Amazon 2012 - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Workinrvers · RV-Dreams Family Member

Amazon 2012

Ckerr · RV-Dreams Family Member

Kevin and I will be in Coffeyville, KS. We figured since we met there last year we should go back at least once more...

PIEERE · RV-Dreams Family Member

I will go back to Ky this Fall if the doctor approves my health condition. I stayed at the marina campground the last 2 seasons.

karen and al · RV-Dreams Family Member

We are returning to Campbellsville and stay at Green River Lake State Park.

BruceandTrisha · RV-Dreams Family Member

We are sending in our resume to Amazon . . . it's time to change scenery as we've been camphosts here for 3 years. Coffeyville is closer, but we're not cold weather fans - so Campbellsville is pulling us. I'd love to hear your experiences with working at Amazon - the good, the bad, the highs and lows. Thanks!

-- Edited by BruceandTrisha on Saturday 4th of August 2012 05:55:48 AM

K & E · RV-Dreams Family Member

We worked at Coffeyville last year from mid-October until the end of our contract in December. We were in Crisplant which was the packing area and worked nights. The work itself was not too hard. The hard part is standing in basically one spot for 10 hour shifts. Weather wasn't too bad. The first few weeks were still in the 80s for highs. We only had a few nights where we unhooked the hose due to freezing temps. Highs during the day in December were in the 40s or 50s and lows in the 30s. I don't know that Kentucky would be much warmer. We are going back again this year. My suggestion is do the job the best you can and don't get too hung up on rules, etc. They have a definite way of doing things that don't always make sense or seem the best way. However, it's a temporary job so just do your best and move on. We were able to earn enough money in 10 weeks to allow us to not work in the winter. Well worth it for us!

Ckerr · RV-Dreams Family Member

K & E wrote:
We worked at Coffeyville last year from mid-October until the end of our contract in December. We were in Crisplant which was the packing area and worked nights. The work itself was not too hard. The hard part is standing in basically one spot for 10 hour shifts. Weather wasn't too bad. The first few weeks were still in the 80s for highs. We only had a few nights where we unhooked the hose due to freezing temps. Highs during the day in December were in the 40s or 50s and lows in the 30s. I don't know that Kentucky would be much warmer. We are going back again this year. My suggestion is do the job the best you can and don't get too hung up on rules, etc. They have a definite way of doing things that don't always make sense or seem the best way. However, it's a temporary job so just do your best and move on. We were able to earn enough money in 10 weeks to allow us to not work in the winter. Well worth it for us!

Hi Evelyn,

What's your start date at Amazon? I think we are starting August 26

PIEERE · RV-Dreams Family Member

Carol and Kevin: Sure will be hot working there that early. I started the 3ed week of October last year. Wearing a single loose shirt and light weight pants and was still sweating. Carry a lot of water and amazon usually keeps bottled water available.

Ckerr · RV-Dreams Family Member

PIEERE wrote:
Carol and Kevin: Sure will be hot working there that early. I started the 3ed week of October last year. Wearing a single loose shirt and light weight pants and was still sweating. Carry a lot of water and amazon usually keeps bottled water available.

Thanks Pierre. Kevin started right after Labor Day and I started mid-September last year. Only a couple of weeks earlier, so hope it won't be too bad. We're working nights which will help!

K & E · RV-Dreams Family Member

Carol: We're supposed to start mid-October, but Paul said he might have to adjust our start date to get us picker jobs. Do you know what jobs you'll be doing? Are you staying at Big Chief?

Ckerr · RV-Dreams Family Member

K & E wrote:
Carol: We're supposed to start mid-October, but Paul said he might have to adjust our start date to get us picker jobs. Do you know what jobs you'll be doing? Are you staying at Big Chief?

We're going to stay at Buckeye this year. I think Paul said I am starting in Stowing and Kevin in Receiving and then probably move to Crisplant when receiving slows down. Keep us posted on your arrival.

roadblazers · RV-Dreams Community Member

We sent our Awesome Applicant resume from Workamper a week ago, but have not heard from them. Is there a phone # to call?

K & E · RV-Dreams Family Member

The Kansas facility is usually very quick about responding. They may be on a recruiting trip. I don't have a phone number, but we deal with Paul Sturm. His email is psturm@amazon.com. I don't have any Kentucky info, but if that's where you are interested in working, I'm sure Paul can direct you. Good luck.

K & E · RV-Dreams Family Member

By the way, if you want to work in Kansas and if you haven't already given them a referral name, we'd appreciate it if you gave them our names, Kevin and Evelyn Breutzmann. There is a small referral bonus and every little bit helps :) I know, shameless plug, lol!

Workinrvers · RV-Dreams Family Member

We have been working with Kelly Calmes at the Kentucky facility, nice guy.

kcalmes@amazon.com

roadblazers · RV-Dreams Community Member

Thanks for the info.

shystywolf · RV-Dreams Family Member

I keep reading about working for amazon. What is it? When is it and how does it work? Curiouse for the future!

