Our day started late yesterday as we slept-in until after 12:30. Nothing was scheduled except to rest up and allow our muscles to recover from the last 2 nights.
We were just sitting around watching the TV shows we copied from Sunday and Monday night when the wind started blowing. We had been getting rain (.50") the last two days, but the wind started gusting and blowing everything around. We raised our awning and noticed that Karen & George's awning was flopping up and down next door, and they were still at work. One of their tie-downs came loose and the awning was about to fly off when Josie and I rushed over and fought the wind to raise it into the closed position. We managed to do it before any damage was done. They signed up for part-time work and work half the hours we work. They also have a nice schedule of 11-4 every week day. So, when they got out of work at 4 PM yesterday, they were nearly blown away by the wind and they thought for sure their awning was history. Needless to say, they were relieved when they arrived home and found it stowed and ok. The winds eventually slowed by around 6 PM, but it continued to rain off and on the rest of the day and night. It was a good day to do nothing.
We are going to get our grocery shopping done this morning and then figure out where we might start our fun activities. So far, we have been enjoying the relaxation from our strenuous work days. There are some very interesting places to go, so we hope to have some interesting stuff to report. Until tomorrow...
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Aching Muscles
We were happy that this week we only worked Sunday and Monday night. Next week it is the full 4 days - in a row. I suppose it is normal to feel more aches and pains after the second day of strenuous activity since the muscles haven't had a chance to recover from the first day. We hope so. Last night (early this AM) we were both very sore from the stooping, reaching, walking and standing of the full day. The work is kind of fun though and we don't mind the different hours that we have on this job - at least not yet.
There is no time to go anywhere and see anything on the days we work. The fact that we sleep so late into the day, coupled with the 5 PM start time, doesn't allow it. We will try to do some things this week on our days off that will give us a better appreciation for Kentucky, which we already see as a very nice state. One thing we know is that Abraham Lincoln was actually born in Kentucky and lived his very early years here. We always thought he was born and raised in Illinois - the Land of Lincoln. Anyway, there is a National Historic Site that is not too far from us (30 miles) in Hodgenville, KY. There are other historical sites that we are just now exploring that will make the stay here a memorable one.
The weather has taken some swings here the last 2 days. Today it is raining (.12" so far) and rather warm, whereas yesterday it was freezing. We'll take the rain. It's nice to be looking forward to 3 days of fun. Until tomorrow...
There is no time to go anywhere and see anything on the days we work. The fact that we sleep so late into the day, coupled with the 5 PM start time, doesn't allow it. We will try to do some things this week on our days off that will give us a better appreciation for Kentucky, which we already see as a very nice state. One thing we know is that Abraham Lincoln was actually born in Kentucky and lived his very early years here. We always thought he was born and raised in Illinois - the Land of Lincoln. Anyway, there is a National Historic Site that is not too far from us (30 miles) in Hodgenville, KY. There are other historical sites that we are just now exploring that will make the stay here a memorable one.
The weather has taken some swings here the last 2 days. Today it is raining (.12" so far) and rather warm, whereas yesterday it was freezing. We'll take the rain. It's nice to be looking forward to 3 days of fun. Until tomorrow...
Monday, November 15, 2010
Full Schedule Kickoff
Since it was our first day on the full 10 hour schedule - beginning at 5 PM last night - we really weren't sure when or what we should eat. We had a large dinner at around 4 PM before we left, and Josie packed a sandwich and other snacking foods for us to eat on our half hour dinner break which would be at 9:30 PM, and during our breaks at 7:30 PM and 12:30 AM . The work we do is very physical from the standpoint that we don't sit down and we are constantly moving around the warehouse floor. By the time we get a break, we don't feel much like eating, but rather we are looking for something to drink as we are sweaty and just want to sit. Today we know that we don't need to take so much food.
We were shocked when we got off work at 3:30 AM this morning as everything was frosted over including the windows on our Jeep. With the nice weather we have been having, we never expected to see frost everywhere. Actually, it was 29 degrees at the Amazon Location - 5 miles from here - but it never got below 34 at the State Park where we are located. I think the difference was that we are located on a large lake that probably keeps it a little warmer at night. Anyway, we had to sit and wait for the car to warm up before we could leave and we drove the whole way home in fairly thick fog. We'll have to make sure we are better prepared for these cold mornings which we are sure to have while we are here.
