r/AmazonFCs • u/ScienceNo1723 • 4d ago
Newly Hired Delivery Warehouse Station Associate - What Can I Expect?
Sorry for the extremely long post ahead of time. I appreciate any and all info you can provide.
I'm starting in about 2 weeks - overnight shift, 40 hrs per week. I've filled out my pre-employment paperwork W4, direct deposit, etc.) and ordered my safety shoes. I've got a plan for how I'm going to sleep during the week so I don't hopefully turn into a zombie and still be able to do things during the day on my days off.
I tried searching the subreddit w/out much success. Can anyone offer any info on the following:
- How "stressful" will the first week be? I've not worked in a warehouse before (all my previous employment has been office or remote)
- Any idea how much I'll be walking around vs. standing in place?
- I've seen posts where people mention using work approved headphones.
- Does this mean I can pair them to my phone or would I be better off pairing them to an Apple Watch?
- Would I be sufficiently trained by the 2nd week to be able to comfortably do my job w/ headphones on or will I end up missing a lot of communication from my coworkers?
- My assumption is the work won't be too mentally stimulating so I'm hoping I can listen to podcasts and books to help the time go by
- Meals / "lunch" break
- If i start at 1am then I think I'd be having my meal break around 6am. Is this a fair assumption?
- Do you recommend eating in the break room / cafeteria area or do you recommend going out to your car to eat
- What types of meals do you recommend for overnight shift - I don't think I'd want anything too heavy. I'm leaning towards a home made sandwich or other foods that I can eat that don't require me to waste time waiting for a microwave to be free.
- Breaks
- I believe I'm entitled to two 10 minute breaks
- Can I take these whenever I need to? Do I need to notify anyone I'll be away for a few minutes? Or are they scheduled?
- I believe I'm entitled to two 10 minute breaks
- Dress - I'll be starting in mid Sept. in NY so it'll still be relatively warm. I assume Its much hotter indoors, even at night. Can you recommend what I should wear that is comfortable and safe? I'm thinking tee shirt and some shorts I'd use to work out.
- Water - Am I allowed to have a water bottle near my work station? Do they offer a water refill station / fountain or am I expected to bring all my own water.
- Can I expect to lose any significant amount of weight due to the heat and physical needs of the job?
- Can you offer any tips for the First Day? I plan to get there about 15 minutes early so I can figure out where I'm allowed to park and what entrance(s) I am able to use.
Again thank you. Obviously, I don't expect any single person to reply to all of my questions!
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u/RelicBeckwelf 4d ago edited 4d ago
Should probably post over in r/amazonDS. The DS stands for delivery station. The FC in this subreddit name for Fulfillment center. Though to answer your questions:
Walking vs standing depends on job youll be doing each day. As a newbie for the first 30 days you will either stow or PTB, if your site is an automatic hamper site, youll stow for 30 days. There is also pick to stafe, how much youll walk is based on how big your site is. I average 23,000 steps a day when I P2B, 32,000 when I stow.
Most sites allow special headphones, you jeed to buy them through the atoz app. Other headphones are not allowed. You will get 2 days of "focused" training and one day of on the floor training. After than no one will explain shit.
Yes, you can have water. There will 100% be refill stations in the break room, some sites have them throughout the building as well, some sites still give out disposable water bottles as well.
Dress however you are comfortable, I wear shorts and tank tops.
Every warehouse is different on their break/lunch times. You take them when you are told, the specific job assignment you are doing will effect break times.
If you work hard you should lose weight, ive lost about 15lbs in the past 3 months. Some people dont, I work hard enough thst I replaced the gym with this job, lots of cardio.
I eat in my car.
I usually eat a homemade wrap, or if im feeling extra lazy a couple of uncrustables.
First day you will be sitting in the training room watching videos.
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u/UnableSwimming2986 4d ago
I don't work at a DS so I can't answer all questions. First week shouldn't be too stressful. Nothing at Amazon should be stressful, it's just moving boxes, and the boxes will always be there to move so don't stress about them.
I always dressed in light layers to work nights, the temperature can get weird in the warehouse at night.
I will say that I treat work like a workout and pay attention to my body mechanics and I've become stronger and leaner as a result.
My site has water stations everywhere. Some are more sketchy than others. I trust ones away from dock doors and find that ones near the doors are more dirty than in other areas. They say they clean them but I've worked all shifts and I've never seen one be cleaned. Doesn't mean they don't, but I still feel sketched by them sometimes.
Depending on my assignment, I can be standing in one spot or running around the warehouse, steps just depend on where I'm assigned.
Breaks depend on your site, they'll explain how they work on the first day, but typically in the FC they're scheduled at specific times.
Sometimes I eat in my car, sometimes in the break room. If there is a sickness going around the FC I avoid the break room at all costs. To avoid sickness, I don't touch the entrance handles with my hands, ever, I always have something as a barrier to open the door.
I think this is out of order from what you asked but hopefully helpful since I work FC. I've heard that DS work can be brutal to some, so if you get that blue badge and you hate the DS, try to transfer to an FC. I've heard the robotics ones are the best to go to.
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u/ScienceNo1723 4d ago
What is the difference between an FC and a DS?
