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[AMA] I Pack for Amazon
LMrTillets on 06/07/2023 - 21:10
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really work from your perspective
Dunno, but I reckon a trillion dollar company and all their data and handling, distribution and shipping analytics probably has a better idea about efficiency to the nth degree over one staff member packing boxes.
But curious what their response is :)
Doesn't seem very efficient to send me a huge box with 2 small items or multiple packages when I order the same product.
Can't really complain as the shipping has been free (not even prime), just feels like a huge waste.
Can only assume the 'save time' cost is more than the cost of multiple parcels.
Can't speak for Australia, but I have heard in US Amazon will often pack in unnecessarily huge boxes because it plans how the truck will be packed. One impressive game of Tetris, one truck at a time.
Box packers are the reference.
or have a shit system and have more workers but pay them less (and make piss in a bottle to save on toilet time)
I work in PACK …and that sorting usually happens when they pick….but in the pick section smaller items / books are usually stored like in a library they go around picking the items and putting them in a trolley, the pickers do a huge amount of walking each shift.
I know aye. Fuuking crazy. I use to pick ages ago at a car parts warehouse every now and then. Mileage = 15km+ daily. And that was on top of my 5km+ jog.
I think it makes sense logically. There’s no advantage to having it all in one bin. It means no part of the warehouse should be busier than any other on average, which I imagine can significantly aid efficiency.
When I helped set up a warehouse in a small/medium size automotive parts retailer, locations were largely random.
Specific items that were nearly always sold together were often kept together (ie LHS and RHS rocker cover gaskets).
I think this worked well, as opposed to being in a specific order. Allowed adding and removing new lines a lot easier too, as you just find a spot and set its location
The idea behind it is that if the items are picked in high volumes, rather than have every picker go to one location to pick them, causing congestion, they are scattered around multiple locations to enable more of the same items to be picked in quicker times, meeting the customer delivery promise.
How many kilometres do you rack up a day on average?
Did you know… those number of steps a day was suggested by the Japanese inventor of the pedometer because the character for 10,000 in Japanese looks like a walking man.
TIL ….marketing trying to be science
My last job was 6hrs of walking, pushing a trolley + loading and unloading it. Picks were less often though and lightweight. Warehouse was constructed in 90's and parts were 40c…! I lost 5kgs a week. Had an idea about going to Egypt and this gave me an idea of what it would be like.
What items should I order to get delayed delivery thus a voucher for missing prime promise
Any item. Most items miss the priority during prime, we usually pack 6,000-8,000 in a 10 hour shift and during prime it's probably double. During normal days lots of priorities get missed and the managers get nailed for it.
managers get nailed for it
Please elaborate
A box is packed every 13-16 seconds ?
wth…
Do workers get penalised if they accidentally send wrong item and/or multiple of the item (i.e. resulting in a loss to Amazon)?
You can't really send extra items. If you are packing single small items….they would be one item for one customer….say you pick up a tote which would be a bucket with say 20-30 single items in it….you scan the barcode on the bucket and on your screen it would name every single item in that bucket, you scan each item…….once you scan an item it tells you put this item in ''X'' box or an envelop style packaging , once you do that and scan the box it goes into , it marks it as ''complete'' and goes on the belt. Once it travels down the conveyor belt….the barcodes get scanned to make sure the items are packed right. If something is picked up problem solvers sit near the end of the main line conveyor belt they pick it up and unpack and sort it out. In short…not many things go wrong BUT many items do get returned. Last quarter 450,000 items returned
I ask this because I've been fortunate enough to receive multiple items on several occasions over the years with Amazon (sometimes third party sellers fulfilled by Amazon AU eg neweer camera gear; and other times Amazon themselves). Nothing hugely valuable (<$100) but was just curious if there's any ramifications. I did actually contact Amazon customer support and sometimes they say just keep it, other times they've asked me to return with postage paid.
It very rarely happens so consider yourself lucky i guess? They have workers checking for this stuff on each shift.
As I understand it, after being packed, every package gets weighed automatically. If the weight is discrepant to what the system expects based on the calculated weight for the order, it gets kicked out of the conveyer line for inspection.
That return quantity is so fuuking sad. And I bet the majority are undamaged too..
It's hard work standing on your feet…..for 9 hours. 3 hour slots…. but it pays
For me when my shift is over, i don't really care about amazon work. I'll give you an example….say amazon gets 10 new packers……..6 or so won't return after 4 day training….they leave.
The packing isn't hard and you get used to it…..what is hard is standing on your feet 9 hours. That is the hard part.
@MrTillets: It is surprisingly physically tiring to stand for hours. I'm not sure I could do it in my 30s because I still remember being in retail sales back in my teens and how tired I'd be from standing all day.
Do you have extra comfy shoes?
@MrTillets: do you get rubber matting / Safety padding to stand on ???
If not … then any way to raise this as a safety issue?TBH … 9 hours standing in 1 spot is nothing.
Try doing it for 12-14 hours a day … then you'll truly have something to talk about.Even back in the late 1990's/early 2000's … Majority of factory jobs/workplaces in AU …anyone standing in 1 place for long enough - was provided with rubber cushioning to help stand on.
