Beginning of First Full Week

We were not sure how the first day of our first full week back at Amazon would treat our bodies. We know now that we have the same aches as the first full day last Wednesday. Our feet were hurting and our lower backs were hurting. The big difference is that today the aches are pretty much gone and our muscles appear to be acclimating to the hard work schedule. Of course, we have 3 more days to know for sure.

Our day started in the HR office yesterday as we are trying to get Josie registered in the online system at ADP - the company that processes the payroll. The person we need to see was not in yesterday, so we will revisit HR today when we go in at 5 PM. The work force is so small compared to last year during the peak season. For the first time ever, we took one of our scheduled breaks in the lunch room we used exclusively last year - and we were the only couple in the entire break room. The small workforce is also evidenced by the attendance in our pre-work meeting every day. That is when the manager lets everybody know about the statistics for the previous day - items received, processed and stowed - and the targets for the coming day. We now have about 15 people in those meetings where the normal attendance was around 50-60 last year during the peak. The stretch exercises are also conducted at those meetings for all the workers to help get loose for the day. Once again, we know it will change dramatically around September.

With only about 4 1/2 hours between getting up and going to work again, the activities during the day are minimal. We will go to the store and get some Gatorade, or some other drink mix that will provide electrolytes  for our bodies. As we are drinking only water to replace lost sweat, we want to make sure our kidneys are staying as healthy as possible. Amazon is very good about offering all the free cold water you want, and they encourage you drink lots of it all day long. There are coolers and refrigerators throughout the warehouse where you can grab a bottle of water.

So, with that, we'll call it a day for now...