[encantotom]

300 miles! that is a clarke world record! that must be what, 5 or so stops? ha

soon to be a working man again. for a while.

tom

[whatsnewell]

2 stops.....it rained most of the day until the very end, but it didn't seem too hard....the Interstate was nice and smooth and pretty level, plus we had a slight tail wind. We are now in Campbellsville, and the wheels will not be rolling for 9-10 weeks now....a new experience.

[whatsnewell]

This past Monday (10/8) we did the "meet and greet" meeting with our Amazon Camper Force hosts, and our fellow work campers. On Tuesday we did our orientation class.....which is really what I call "dis"orientation....."they" throw so much information at you that you become "dis"oriented....

On Wednesday we went through our "process" training....in effect how Amazon wants us to "pick" items that have been ordered so they can be shipped to the customer. Initially we are on "half" shifts of 5 hours each for the first 2 weeks giving us a chance to get used to standing/walking on concrete and learning our jobs. After the first two weeks we go to 4 ten hour days each week....for us Tuesday through Friday, so we get a normal 3 day weekend. Our shift is from 5:30pm to 4am with 1/2 hour for "lunch" and two 15 minute breaks.

The first half of our shift last night was showing us how to use the handheld scanners, and how to process items we pick. The scanner tells you where to go to find the item, and it tells you when to take your break, lunch and when to go home.... The 2nd half of the shift we actually did our new jobs. The time flew by, and before I knew it 10:30pm had come and my half shift was over. Elaine said her experience was the same....I picked 166 items, which is close to the goal given me of 170 items. Elaine picked over 200.....I don't know what her goal was. The goal they set for you is based on what you are picking. I was picking books, DVD's, and CD's 99% of the time. They are happy if you (a seasonal worker) average over 85% of your goal.

Anyway, I like what we are doing.....moving around constantly, and not standing in one place, which, for me, is much harder. That's it from Campbellsville, KY....OH, the temperature got down below freezing last night....for how long I'm not sure....glad I wrapped my water hose with insulation two days ago! My neighbor has an electrically heated hose.....just hook it up and then plug it in.....costs about 130 bux.....I see them on Ebay for about 1/2 that.....I think I'll just stay with my solution.....cost me about 8 bux, and, after all, except for the next 9 weeks, I'm chasing t-shirt and short pants weather.

[Flick]

Clarke two things:

1. You are retired. Now working or doing something I totally get. However I want to see your posts 2 months from now after you have adapted to these vampire hours
2. You can't look on Ebay let alone say that name on the web. You work for Amazon. Surely they have many of those electric insulators as well and I hope you get a vampire employee discount.

[whatsnewell]

We do get a 10% discount through December 31st. Like many, the recession hit our pocket book pretty hard, so the Amazon gig seemed like a convenient way to back fill the hole a little with a minimal amount of time expended. We'll trade a couple of months for 10 months of freedom, but I don't know that we will make a regular habit of this. For now it fills a need. We'll net out enough to cover diesel costs for 2 years. We are meeting some interesting people, and adding a new skill set. I'll have to write a post in a few weeks about some of the unusual things we "pick" every night.

[Flick]

I can't wait. I think these will be very interesting.

[prairieschooner]

I thought that I would share what the boss told me on the 1st day (and last) of that job.
We take 2 breaks of 10 minutes each, lunch time is 12:00 Noon, Payday is Fridays, and don't chew your fingernails. It was a job as a Plumber.

[whatsnewell]

We are now in the middle of our second 3 day weekend....we are two weeks into our 10 week gig leaving 8 to go. This Tuesday at 5:30pm we start our first 10 our workday at Amazon. This Saturday after completing our four 10's we will drive over to West Virginia to visit the Entrikens for a couple of days. Looking forward to the change of scenery. We have been here in Campbellsville for almost 3 weeks now....that's the longest we have sat still in one place since Spokane. Went to Brunch again at Campbellsville University's Dinning Hall......they have great food, and the charge is $7 per person. Afterwards we went to see "Taken 2" starring Liam Neeson at the local cinema. Great followup to the original "Taken".

[whatsnewell]

Just finished our 3rd week at Amazon.com, and our first full week of 10 hour days (four 10's). The first two 10 hour days were very tough, but the 3rd and 4th were much better. The hardest part is staying mentally alert for the entire shift. At the end of the first two days I was a basket case, but by the end of the 4th shift I was still sharp, although my feet were barking at me. Now the beginning of our long weekend....don't go back to work until 5:30pm Tuesday. Rained much of last night, and is still stormy and blustery as I write. Not going to budge from my recliner for much of the day....oh, by the way I slept in until 1pm today....that's a first for me. I have become a nocturnal creature....

A side benefit of this job is we are making some really good friends.....nothing like shared misery...

[Flick]

So do you guys pick individual orders Clarke or do they have you do different things?