4 ms·

Someone very close to me works at a newly constructed Amazon fulfilment center. She was told she would be a "sortation expert" and when she arrived was told her

by iopuy 10y ago

Someone very close to me works at a newly constructed Amazon fulfilment center. She was told she would be a "sortation expert" and when she arrived was told her job had changed and she would now be the person loading trucks with packages that weigh up to 49 pounds... Not ideal considering she weighs 110 pounds bit whatever, she has agreed to the job. The shady stuff is how they schedule workers. Only 4 hours a day "so your muscles are fresh" according to a supervisor. They also mysteriously had no work to do on Thanksgiving so everyone was sent home (so they didn't have to pay time and a half we later learned). But the next couple days after they we absolutely slammed. Also they reward employees that are forced to stay late with $5 swag gift cards for the Amazon store, not Amazon. It's seasonal and temporary so it's not a huge deal but I couldn't imaginr working for a company like that permanently.

n0b0dythere 10y ago
I know it's a "bonus" but that swag Amazon store card strikes me as being quite familiar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_scrip https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_scrip
naner 10y ago
The 4 hour days for truck loading may not be unusual. I worked for ups loading trucks many years ago after high school. Aside from a 15 minute break, we were lifting boxes non stop and it was very fast paced an grueling. They paid a lot more per hour than other jobs (you were only working 20 hrs a week) and after a few months I was in the best shape of my life. It was a pretty good job for a high school kid at the time. The other stuff still sounds shady though, when I got the ups job I knew what I was getting into.
userbinator 10y ago
I suspect the "up to 49 pounds" is some sort of legal limit on the amount of weight a healthy adult is expected to be able to carry.
- cperciva 10y ago
  It is. (Or rather, 50 lbs is; I'm guessing someone rounded down here.) You probably see this most often when traveling: Normal checked suitcases must be at most 50lbs. (Typically up to 70lbs is allowed if you pay an extra fee, but the bag then needs a "HEAVY" sticker, which alerts ground crew to handle it carefully to avoid injuries.)

by iopuy 10y ago

n0b0dythere 10y ago

I know it's a "bonus" but that swag Amazon store card strikes me as being quite familiar. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_scrip https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_scrip

naner 10y ago

The 4 hour days for truck loading may not be unusual. I worked for ups loading trucks many years ago after high school. Aside from a 15 minute break, we were lifting boxes non stop and it was very fast paced an grueling. They paid a lot more per hour than other jobs (you were only working 20 hrs a week) and after a few months I was in the best shape of my life. It was a pretty good job for a high school kid at the time. The other stuff still sounds shady though, when I got the ups job I knew what I was getting into.

userbinator 10y ago

I suspect the "up to 49 pounds" is some sort of legal limit on the amount of weight a healthy adult is expected to be able to carry.

cperciva 10y ago
It is. (Or rather, 50 lbs is; I'm guessing someone rounded down here.) You probably see this most often when traveling: Normal checked suitcases must be at most 50lbs. (Typically up to 70lbs is allowed if you pay an extra fee, but the bag then needs a "HEAVY" sticker, which alerts ground crew to handle it carefully to avoid injuries.)