It seems like when you make the decision to live on the road full time that there are certain things that you gotta do or see.  Like a rite of passage or  a check off list of must do’s like seeing the Grand Canyon at sunset, climbing a peak in the Rocky Mountains , or eating fresh lobster in Maine. Many of us working age RVers still have find income in order to live this nomadic lifestyle. So while we are still shooting for the Grand Canyon our list might also include other things like campground host, amusement park attendant, gate keeper, sugar beet harvest, and peak season at Amazon. As our first year on the road came to an end we found that we needed to pick up some extra work to sustain this amazing lifestyle, so we applied at Amazon.

Being newbies we were unsure of the process. I scoured the web and you tube looking for answers and found that there was some helpful information, but I was still left wondering how the hiring process went and what the job entailed. Hopefully here you can find some insight into the application process and the work that you will find at Amazon.

Applying

Mitch and I put in our application for Amazon’s Camperforce in late July hoping to work October through December, peak shopping season. On Amazon’s job page we found that there were choices available in Tennessee, Kentucky, and Indiana. Thinking that we may hit winter weather we opted for Tennessee only to find that it was full, so we went with the availability that was furthest south and we got Lexington, Kentucky.  Applications for peak season begin in February so returning Camperforce have their location and campground picked out far in advance. If you like to plan ahead and want the best choice of location and job type then the earlier you apply for peak season work, the better.

One thing about the application process that I found unclear was how to pick a location and know what you are getting yourself into. When you apply for work with Amazon’s Camperforce then you will be doing one of three jobs; picking, packing, or warehouse deals. Some facilities, such as Lexington and Hebron, only do warehouse deals so if you were hoping to be a picker then you would have to apply elsewhere. I do not know the specifics on each site, though I did hear that Shepardsville is all shoes, so a good question to ask your HR rep may be what type of work that you would be offered at the facility that you are applying for.
The application process was simple and within a week I was sent a contingency letter of employment. No start dates were given just the instructions of my next step, background check and drug test. All communication is done via email. I signed the necessary papers to begin the background check and then sent them the zip code of my location which at the time was the tip of the mitt in Michigan. They gave an order for a urine test at the nearest drug testing facility which was about 20 miles away. Once my results were complete the offer of employment letter came, but still no start date.

We ended up in a holding pattern for more than a month waiting for a start date and when they said December 1st, many people dropped out. We held still for a week not sure what to do. We needed the work but this would be 6 more weeks of waiting. Then suddenly they announced Nov 5 for a start date and we took the job. I am not sure if other facilities have such poor communication or if this was due to it being the first year that warehouse deals was open to Camperforce and the kinks were still being worked out.

The Job

Due to Amazon’s recent raise in minimum wage we were offered the position at $15.00 an hour with a dollar extra per hour on night shift. It is four, 10 hour, work days a week with a Mandatory 5th day during the peak weeks. They often offer voluntary over time as well at a rate of time and a half. With Camperforce we were given a list of local campgrounds to choose from and our campsite was also paid for by Amazon. Beginning in 2019 Amazon changed this policy to a stipend of $550 a month toward your site. In Kentucky that would cover it but in Phoenix winter rates are $900 a month. Keep this in mind when picking a location to work. We were also given a one dollar per each hour we worked bonus for completion of our contracted time with Amazon. That policy also changed in 2019 to $0.50 per regular hour and $1 for each overtime hour worked.

I think that part of the confusion with start dates was that warehouse deals is basically the returns department and their peak is not until after Christmas. I believe that Amazon is clearer about dates this year. In 2018 this confusion of start and stop dates really benefitted some previous Camperforce who worked the peak picking at another facility then came to Lexington at New Years to work the peak return season.

So what is this picking and packing, and warehouse deals? Some workers who were in picking and packing began their work season as early as September and ended in mid December. Pickers literally pick up ordered items off the shelves. They can walk up to 10 miles a day and climb multiple flights of stairs as some Amazon warehouses are four stories high. Packers take the items and box them for shipment, they are on their feet all day with some walking around. Warehouse Deals grades returned items using a computer questionnaire. Standing in a stationary cubicle items come down a conveyor belt and are graded and sorted to their next destination. Warehouse deals peak season runs December through the end of February.
On the up end Amazon is one of the highest paid work camping jobs out there. Most pay minimum wage ranging from $9-11 per hour where the $15 hourly wage at Amazon made the 2-3 month contract totally worth doing. Paid campsite and the bonus were added benefits of this job. On the down end this is a warehouse job. The hours are long, the job monotonous, and you are a number in a large corporation. The lengths that Amazon goes through to keep employee theft to a minimum leaves the honest employee feeling like a criminal. Cell phones are not allowed on the floor though they do offer computers in the break rooms and you enter and exit with the swipe of your badge through caged turnstiles after passing security and metal detectors. I found that experience rather degrading, especially at the end of a long day on my own time having to stand in line and be wanded in order to leave the building.

All in all our experience at Amazon was a positive one. While communication could have been better, and the work place a little less cold, the job itself was easy to do and it was a great way to refill the savings account in a short amount of time. Mitch and I figure that we can do any job if it’s only for a couple of months and we enjoy new adventures. In this nomadic lifestyle we expect change and discomfort, it is part of the excitement, however, a positive attitude can take you a long way.   Keeping an open mind and an open time line will help to make your Amazon experience a good one.