Comments on: Workamping at Amazon.com – Was it Worth it?

By: A Pet story, Workamping and A New Review Website « RV Full-Timer's Blog

A Pet story, Workamping and A New Review Website « RV Full-Timer's Blog — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 19:16:09 +0000

[...] Have you ever wondered what workamping is really like? Check out this article. It’s a really interesting story of what it is like firsthand: http://www.technomadia.com/2010/02/workamping-at-amazon-com-was-it-worth-it/ [...]

By: Cherie Ve Ard

Cherie Ve Ard — Sat, 01 May 2010 15:40:54 +0000

If I could request a job at Amazon and be granted it, I’d want to try Picker next. The thought of walking 15-20 miles a day sounds wonderful to me. However, my desire for a different position would be a survival skill to keep from getting bored by doing the same thing. I doubt we’d go back to Amazon.com anytime soon, as we just simply have other things to keep us busy, funded and entertained. We did our stint more as a fun experience.

By: Mar

Mar — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 07:16:31 +0000

Thanks for the post. I am considering this job for next season. You said you would want a different position if you ever went back. What position would you want?
Mar´s last blog ..Rose Garden at the Riverside Park in Victoria, Texas. The fragrance in the air was gloriously intoxicating.

By: Meg

Meg — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 18:19:52 +0000

I’m glad I found this post – I’m getting ready to be nomadic for a while and was wondering whether the Amazon gig would be realistic for me. I didn’t think it would – books can get heavy and I have a bad back – and your post has confirmed that.

There are a couple of things I wanted to mention. First, mandatory breaks are usually a result of a state labor law, so that might vary with the location. Also – it doesn’t surprise me that Amazon isn’t using Express this year. Temp agencies are expensive, usually costing a client at least another 50% of the hourly salary. So if you were making $11/hr, Amazon was paying Express probably around $17/hr for you. If they don’t need the services the agency provides – like screening potential staffers – they could save that extra $6.50/hr, and offer higher salaries to the temps. Or they could just hire more people for the same salaries. Either way, they have more flexibility with their money. (And that’s why temp jobs disappear when the economy drops.)

Keep in mind, though – if you registered with Express to work at Amazon last year you can continue to look for opportunities with Express. I think all their offices are independently owned, but they do communicate with each other and will send your test scores and work records to their other offices as needed. I just finished a long-term assignment with them and specifically asked about that when I knew I was going to be moving. Express has offices in many states, so that might be something to consider. (And it’s probably true of other nationwide temp agencies as well.)

By: Rene

Rene — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 18:27:38 +0000

Wow, seeing the hours and pay you got just blows me away. That’s what I was hoping for in Fernley, but I only netted $1k after six weeks of working at that sh!t job.

I so envy the experience you had out there because in Nevada, it was just one step above working as prison labor. The only difference was that we got to go home at night (or whenever they made us leave early, which happened about 50 percent of the time). You’ve heard me bitch about it so I’ll quit.

Just glad to see that you guys made some decent cash to keep funding one of the best lifestyles in the world! Congrats!

By: James Schipper

James Schipper — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:53:58 +0000

Great write-up of what sounds like an interesting experience, as well as sounding like my own personal hell. The logistics of it fascinate me, as I told you in the trailer on shuttle night, but the process sounds a bit too much like a young Cimmerian at the Wheel of Pain.
James Schipper´s last blog ..Nomadic Serendipity and the Space Shuttle Launch

By: Kelsey

Kelsey — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:01:10 +0000

“Once you escape a typical corporate job you tend to value time differently when working for others. I look at not just my time on the job – but any time that I’m not spending doing what I want to be doing.”

I’m the same way, and this is a critical distinction that most folks don’t understand. Jobs are not just about the time you’re at your desk/station/whathaveyou, but about any extra time necessary to remain employed. Commutes, unpaid breaks, etc, should all be carefully considered when looking at a job. In my own job as a dog walker, I never thought about the fact that I’d often be driving to and from the office to pick up and drop off keys, all of that time being unpaid. Sure, it’s “part of the job”, but it’s hours of my life that are being taken without pay.