Well we spent the last three days catching up on our sleep, doing laundry (you get really dirty working in a warehouse), and preparing food so that I don’t have to do much cooking when I get home from work this week. We did get to hang out with some folks here at the park a couple of nights and had a lovely time with nice wine and good food.

Mike: Yummy! Pizza! 

Then today at work we were certified on the VRC which stands for vertical reciprocating conveyor but which means elevator. We had to be taught how to operate it safely so that we have no excuses if we do something wrong and get hurt. Then it was off to do more stowing but only for a little while as there wasn’t enough work to keep us all busy. They were actually asking for VTO today (voluntary time off) which means you get to leave but don’t get paid, but we started car pooling today and we didn’t want to go home anyway. So we got moved to a different department, we ended up in IC/QA. I have no idea what that stands for, but they are the people who do quality control and make sure the right product and the right amount of product are in the bins. So, for most of today we wandered around the building counting product and general straightened the bins to make the pickers lives easier. It was kind of nice to do something a little different, and it did help us to become more adept at navigating the building as we were moving from area to area instead of being stuck in one place. The pedestrian areas for the most part are marked with green tape on the floor so as long as I’m following that I’m ok. It’s when I have to go to or through an area that doesn’t have tape that I get confused, but I’ll get there, if a forklift doesn’t get me first.

Well our first week is over and it seems as though both of us survived. We spent day three and four stowing our little hearts out – who knew Amazon sold so much stuff, and in every size shape and colour imaginable. I don’t think it’s going to be so bad for the weeks that we are here, although I’m glad we get to finish at Christmas and that I don’t have to do this for the long haul. The work is hard on our bodies, as there’s lots of walking and bending and crouching and such, but the worst part is that the work is very repetitive and super boring. I am glad that we are stowing though as for the most part we get left alone to do what needs to be done, and other than doing safety checks at every possible moment nobody really bothers us. At least we’ve met some cool people who make it fun and I have seen all kinds of items that need to be added to my Christmas list. Most of the people who work there permanently are very friendly and willing to answer the multitude of questions that we have during any given hour, and at the end of the day we are earning a little cash, so it’s not all bad.

Mike: I was thinking this might might be my next career!!!

Day two started off the same as day one – in the dark – but at least this morning we had badges to get us in the door. We got clocked in and then went to ‘Stand Up’. They do it every morning and after lunch, and it’s where any info is given out and we get given safety and quality tips. We also get to stretch; for about 10 minutes everyone in the building stretches together. Then the stowers, which is what we are for the next few months, were gathered together and off we went to learn how to stow. On our shift there are only five workcampers that are stowers and the other three with us all seem to be really nice and very friendly. Laurie was our teacher today and at about 7.30 off we went to stow school. We learned how to use a hand held scanner and how to check for damage and all kinds of other exciting things. Then we took another simple test then it was off to work for real.
We were taken to Aqua and set free. Aqua is in the Nevada side of the building, it’s all on one floor, and has really narrow aisles. For the rest of the morning we took product of a cart, scanned it, and then found a place on a divided shelf (they call them bins) and put the product in the bin while scanning the bin barcode.  It’s not quite that simple (there is bin etiquette to take into account), but it is that boring.  It wasn’t too complicated to figure out what to do but the scanner does have a nasty habit of beeping a lot – is it something I’m doing wrong?
After lunch we got to do the same thing but in Tan which is in the Utah side of the building and a million miles from aqua. The ground level of the building is 800,000 sq feet, and there are two more floors in most areas so every section has a name, colour, letter and number; it’s going to take some figuring out I can tell you. This afternoon was pretty much like this morning only in a much bigger area, but it wasn’t too bad.

Mike: Considering this is one of the smaller warehouses, some of the other ones are 4 times larger,
I can't imagine!