@simplystu: Your talking about anti fatigue matts..
Try doing it for 12-14 hours a day … then you'll truly have something to talk about.
Some people exaggerate - believe it when I see it. Worked in quite a few different jobs, some are fuuked, never got a cruisy one though :/ seen plenty of docos on factory work too
@simplystu: You stand on a ergomat…rubber matt…for some standing 9 hours in one spot can be nothing for others it's painful, if 4 people join new…half won't even come back after training. So again…
@MrTillets: I heard they give full timers (blue badges) free shoes I also heard BWU1.5 is a thing :)
@Cillbosby: They promote the ones that suck ass lol. If you suck ass enough you might get promoted for an extra $2 an hour.
@MrTillets: if you are not walking and just standing, maybe get compression socks to help with venous return
@MrTillets: Are you standing in one spot or moving around? Being on your feet walking around is easier than standing on the spot for most.
@JIMB0: You stand on your feet for 3 hours straight, you go on a 15 min break and come back do the same thing again, the only time you would move is to get a cart or refill your back. That's about it.
@MrTillets: How far away is the spot you work from your lunch room? Do they count the walk to the lunch room from your station or you get to spend 15 minutes in the lunch room and can walk back to your station on work time?
@MrTillets: Sounds very similar to manufacturing… the "work" itself isn't too hard, it's being on your feet 8-12 hours/day running around that tires you out.
@Craze: You are also bending down to lift items, turning a lot to scan an item and put it on the conveyor belt. You might get a cart trolly with say 30 24x cans of coke….bending down picking them up scanning them, turning around making a box, on your desk, turning around again to put it on a conveyor belt.
would kill my desire to live
Simple, you don't have a very strong desire to live
@helpme: Actually death is not scary.What is scary is the pain/discomfort that you would have to face before death like health conditions like cancer or having your limbs crushed in an accident or being burnt etc.
If living gets that bad then……………
@techno2000: Speak for yourself - death is scary AF to me!
I don't want to big up myself but I've been a few situations where I was a breath away from dying and it was extremely unpleasant and utterly terrifying.
@helpme: Well thats your opinion hey? Different people like different things…i know its hard to understand in 2023 but we do not have to all be the same.
@Motek Benzona: When did I say everyone has to be the same? Different people have different wills to live.
And yes, it's my opinion but a reasonable deduction, just like you posted yours, what of it?
@helpme: By reasonable deduction you in fact mean you are just trying to accept the guff in your head as real by using some bollocks to justify it hey?
Reality is you do not have a single clue
@Motek Benzona: You said doing a warehouse packing job would kill your desire to live. While warehouse packing isn't the most glamorous job, for it to kill your desire to live probably means you're quite fragile in the first place.
@helpme: He's a centerlink recipient, no need to argue with Motek, he has no clue of working for a dollar.
@Motek Benzona: Look, I know you think we're all slaves and you've somehow escaped from being one by being lucky enough to be born into a country that offers welfare payments (sorry to hear about your autoimmune disorder), but that doesn't mean you should try to degrade the people who probably pack the stuff you order and stock the shelves you buy groceries from, it's just poor form.
On the flip side, throughout my highschool years I spent a bit too much time on Reddit and developed the same ideaology as you (we're working slaves for big bad greedy corporations) so I lazed around for quite a while, until I actually started a real job I realised it beats being at home all day. Having something to do, contributing to society, and making money at the same time gave put me in a much better mental situation than worrying about stupid shit like whether I'm a slave or not.
@Motek Benzona: How's it feel sitting on your arse/collecting centrelink money from, in your words, "modern day slave" wage taxes?
Only a complete psycho would think saying things like "I would want to die if I was in your position" is acceptable. Seek help.
Lmao you're probably on the dole.
Sucked in
It's so cute that you flipped the script to become a victim LMAO.
lmao sucks to be you
Sometimes people deserve the shitty hands they get dealt (assuming you're not a sociopathic troll to begin with and making all of this up).
Why would working a warehouse kill your desire to live when you're looking after your disabled kid?
Sux really… unless you're a 1%er, that's you.
why did i get two deliveries of the same item when i ordered one?
i've had that happen to me as well… random.
Luck.
Why do you think one crumpled piece of paper will protect anything.
And why did I get a human coffin sized box for a 10kg bag of cat food?
Because the box is a treat for the cat.
Noticed you ignored this Q, wasn't actually joking…
It doesn't protect anything, it's more like protocol you just chuck it in the empty space….not so much for protecting the item but trying to stop the item from moving around i guess, if you put heaps of it they make you take some of it out
got toilet paper delivered with a 2 metre piece of the brown paper in the box
it must work because the toilet paper that came without a box was delivered torn, just a label stuck on the regular store pack
.Free extra toilet paper!
I see so much incredibly bad ways Amazon treats their employees in the US. How do you feel its like in Aus?
Any info on how box calculation works? Like why I might get a massive box for a tiny item, or are they largely just based on the item size?
