For starters, this is my third peak season working for Amazon and the first that I didn’t work the sugar beet harvest just prior. Amazon changed their start dates so the sugar beet harvest workers would be excluded. That was OK by me. I got a start date that was earlier than a harvest start date, I don’t have to worry about freezing weather (at least not yet) and don’t have to be responsible for anyone other than myself.
The reason I came to Campbellsville is because this was the first place I worked for Amazon, way back in 2012. We (the RVers) were treated very well. Apparently, the shine has come off that relationship. We’re pretty much like any other temp, seasonal workers now.
Training and mentoring definitely left a lot to be desired. Part of that was certainly coronavirus related. Trying to maintain social distancing and wearing masks would make that difficult for any company. I can’t remember if we picked at all during our first day of training, but the second day they pretty much turned us loose. There were a number of changes to the facility but parts of it still looked familiar to me. A mentor checked with me a few times and just said ‘you’re doing great’.
One of the big differences this year is we’re allowed to keep our cell phones on the floor. I loaded a pedometer app on mine and have been hitting 22k steps per day on a regular basis.
They also made an announcement that production ranking would be reinstituted. I guess they backed off while getting a handle on how to work during a pandemic. I asked about that and was told that if you’re in the bottom 3% of everyone in the building (not just your department), you’ll get talked to. Well, I’ve seen some real slugs in the building and I’ve also seen older folks with some mobility problems. I shouldn’t have any problems being in the upper 97% but I’ll curb my competitive nature so I’m NOT trying for the upper 3%. Actually, I’ll be satisfied if I’m one production unit above the lower 3%. The pay is still the same.
Last year I had problems with my near vision. I would wear my reading glasses to check a barcode or read the scanner, then push them up on my head to walk to the next bin. That got old real quick. This year, I ordered a pair of bifocal readers. Clear on top, reading strength on the bottom. They’ve done a world of good. Just keep the glasses in place all the time. The only problem is the mask, which causes some intermittent fogging.