Cycle Zero - Delivering Presents to All the Girls and Boys
One advantage of being retired is that you can do exactly what you please. You can even to choose to work.
If you’re in the PDX region and ordered a gift through Amazon, there is a (small) chance I helped deliver the goods.[i] I was attracted to the notion of working a seasonal temp position at Amazon, or in Amazon speak “Peak 2022”: a little pin money for adventures, a little physical work to keep the heart beat up and weight down and a peek into the Amazon machine. And a new adventure!
I hired on as an Amazon Logistics (AMZL) Associate working “Cycle 0”. Our team of 45 +/- souls sorted up to 22,000 packages each 4-hour shift to be delivered by those ubiquitous blue vans scattering Christmas joy. Cycle 0 supported a following 10-hour shift that pumped out another 100,000+ packages. Some may decry the death of the mall at the hands of ecommerce, but boy, do we like to shop on online.[ii] [iii]
DPD2, located at the former Portland Meadows in NE Portland is one of Amazon’s 600+ (and counting) U.S. delivery centers that receive packages from a network of fulfillment and sortation centers and prepares them for last mile delivery.[iv] DPD2 serves the PDX region including Clark County. Overall, Amazon has 1,200 US fulfillment and distribution centers occupying almost 400 million square feet!! [v] [vi]
I am enjoying my time at Amazon. I have even shed a couple pounds . I work with a great team and managers. My colleagues have backgrounds as varied as the merch. Most have day jobs. Many are professionals. Working the shift I have met a banker, social workers, and a non-profit executive. There are musicians, a graphic artist, hypnotherapist and several that work manufacturing. There are 20 somethings, those in their 30’s and 40’s and several of retirement age. And it appears that Amazon walks the talk concerning diversity with a broad range of ethnicities and those with disabilities. I estimate that 50% of the workforce are women.
Its de rigueur to bash Amazon and the treatment of its workers, especially its warehouse jobs. I have not seen it. Management is positive and supportive and from my experience treated all with respect. Sure, we have productivity and quality metrics, but the expectations are not outlandish and if they are not being met, coaching seems to the solution. Amazon is a stickler for rules, especially around safety. That’s understandable in an industrial environment with 950,000 warehouse jobs.
Later this winter after my stint is over, I will share some closing observations. But here are two:
1 - Divorces may spike post Xmas. For some reason there are an inordinate number of vacuum cleaners in our sort. It’s a well-known fact that gifting or purchasing a vacuum during the holidays is a definite no-no.
2- Road to Nowhere. It is shocking how far you can walk in a confined area. In one 2-hour session I clocked over two miles while picking packages off 30 yards of conveyor! From five to seven miles a four hour shift is my norm.
So, when that blue van pulls up with those gifts or household necessities, think of me, one small part of the $6.5 trillion global ecommerce economy.
Notes
[i] Amazon delivers over a billion packages and during the holiday season.
[ii], US ecommerce revenues were over $862 billion in 2021. Amazon’s 2021 sales were $125.8 billion followed by Walmart and Apple with $46.5 billion and $26.1 billion respectively. Overall, ecommerce sales were 14.8% of all retail (September 2022) and growing at 14.4% CAGR; Ecommerce DB, December 2022.
[iii] Global ecommerce retail sales growth will continue to rise and take market share. According to research completed by eMarketer and Statista, online retail sales will reach $6.51 trillion by 2023, with ecommerce websites taking up 22.3% of total retail sales; Shopify, November 2022.
[iv] When Amazon Puts a Warehouse Next Door: ‘We Can’t Escape It’; Bloomberg, May 2022.
[v] Amazon Global Supply Chain and Fulfillment Center Network; MWPVL International, January 2022
[vi] It is interesting to note that the City of Vancouver has enacted a 6-month moratorium on the construction of warehouses fearing the consumption of their designated industrial areas.
