full-time workers.

Recently, wages have seen an increase. In 2021, Amazon announced hourly raises ranging from 50 cents to $3 for 500,000 warehouse and fulfillment employees, building on the existing $15 minimum wage. By October 2022, they raised wages once more, pushing the average hourly pay to over $19 for those in customer fulfillment and transportation roles, with earnings reportedly ranging from $16 to $26 per hour based on position and location.

Despite some criticism of the pay increases in light of inflation, many employees agree that if you’re willing to put in the physical effort, there are advantages to be found—though Prime membership perks aren’t among them. To delve deeper into the job experience, Mytour spoke with several current and former workers. Here’s their take on collaborating with robots, managing bathroom breaks, and the overall reality of what social media has labeled 'Amazon vest life.'

1. Employees at Amazon warehouses frequently deal with adult products.

Amazon boasts of being the 'store for everything,' and they truly are. Kyle, a picker responsible for selecting items from inventory for shipping, shares with Mytour that adult toys are consistently popular. Examples? 'Dildos,' he mentions. 'Adult toys. I handle about a dozen every night. BDSM shibari straps. Items I’ve never encountered before.'

2. Amazon warehouse staff work alongside robots.

If you think your colleagues are a bit distant, be thankful you’re not working in an Amazon warehouse. Many of these facilities are increasingly using automated robots to assist pickers, who can walk up to 15 miles daily searching the vast buildings for customer orders. Large machines called Kivas reverse this process, delivering eight-foot-tall pods filled with items to a picker’s station after being loaded by stowers.

'The robots transport these tall yellow pods, which are organized with bins,' Kyle explains. 'There are eight levels and columns containing hundreds of items. Each pod has four sides and can weigh as much as 750 pounds. Before arriving at your station, it positions itself to display the side with the required item. If it needs to rotate, it will move, return, and adjust accordingly.'

Kyle mentions that skilled pickers who achieve their targets might occasionally have a robot named after them. However, this feat requires selecting approximately 5000 items during a single 10-hour shift.

Additionally, in the summer of 2022, Amazon unveiled new machinery, such as Proteus, its first fully autonomous warehouse robot, and Cardinal, a robotic arm capable of scanning labels, lifting packages, and placing them directly into the correct cart. These innovations were developed with worker safety in mind, aiming to minimize the need for employees to manually navigate the expansive facilities.

3. Amazon warehouse workers must never obstruct the robots.

The concept of a robot transporting nearly half a ton of goods at 20 mph might seem hazardous, and it can be. Donald, a warehouse employee skilled in packing and stowing, explains that only certified robot technicians are permitted to enter the path of these moving machines.

'There have been instances where something drops on the robotics floor, and only a trained individual can retrieve it,' he tells Mytour. 'If an untrained person steps onto the robotics floor, they are immediately dismissed, regardless of their position … it’s a severe safety breach.'

Thankfully, robotics workers are equipped with a high-tech vest featuring built-in sensors to reduce the risk of accidents. 'The robotics tech vest is a specialized garment worn by trained personnel,' Donald explains. 'It alerts the robots on the Amazon robotics floor of their presence, ensuring they aren’t struck. The robots won’t halt for anything unless someone wearing this vest is on the floor.'

4. Amazon warehouse workers have access to vending machines that provide medication.

Working in an Amazon warehouse is physically demanding, involving constant bending, lifting, and moving. To address this, their vending machines supply more than just snacks. 'We have free medical vending machines,' Alex, an Amazon warehouse packer, tells Mytour. 'They contain single-dose packets of medications like Advil, Tylenol, and Tums. I’ve used them when I ran out of my own supply, and they’re incredibly useful.'

Amazon previously operated a medical station called AMCARE (Amazon Care) for handling health-related issues. 'Employees would visit for headaches, muscle strains, cuts, and similar concerns,' Alex notes. 'It’s essentially like a school nurse’s office.' However, in August 2022, the company shut it down as part of its strategy to acquire One Medical, a primary care startup.

5. Amazon warehouse staff might see your gift messages.

Packers, who prepare items for shipping, are tasked with printing gift notes and placing them in packages. It’s quite common for them to notice the contents. 'We have a printer for gift notes, and we’re required to grab them and add them to the box,' Alex explains. 'I don’t read them, though. I don’t have time to pause and read if I want to meet my targets, and it feels intrusive. I know some coworkers do.'

Alex did recall one instance. 'The only memorable thing I’ve seen—and it’s probably only funny to me—was a gift receipt for a toilet plunger. No message, just the receipt.'

6. Amazon warehouse employees are constantly monitored by a digital manager.

Many tasks in an Amazon warehouse are guided by a handheld scanner called a Zebra, which instructs workers on which items to retrieve and also tracks their productivity. If the scanner detects inactivity, it can automatically notify supervisors. 'The scanner alerts a manager, who then handles the reporting,' Robert, a former picker at an Amazon Fresh warehouse in 2020, tells Mytour. 'It’s all based on the data from the scanner. There are various programs to monitor workflow, and managers check for any bottlenecks.'