Whoa, who knew five o’clock was so early in the morning. It was still dark and more than a little bit chilly but I managed to drag myself out of bed in plenty of time to get to work by 6.45 a.m. From where we are staying we have to drive about 30 miles to get to the Amazon fulfillment center so at least I had that time to drink plenty of coffee; by the time we got to Fernley I felt almost human.
When we arrived there was already a long line of workcampers waiting in the lobby; we couldn’t get in out of the cold because we needed cards to get through the turnstiles so we all stood around waiting for someone to come get us. Someone did around quarter to 7, and we were all herded into a conference room; there are about 65 or so starting today but I think they are planning on employing around 350 workcampers here this year.
The first order of business was to hike from one end of the building to the other – on the outside – to sit in another room and wait to have our names called. We were called in groups of 10, alphabetically by first name, and we got to smile for the camera. We had to have our pictures taken for our badges that we get to swipe or scan every five minutes or so so that those upstairs know where we are at every minute of every day.
Since M comes before R Mike was called first and that was the last we saw of each other for a few hours while we attended SAFETY SCHOOL. The things I learned at safety school are mind blowing, or maybe attending made me want to blow my brains out? Anyway, everyone had to do it, and they showed us how to push a three tier cart the correct way, how to use a box cutter the correct way (it has a blunt end so I’m not sure what damage I could do if I used it the wrong way), how to lift a package the correct way, and the best one of all, how to use a folding step stool the correct way.  Only a single step though as we aren’t certified to use a two stepper or a ladder!
After safety school we had to take a multiple choice test which I think was impossible to fail, then we were taken back to a conference room and got to have lunch. Little did we know that the best was yet to come.
After lunch we filled out a bunch of forms and then we got to watch videos about more safety stuff and other stuff and sexual harassment stuff – it didn’t make a big impression to be honest. We got introduced to a bunch of people who in a place this size we might never see again, and then we got to leave.
Our first day didn’t involve anything too strenuous but I’m sure we’ll make up for that in the coming weeks.

Mike: Wow! I learned sooo! much!

We didn’t do much today other than take a drive to Fernley to find out where the Amazon facility is and too see how long the drive will be taking us. We have to drive about 30 miles there and back everyday, but fortunately it is freeway the entire way and there doesn’t seem as though there’ll be too much traffic on the road.
It took us about half an hour to get from the park to the front door of the warehouse and despit e the fact we have to make the drive everyday we work, I am still glad that we are staying in Sparks and not in Fernley. We drove around Fernley for a little bit, and other than a Walmart and a Lowes there is very little in the town. At least where we are staying at there’s lots of shopping and restaurants and other things to do – that’s if we have the energy to do any of them.
We spent the rest of the day lounging around and getting ready to rejoin the workforce tomorrow.

Mike: Piece of cake!

We took a walk around the marina this morning as we hadn’t yet had a chance to check it out even though it’s so close to us. We didn’t go immediately when we got up as it was too chilly – who knew it would be down in the 40’s at this time of the year in Nevada? I suppose we are in the high desert and above 5,000 feet. Anyway, we took a swift stroll all the way around the marina, which is about 2 miles in total. It’s a really nice place, especially for walking, running or biking, and there were loads of people doing just that. There’s also a beach, but at 9 in the morning there weren’t too many people on it.
It was a lovely walk but I’m not sure how much we’ll be walking around it after we start working, I think we’ll be getting all the exercise we need there.

Mike: We're tuning up for work!

We got to see much of Sparks and a little of Reno today as we drove all over checking out storage for the trailer and truck for when we leave at Christmas. I think we visited about 10 different places and either they were not anywhere I’d want to leave our home or they had no space available for us; I guess a lot of people put their RV’s and boats in storage here for the winter months. There is an outdoor storage facility right next door to us that is owned by the same people that has some space. Although it’s not covered, the advantage of it being so close is that it  would make the process of putting it into storage simple, but there are a few more that we have to check out before we decide. Do we lead a fun life or what?

Mike: We had good Thai food today for lunch! Yum!