Is it quite roboticised lol, like do things just come to you ready for packing for a customer, or is it more like a warehouse where you pack things together and get it ready to go out?The reason you get big box for a small item can be two reasons, it depends what you ordered, let's say it's a small item but requires a hazmat label , usually even if the item is tiny and needs a hazmat label you will get the product in a box , because we put hazmat label on the boxes. Another thing is , as a packer say the computer tells you to put that item in box size ''8'' Box….we can override that and change the box and put it in a larger box or a smaller box. So at the time someone packs your order it can change. But most times……….hazmat items even smallest item gets a box that is 5 times bigger box then what you need.
Amazon has 3 lines when you are packing, the packers don't go into any picking section. You are stuck in one location but you see the whole warehouse. Picking people go collect the items, put them in a trolly……you go and get the trolly with items and come back to your bay and scan the trolly and start packing.
The 3 lines are……Main line, which packs single items for single customers. Main line also does multi items, this is if same customer has multiple items going into one box. All small items like books,perfumes,cosmetics,etc.
You also have Multi Large line, this section is for customers with large orders, multiple items, all going into 1 box. It can be a ps5,with books or whatever else… this section you box everything into 1 box.
You also have the slap line, in this section……………you scan item and slap on a shipping label on the PRODUCT and put the product on the conveyor belt….this section also has boxes but 80% of the items require no box…..they go AS IS….like toilet paper, boxes of nappies….. they'll go without getting boxed.
It's repetitive that's all i can say…..it's not for everyone
Thanks mate!!
How’s the pay and career progression like?
Hazmat == such a US term.
Here in AU we use the DG diamonds.
BTW … those sticky DG diamond labels == can be as small as 2cm x 2cm.Perhaps take proactive approach and ask your supervisor to purchase some (rather than the generic 15cm x 15cm labels).
I fuuking loved sticking danger labels on packages, flammable/corrosive/etc had to put on all sides too - oh yeah - and the upright labels, sometimes you'd have fun with that :)
The system determines the box size for the packer, if the dimensions in the system are recorded incorrectly by the vendor then it will recommend a box accordingly to the size it thinks it is. Common sense is not a skill possessed by many in pack, so rather than downsize the box, they'll send it in the suggested one.
My theory is that box selection may be wrong a lot of the time, but the algorithm choosing the box solves more problems than it causes. Plus it means the workers don't even need to think about it, which saves time. Having a huge box for a small item is a waste but having the algorithm choose the ideal box 99% of the time more than makes up for it. Plus a box for a small delicate item is better than a pouch, so maybe it errs on the side of caution. Wouldn't surprise me if their algorithm is way more advanced than we think it is, I don't see how else Amazon could deliver me toilet paper like 12 hours after I ordered it at my old address. My old address was crazy, it was as if the boxes were already heading to my house before I even saw the item and clicked order.
For sure. In work I'm involved with, various items (like say a piece of packing paper) cost less than someone thinking about it for 5 seconds or trying to salvage an old one. The commercial sensibility here is to waste the item and save on labour costs - unless the company is driven by specific concern for material wastage. Many large companies which pretty much have disdain for their workers, being the costs that they are - they'll probably waste even more on materials to keep their supposed risks of labour lower. (I.e. less workers = less chance of union action, etc.)
True but I got a box that would fit a large tower gaming PC inside for a single rain jacket.
Hugely inefficient for transport and delivery.
Do you get free Prime membership?
Yeap and discounts.
Sweet. I use Amazon all the time so I'd probably be very happy with that.
south park did a whole episode about people working for amazon just to get that sweet prime membership
What type of discounts?
Do you get free Music Unlimited as well?I previously worked for amazon as a packer as well and the whole warehouse I worked at did not get any prime or discounts
What’s the lunchroom and toilets like? Is it true about the daily prayer to Bezos shrines at each amazon DC?
Lunch room you get free coffee , hot chocolate etc on tap….and no one cares about bezos lol.
Apparently Bezos, in the very early days of Amazon, would stay up late to pack book orders to make sure they went out on time. So though he overworks his workers and is one of the worlds richest guys, at least he knows what it was like. Though he owned the business and must have felt it would profit him a lot to see it succeed so it's not really the same.
We don't get paid for our lunch break 30 min. If you don't pack at least 100 small items an hour…you prob won't get a shift again…but they won't tell you this.
@MrTillets: Yeah that's another difference. As the owner Bezos could choose to say "(profanity) this" while packing and go watch Letterman on TV while drinking beers. And his position as owner couldn't be given to a robot.
@MrTillets: Oh man.. Is that an exaggeration? 100 items an hour is like almost 2 items every minute? What is involved in packing an item?
@foxmulder: Thanks for that. I only watched the first 2 packages being packed. I noted that the first 2 packages took slightly less than 30 seconds to be packed each. Not much room for thinking/hesitating/errors to hit that 100 packages per hour!
Does Amazon's insistence on randomly sorting products in the warehouses really work from your perspective?
(For those unaware, Amazon believes having products randomly distributed is more efficient than having sections for similar products like a supermarket would. So 50 copies of the same item will be randomly distributed amongst the shelves in different areas rather than all in one bin.)
Example video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5TL80_8ACPc