Workinrvers · RV-Dreams Family Member

Cindye,

Amazon hires workampers, they call them "Camperforce", at 3 of their distribution centers (Kansas, Kentucky & Nevada) to help out during the Christmas rush. You work filling/shipping orders and the job lasts from Sept/Oct until late December. Amazon pays you an hourly wage plus pays for a nearby camp site for your rig. You work 10 hrs a day 4 days a week plus overtime when things are in full swing.

This is just a simple overview of the job and duties will vary depending on the department you are assigned to work.

Hope this helps some,

Phil

Ckerr · RV-Dreams Family Member

A little update from Amazon.com. I started work yesterday -- 1 week after I was scheduled to in Coffeyville. Kevin is still waiting on his background check to clear. He's not alone. Several others are waiting and not just in Coffeyville. There seems to be a system-wide hiccup this year. It seems the company doing the background checks did not hire enough folks to get the job done efficiently. Paul is working his butt off trying to get it dealt with, but it is a bit frustrating for folks. And the great thing is that Amazon.com is still paying everyone's site rent with FHU from whatever their scheduled start date was -- at least in Coffeyville. Can't say about the other locations.

A couple of differences here this year from last year. They installed 15 permanent AC units in the warehouse here. Since yesterday was the hottest day of the year so far this is a great addition. It's not 68 in there but they try to keep the temp below 90. Compared to the past this is feels great!

They are also starting folks on half days -- something they always said they would do, but that I didn't experience last year. Last year I went to orientation 8-5 on Sunday and started nights with a 10 hour shift on Monday. This year we had 8-5 orientation yesterday. Today we go back 12:30 to 5 to finish up things. Not entirely sure what Wednesday will bring, but I suspect it will be a half shift on your scheduled shift. For me that will be 6th Shift (5pm to 3:30am Sunday through Wednesday) with my mandatory OT day being Thursday.

Paul worked really hard to get Kevin and I the shifts and job assignments we wanted. I think it's easier to do that the earlier in the season you arrive. So while it's a bit frustrating waiting to start to work, really can't say anything bad about the experience so far.

Workinrvers · RV-Dreams Family Member

really have not heard a lot from Campbellsville. They have yet to confirm my start date which was sometime in mid-October when I interviewed. No info on the drug testing either.
Any others working in Kentucky heard anything yet?

Phil

shystywolf · RV-Dreams Family Member

Thank you for the information. :)

K & E · RV-Dreams Family Member

I don't know about the Kentucky facility, but the Kansas facility will be doing the drug testing in house this year when you arrive. That's great for us as we had to drive 140 miles round trip last year to have our drug testing done. I just resent our background check info to Kansas because it seems they are having problems with that this year. These new forms are supposed to make it go quicker. We're schedule to start mid-October so we'll see how it goes.

FOSJ · RV-Dreams Family Member

Steve and I will be working in Fernley starting the first of November. This will be our first time with them. We figure we can handle the job for 7 weeks. Should be interesting! Read a lot of blogs about others experiences.

Ckerr · RV-Dreams Family Member

It seems the background check issue is system wide... not just workampers and not just Coffeyville.

The other folks we know who are planning to go to Campbellsville have not heard about start dates either.

Oh, and now I'm picking on 6th shift (Sunday thru Wednesday, 5pm to 3:30am.)

karen and al · RV-Dreams Family Member

We're in Kentucky as well and haven't heard a thing yet for a start date late October. In house drug testing would be grand as we're doing sugarbeets before hand and there isn't a Labcorp within 500 miles! I've already checked. I would have to find one somewhere on the drive down s we go from North Dakota to Campbellsville...anyone else here crazy enough to do the sugarbeets??

Ckerr · RV-Dreams Family Member

karen and al wrote:
We're in Kentucky as well and haven't heard a thing yet for a start date late October. In house drug testing would be grand as we're doing sugarbeets before hand and there isn't a Labcorp within 500 miles! I've already checked. I would have to find one somewhere on the drive down s we go from North Dakota to Campbellsville...anyone else here crazy enough to do the sugarbeets??

We worked at a resort in ND for the summer and had planned on doing the sugar beet harvest in October. But when we talked more about it we decided we weren't very well set up in the event that we both had to work 21 days straight -- no laundry, not much food storage... So we opted to come to Amazon in Kansas early.

Our latest news is that Kevin's background check is finally complete so he will start with orientation, etc on Monday. And I'm now picking. Tonight I have what they call "pick school" where I will learn just how to do that...

Workinrvers · RV-Dreams Family Member

School ???? OMG, I have to go back to school??!! biggrin biggrin

Good luck Carol, play nice at recess. biggrin biggrin

Phil

K-Man · RV-Dreams Community Member

We started at Campbellsville two weeks ago. The first two weeks you work 4 days of 5 hour shifts for "work hardening/conditioning." This week we'll start our regular 40-hour week. We're working in receiving, same area we worked last year. They put in a new system and made some other changes. It's a whole lot easier this year in comparison.

With respect to the drug screen - you won't get the paperwork for that until you're within 30 days of your start date. They emailed it to us.

GAKERCH · RV-Dreams Community Member

Hi - we will be starting at Amazon in November and also will be staying at Indian Ridge. We are trying to get the evening shift. The campground has put us in site 30. Look forward to meeting you.

Jim & Gayle Kerch