We are both happy with the job so far, and our feedback from our supervisors is very good. Physically, we expect the work to get easier as our "unused" muscles get in some kind of shape. We will definetly lose weight on this job. It also means that the blog will be posted much later on work days, but the fact we are in the Eastern time zone will still make it seem like it is pretty early for people in the west.
The final note is that the "honey wagon" that comes once a week on Mondays to empty our holding tanks came this morning while we were sleeping. The noise doesn't bother me but Josie has sharp hearing and it obviously woke her up. That is probably the only real negative for us - having to sleep part of the early day. I'm sure we will adjust to it, so we are ready for long day #2 today. Then, we have 3 days off - yeah!...
We were shocked when we got off work at 3:30 AM this morning as everything was frosted over including the windows on our Jeep. With the nice weather we have been having, we never expected to see frost everywhere. Actually, it was 29 degrees at the Amazon Location - 5 miles from here - but it never got below 34 at the State Park where we are located. I think the difference was that we are located on a large lake that probably keeps it a little warmer at night. Anyway, we had to sit and wait for the car to warm up before we could leave and we drove the whole way home in fairly thick fog. We'll have to make sure we are better prepared for these cold mornings which we are sure to have while we are here.
We are both happy with the job so far, and our feedback from our supervisors is very good. Physically, we expect the work to get easier as our "unused" muscles get in some kind of shape. We will definetly lose weight on this job. It also means that the blog will be posted much later on work days, but the fact we are in the Eastern time zone will still make it seem like it is pretty early for people in the west.
The final note is that the "honey wagon" that comes once a week on Mondays to empty our holding tanks came this morning while we were sleeping. The noise doesn't bother me but Josie has sharp hearing and it obviously woke her up. That is probably the only real negative for us - having to sleep part of the early day. I'm sure we will adjust to it, so we are ready for long day #2 today. Then, we have 3 days off - yeah!...
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Scheduling Our Free Time
We enjoyed our off-day yesterday with another beautiful day. The first thing on the schedule was getting the flat tire repaired. The plan was to fill it with air and just drive the Jeep to get it fixed. Well, problems with my compressor nixed that idea. I ended up having to remove the tire and take it in the truck. I went to Walmart and had the flat tire repaired and dropped off Josie at the Laundromat on the way. We had both of those chores done by noon and enjoyed the rest of the day sitting outside and reading our books.
Today begins our first full day on our regular schedule. We are are trying to figure out the best way to handle our free time before we start at 5 PM. There has to be a nap in the day (today) somewhere or else we will struggle with the 10 hours of working up to 3:30 AM -including our 1/2 hour lunch break. It will probably take some trial and error during the first several work days to get the right combination. The 10 hour days also eliminate any chance to travel to local attractions on working days since we will probably be sleeping until near noon every day and that only leaves a couple hours of free time in the afternoon. Our goal is to work as much as we can and make as much money as we possibly can while here, so we are committed to that goal.
Plans for Thanksgiving next week are incomplete, but we have discussed having a potluck dinner with Karen, George, Hank, Brenda and us which would work fine. More on that as it develops.
We are also investigating options for Florida when we leave here. So far, we only know that we will probably spend Christmas Eve in Harrison, TN- at a nice state park there - near Chattanooga which is almost into Georgia. Our second night will most likely be in southern Georgia somewhere before arriving in Florida on approximately the 26th or 27th of December. Josie's sister lives in Edgewater, FL., which isn't too far from Orlando, so we might stay close to Disney World while there so we can investigate employment in and near the park.
Whatever we do, we are confident that everything will work out for us as this exciting journey continues...
Today begins our first full day on our regular schedule. We are are trying to figure out the best way to handle our free time before we start at 5 PM. There has to be a nap in the day (today) somewhere or else we will struggle with the 10 hours of working up to 3:30 AM -including our 1/2 hour lunch break. It will probably take some trial and error during the first several work days to get the right combination. The 10 hour days also eliminate any chance to travel to local attractions on working days since we will probably be sleeping until near noon every day and that only leaves a couple hours of free time in the afternoon. Our goal is to work as much as we can and make as much money as we possibly can while here, so we are committed to that goal.
Plans for Thanksgiving next week are incomplete, but we have discussed having a potluck dinner with Karen, George, Hank, Brenda and us which would work fine. More on that as it develops.