7. Amazon warehouse employees don’t have control over how your order is packed.

If you’ve ever questioned why a box of protein bars ends up in a soft envelope or why a small item is placed in a large box, many employees wonder the same. 'When we scan an item, our screen displays the required box or envelope size,' Alex explains. 'If the suggested size doesn’t fit, we can override it, but too many overrides negatively impact our packing rate … so we’re supposed to do it only when absolutely necessary.'

Third-party sellers can decide how their items are packaged, either to save on box costs or to handle the packing themselves, completely bypassing Amazon’s packers.

Alex notes that due to the pressure to meet quotas, employees might sometimes use a different box without documenting it or skip using air pillows. If you receive a box that seems oddly empty, it’s likely because the packer prioritized speed. 'Working as fast as Amazon demands is the main focus,' Alex explains. 'That’s why some packers might override box sizes without noting it, skip dunnage [air pillows], or overlook damaged items while packing. However, I believe this behavior is limited to a small number of packers.'

8. Amazon warehouse workers have concerns about their break times.

Since Amazon closely tracks employee activity, workers tend to strictly follow the designated 30-minute and 15-minute break schedules. However, Kyle points out that these breaks don’t account for the time it takes to navigate the massive facility to reach a break room, restroom, or parking lot.

'When you take a break, you log out and are expected to return within 30 minutes, so there’s no more than a 30-minute gap between scanning items,' Kyle explains. 'But the issue is that it takes five to seven minutes just to walk to your car or the break room, so it’s not truly a full 30-minute break.'

Relaxing at your workstation, at least in Kyle’s warehouse, is not allowed. 'You can’t sit on anything at your station. There are no chairs provided. You can stack totes to make a seat or sit on the steps. I usually just go to my car.'

9. Some Amazon warehouse employees require a spotter.

Donald explains that working in the Trailer Docking and Releasing (TDR) section of a warehouse is a crucial role. 'Depending on the facility, the trailer yard can hold anywhere from 20 to hundreds of trailers. It’s an active area, and safety measures are essential,' Donald says. He notes that TDR tasks, including safety checks, are managed through a Fire tablet app (previously a Kindle app). However, this job can’t be done solo.

'You always need a second person with you when performing TDR tasks because a spotter is required,' Donald explains. 'You’re entering a highly active trailer yard, and while one person handles the Kindle, the other acts as a spotter to prevent accidents with trailers or trucks. Entering the trailer yard without a spotter results in immediate termination due to the serious safety risk.'

10. Some Amazon warehouse workers operate under a countdown timer.

Similar to Jack Bauer in *24*, some Amazon workers frequently face the pressure of a timer counting down the seconds to complete a task. 'It’s called takt time,' Kyle says. 'You’re expected to pick an item within 6.5 seconds of it appearing on the screen.' While achievable, Kyle notes that meeting the quota is still possible even if slightly slower. 'You aim to keep up, but it’s more like 7.5 to eight seconds.' Kyle adds that locating certain items can sometimes take up to 30 seconds.

11. Amazon warehouse workers participate in competitions.

To boost morale and efficiency, Amazon fulfillment centers organize timed contests to see who can perform tasks like picking the fastest. These events go by different names depending on the location, such as Power Hour or King of the Hill. 'We have picking competitions where you have to pick a specific number of items within a set time,' Kyle explains. 'Winners earn Amazon Bucks or Swag Bucks, which can be exchanged for Amazon merchandise.'

Kyle mentions that the rewards aren’t worth the extra effort. 'I don’t bother with them anymore. Getting $1 off isn’t worth it.'

12. Amazon warehouse employees find orders for kitty litter particularly frustrating.

Even though robots handle the heavy lifting, moving large items from the pods can still be tough. Kyle mentions that bulky pet products are especially problematic. 'Most people dislike dealing with kitty litter or dog food—those kinds of bulky items,' he says. 'They’re difficult to manage.'

13. Amazon warehouse workers often find the job quite isolating.

Depending on the role and the pandemic situation, Amazon employees can go long stretches without interacting with others. 'You see managers during the initial training weeks,' Kyle explains. 'But after that, interactions are rare except during breaks, and even those are limited.'

For some, this isn’t necessarily a downside. 'I just want a job where I can clock in, work, and earn good money,' Alex says. 'And preferably not have to socialize much. Amazon provides that for me.'

14. Amazon warehouse workers occasionally hear Japanese terms.

Robert explains that Amazon has adopted certain Japanese logistics concepts, using terms like *andon* (a processing error) and *gemba* (the worksite) in fulfillment centers. 'It’s part of their management philosophy,' Robert says. 'It was new to me, so I looked up the terms. They come from Japanese logistics ideas … When you’re new, no one explains them to you.'

15. No, Amazon warehouse employees do not receive free Amazon Prime.

Despite handling countless shipments, warehouse employees don’t receive free two-day shipping. Kyle notes that a free Amazon Prime membership isn’t provided. 'We do get a $100 annual discount code for items sold directly by Amazon,' he says.

16. Amazon warehouse workers have a mascot.

Named Peccy, this mascot appears on pins given to employees as rewards for achievements like perfect attendance. The quirky orange blob (pictured above) was reportedly named after Amazon’s unique business strategies and has become popular among staff. 'He’s the Amazon mascot,' Kyle says. 'I collect the pins. I guess it’s a motivational thing.'