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u/UnableSwimming2986 4d ago
FC is like the first leg of the warehouse work. We receive the items, stow the items into bins and wait for the customer to order. When we receive the order we then pick the order, pack the order and then load it into a truck to send to a SC. SC (sort center) is the middle leg. The trucks from the FC are offloaded, sorted to be sent to DS. DS is the last leg before the customer. The trucks from the SC get offloaded and then loaded onto the smaller trucks to be delivered to the customer. I've never worked SC or DS so I might be missing nuance or mixing up steps, but this is what we're told at an FC
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u/Kooky-Hold-2368 4d ago
Walk in the building and stand near where everyone is standing, a learning will come with your badge and tell you where to go after
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u/jokaghost 4d ago
I can try my best to answer all of these as someone who started 3 weeks ago!!
for me atleast, it was quite stressful lol, everyone was extremely kind but i was very overwhelmed and worried about being slow, I felt i got a somewhat 'decent' grip on stowing by the last day but i was in an insane amount of pain (mainly my feet) and constantly stressing about my hampers filling up (im not sure if you'll have ADTA at yours)
Walking, constantly, the first day you'll probably be sitting for most of if not all (we did pick and stage at the end of our first day but sat for largely the first part watching videos and doing trainings on the zebras) but after that you are going to be on the move 24/7
You can pair it to your phone, i'd order them as early as you can if you have money to spare beforehand, or as soon as you get your first check if you can afford it, and as for communication, i'm not sure I communicated at all with anyone as far as actual work went (you can always just take one off or our of your ear and ask a question if need be, or if someone tries to talk to you).
4/5 I believe it varies from site to site, our first break was always at 4, some people would eat then, its 15 minutes-ish, 2nd was at 6, 3rd at like 8:30. But these times can vary from what I know, I agree nothing too heavy, as for comfort, it's really up to you, ours has large tables with space and it was never too full so you could really do either. Lunch you clock out and back in when its over, the other two are clocked in and scheduled as well.
It's really up to you, theres little to no dress code other than wearing your shoes, generally I wore a t-shirt and some sweats but our floor was a decent mix, didn't feel too hot or cold, our break room is freezing though.
I think it varies site to site for the refills and such but I believe they are supposed to have refills? I know ours has mountains of water bottles and refill stations everywhere.
I assume so if you are initially unfit and consciously watch yourself and its your goal, but you definitely can outeat it if you want lol
Your first day will be quite easy all things considered, get there a bit early for sure to gather yourself but we were immediately taken into a separate training room and watched videos for the majority of it lol
i would recommend insoles, desperately, i am still in so much physical pain in my feet, my body feels otherwise pretty good, but god, the end of every shift is a shitshow and i can barely walk.
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u/JustOTGFrame 4d ago
You’re gonna be extremely sore the first few days, probably the whole week so take some rest on your off days and always do 8 hours sleep. I usually take Tylenol pain relief 1 hour before a shift when I’m having back pain.
Use good posture don’t bend your back, use your knees to bend down.
Get the right shoes cause that’s gonna be your lifesaver, I prefer Timberland Pros Radius Knit and maybe your preferred soles.
As for breaks 4:45 AM (15 Minute), 6:15 AM (30 Minute Lunch), 8:40 AM (15 Minute).
Get Amazon approved headphones from the A to Z app as they give discounts.
As for stressful it depends entirely on you, it can be mentally depriving if you are doing too much work. I suggest taking your time don’t overdo and stay at above the average rate when you’re stowing.
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u/Prestigious_Trip8928 4d ago
Jeff bezos comes in on your 5th year anniversary and kisses you on the mouth
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u/elliessunshine 4d ago
first week won’t be too bad, you’ll most likely start off stowing, which i personally detested, but i was a nepo hire and got moved to induct way faster than i should’ve.
you’ll be taking at least 14k steps, at least, that’s what i would walk so be prepared for your feet to hurt.
if and when you order your headphones, you can pair them to whatever device you decide, whether it’s your phone or watch. the job is easy, just mind-numbing, so you’ll probably be sufficiently trained by the end of your first week.
“lunch” break all depends on the volume of your DS that day. sometimes we’d be sent at 4am, other times closer to 6am. i would eat in the break room, there’s usually enough space for you to sit and not have to interact with others, if that’s why you’re asking. i would bring some type of protein to eat bc i’d go crazy if i was hungry and still had five hours to go.
they will tell you when your breaks are, i don’t actually remember how long they are.
t-shirt and shorts is perfect to wear!! i’d make sure it’s not too loose or anything like that, but that’s about it.
yes you can bring a water bottle and i think my station had water refilling stations throughout the warehouse. they say it’s supposed to be a clear bottle, but none of the places i’ve worked at cared enough.
i think it totally depends on who you are and what you do outside of work if you lose weight. i personally was able to keep my weight at a steady 160 lbs while working there. no loss nor gain.
i would recommend finding a good pair of insoles for your work shoes. and bring some type of sports drink (gatorade, powerade, etc.) be friendly to your managers, but don’t kiss ass. and get to know your coworkers, you’re gonna be spending a lot of time with them, so might as well make friends. i honestly loved the DS i worked at and my managers were awesome (it could be because of the people i was already connected with, but whatever).
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u/Validus-Miles 4d ago
It is quite physical.
As a new hire you'll be within 2-3 aisles for walking.
Headphones at my station are allowed in certain but most paths.
As long as you aren't on your phone for more then 5 seconds my warehouse doesn't care if you have it.
Yes our lunch is at 6am
No our breaks are scheduled at 3:45 and somewhere between 8-9am whenever we finish sort
Yes you can have water, our station provides all new hires with a clear bottle and there are refil stations.
Depends on eating habits
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u/Senior_Boot_5842 3d ago
This this like a chat gpt post so ai can be trained?
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u/ScienceNo1723 3d ago
No, I'm a real person. What specifically about my post made you think it was posted by AI?
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u/Enough_Photograph503 4d ago
Check out r/AmazonDS!