We are also investigating options for Florida when we leave here. So far, we only know that we will probably spend Christmas Eve in Harrison, TN- at a nice state park there - near Chattanooga which is almost into Georgia. Our second night will most likely be in southern Georgia somewhere before arriving in Florida on approximately the 26th or 27th of December. Josie's sister lives in Edgewater, FL., which isn't too far from Orlando, so we might stay close to Disney World while there so we can investigate employment in and near the park.
Whatever we do, we are confident that everything will work out for us as this exciting journey continues...
Saturday, November 13, 2010
End of First Week
Once again we drove the truck to work while our Jeep sat in the driveway with a flat tire. Since we leave for work at 10:30, I didn't want to take any chance on getting tied up with the flat repair and being late. It was the last work day of our first week and it was, we believe, typical of the kind of work days we will have the rest of the way.
The only two problems we are having right now are: 1-learning the commands to use on the hand-held scanner, and 2-finding bins on the warehouse floor where there is room to stow our items. The first problem will be overcome with more repetition and use of the device. That, plus we are supposed to get a "cheat-sheet" with the commands summarized. We have not yet received that. The second problem will correct itself (we hope) with the increased volume in business as we get closer to Christmas. We are all going to be evaluated on our productivity and that includes emptying your carts as quickly as possible. Josie and I feel comfortable with our assignments, but we see some people still struggling. Physically, we feel like we will be able to handle a 10 hour day. We get to try that on Sunday night.
This morning will be taken up with the repair of the flat tire. I plan to try to fill it with air from our compressor and drive it to Walmart for the fix. I hope that works, as the only other option is to remove the wheel and take it in. It should work, since the tire deflated overnight and lost the air very slowly. The rest of the day is not planned, but the weather is holding so we hope to enjoy it with some kind of outdoor activity. Until tomorrow...
The only two problems we are having right now are: 1-learning the commands to use on the hand-held scanner, and 2-finding bins on the warehouse floor where there is room to stow our items. The first problem will be overcome with more repetition and use of the device. That, plus we are supposed to get a "cheat-sheet" with the commands summarized. We have not yet received that. The second problem will correct itself (we hope) with the increased volume in business as we get closer to Christmas. We are all going to be evaluated on our productivity and that includes emptying your carts as quickly as possible. Josie and I feel comfortable with our assignments, but we see some people still struggling. Physically, we feel like we will be able to handle a 10 hour day. We get to try that on Sunday night.
This morning will be taken up with the repair of the flat tire. I plan to try to fill it with air from our compressor and drive it to Walmart for the fix. I hope that works, as the only other option is to remove the wheel and take it in. It should work, since the tire deflated overnight and lost the air very slowly. The rest of the day is not planned, but the weather is holding so we hope to enjoy it with some kind of outdoor activity. Until tomorrow...
Friday, November 12, 2010
Learning More
Our day started with a surprise yesterday. We went out to the car to get in and go to work, and guess what?:
Yep - a flat tire. We could see a screw sticking out of the tread of the tire so we probably ran over it on the way home on Wednesday afternoon and it was such a slow leak that we didn't discover it right away. It's a good thing we had the truck or we would have been stranded. Our neighbors all started their training day at 6 AM, so they were all gone by the time we left. It looks like we will not get it fixed until tomorrow - our first day off. We don't want to take a chance on the repair taking longer than the time we have in the morning.
The work day went fine. We spent almost the entire 5 hours actually stowing items from the carts. The biggest problem we had was locating bins that could accommodate the items we needed to stow. Either the volume of business hasn't picked up enough yet in order to empty these bins, or the area of bins we were sent to were already worked by another shift. Anyway, we are getting better and doing the work faster than the day before.
Our last training day is today, and then we will be tossed to the wolves to work on our own. There are some details that we need to work on such as instruction on how to use the scanner for problem items. We hope to learn more of that today, but the job gets the first real test on Sunday when we have to work our first 10 hour shift.
The weather continues to be excellent - high of 76 and low of 42 and clear skies yesterday. It's a real shame that we need to work while all this nice weather is here. It is the same so far today. No complaints so far...
The work day went fine. We spent almost the entire 5 hours actually stowing items from the carts. The biggest problem we had was locating bins that could accommodate the items we needed to stow. Either the volume of business hasn't picked up enough yet in order to empty these bins, or the area of bins we were sent to were already worked by another shift. Anyway, we are getting better and doing the work faster than the day before.
Our last training day is today, and then we will be tossed to the wolves to work on our own. There are some details that we need to work on such as instruction on how to use the scanner for problem items. We hope to learn more of that today, but the job gets the first real test on Sunday when we have to work our first 10 hour shift.
The weather continues to be excellent - high of 76 and low of 42 and clear skies yesterday. It's a real shame that we need to work while all this nice weather is here. It is the same so far today. No complaints so far...
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Learning the Stowing Process
It was mentioned that the building (warehouse) we are working in is huge. As we arrived yesterday for our first hands-on training day, I took this shot of the building as we started to drive to the back parking lot where we were instructed to enter:
One of the training coaches said this building was 800,000 S.F., and the one in Coffeyville, KS., is nearly twice this size at 1.5 million S.F., if you can believe it. The amount of inventory contained in these buildings is mind boggling.
We were once again divided into several small groups and our hands-on training began on time at 11:30 AM. Our first couple of hours were spent in what they call "Stowing School" which is a training area that contains everything involved in learning the stowing process. We were given hand held scanners, and magnetic "bin" markers that we will use to place on the storage bin that we are working on. We then went out onto the floor for actual stowing experience with our trainers watching over us. The bins are mostly small, and they are like upright bookcases with slots to place your items. There are, however, some larger bins for larger items all along the rows of bins. We have to locate a bin that will fit the next item we need to stow. We scan the items, scan the bin number, and move on to the next item. If it fits in the bin, using storage rules they gave us, it is placed in the same bin. Otherwise we scan the bin number again to close it, and count the total number of items in the bin and record it in the hand held scanner. Everything is so computerized that each item is now then available for immediate "picking" to fill orders. Every item is recorded instantly in its location. We were told that there may be times when you will enter an item into a bin and a "Picker" will be right behind you to take it out to fill an on-line order. It is a very thorough and precise system. There are special handling rules for problem items such as bad bar codes, damaged product or products that should not be in your "cart" for stowing. We learned alot this first day on the floor.
Our schedule is the same today and tomorrow and we will work from 11:30 to 4:30 again. It's going to be a very different kind of experience for us which is what we want. It is physical in the sense that we will do a lot of walking, standing and reaching during the day but we feel we are up to it.
We are missing some fabulous weather while working inside though. Tuesday was 74 and yesterday was 73 for highs with clear, blue skies. It has gone down to the mid to low 40's at night, but it isn't bad. We hope it holds out until we at least get some time off to enjoy it, which will be Saturday. Until tomorrow...
One of the training coaches said this building was 800,000 S.F., and the one in Coffeyville, KS., is nearly twice this size at 1.5 million S.F., if you can believe it. The amount of inventory contained in these buildings is mind boggling.
We were once again divided into several small groups and our hands-on training began on time at 11:30 AM. Our first couple of hours were spent in what they call "Stowing School" which is a training area that contains everything involved in learning the stowing process. We were given hand held scanners, and magnetic "bin" markers that we will use to place on the storage bin that we are working on. We then went out onto the floor for actual stowing experience with our trainers watching over us. The bins are mostly small, and they are like upright bookcases with slots to place your items. There are, however, some larger bins for larger items all along the rows of bins. We have to locate a bin that will fit the next item we need to stow. We scan the items, scan the bin number, and move on to the next item. If it fits in the bin, using storage rules they gave us, it is placed in the same bin. Otherwise we scan the bin number again to close it, and count the total number of items in the bin and record it in the hand held scanner. Everything is so computerized that each item is now then available for immediate "picking" to fill orders. Every item is recorded instantly in its location. We were told that there may be times when you will enter an item into a bin and a "Picker" will be right behind you to take it out to fill an on-line order. It is a very thorough and precise system. There are special handling rules for problem items such as bad bar codes, damaged product or products that should not be in your "cart" for stowing. We learned alot this first day on the floor.
Our schedule is the same today and tomorrow and we will work from 11:30 to 4:30 again. It's going to be a very different kind of experience for us which is what we want. It is physical in the sense that we will do a lot of walking, standing and reaching during the day but we feel we are up to it.
We are missing some fabulous weather while working inside though. Tuesday was 74 and yesterday was 73 for highs with clear, blue skies. It has gone down to the mid to low 40's at night, but it isn't bad. We hope it holds out until we at least get some time off to enjoy it, which will be Saturday. Until tomorrow...
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