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Monday, December 15, 2014

Last Weekend and Some End of Season Thoughts

Location: Louisville, KY (High 54 , Low 49)

We are sitting here this morning enjoying a cup of coffee and happy to be having our last weekend of this Amazon peak season. We are going to start getting our stuff packed up and ready to pull out on Sunday morning. From the weather report, it also looks like we may get to “enjoy” a little last minute snow on Saturday before we start on our journey south. (Really, Mother Nature, you didn’t have to give us a going away present!)

I was thinking yesterday about what a different season it’s been this year. Coming to Jeffersonville in the middle of peak was definitely an unexpected turn of events. The two facilities are very different, but it’s hard to make a straight comparison since we were not working in the same department in each one.

When we started in Receiving back in September, there was basically no transition time needed. We were doing the same job that we were last year, and we fell back into the swing of things like we had never been gone. The work was hard and physically demanding, but we were not quite as sore as we had been last year. Heartland CampgroundWe loved staying at Heartland Campground right across the street. It was so nice to just walk out in the morning and walk right over to work. We also discovered that we really enjoyed eating at the local college in town and ate there at least twice a week most of the season.

Expo CtrThen came the move to Jeffersonville on November 22nd. We are parked in the Expo Center which really wasn’t a huge transition from Heartland. haha  (We went from gravel to concrete.)

 

The facility move was a transition though. It was like moving from a small country high school to a big urban college.  If we had started at Jeffersonville (SDF8) without ever having been to Campbellsville (SDF1), we probably wouldn’t have thought anything of it. Everything at SDF1 is so small and personal. The managers know who you are and make small talk, etc. Training is done differently, assignments are done by name. It’s just smaller. At SDF8, it is so huge and there are so many people, that we are just one of many. We don’t even know what our manager looks like, and as far as we know, we haven’t talked to him.

Is it horrible? No. It is just more impersonal than we are used to. Are we sorry we came? No. It has been good to see how things are done in another facility, and of course the extra money doesn’t hurt either. Open-mouthed smile Would we come back? (It has been said that they are going to have a camperforce program here in the future.) Well, with that ol’ caveat “never say never”…no, at this time, we would not want to come back here to work for a season. Although some people do like it here and have stated that they would come back. Some people like the urban setting. Some like that the facility is newer and cleaner. Some like that the product lines of clothing and jewelry make the work less physically taxing. We like all of those things, but the bottom line for us is that we like the smaller rural area/atmosphere of Campbellsville better.

For those who are interested, I will do another post in a few weeks with all of the financial/numbers “stuff”. Our last paycheck won’t be until January so it will be after that.

Six days until departure day!!!

4 comments:

  1. so maybe you can start to get in the Christmas spirit. I would think with all the working and traveling to the warehouse christmas is the last thing on your mind.

    I really appreciate your post about your travels and the amazon experience. I hope we can follow in your foot steps in 5-6 yrs or so. I know that is a long ways away. But it will be here before you know it.

    One question was buying and sending stuff to family members.. Do you get any kind of discount from amazon or your just a regular joe.
    Any who have a nice trip south and while you have been living in your cave called amazon diesel fuel prices have drop nicely especially in SC.

    I highly recommend the gasbuddy.com app to help find the best price for fuel. they have a nice map on the full site to see how prices are running the various states.

    Merry Christmas and safe travels
    carl newton

    ps if this double posted please delete one.

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  2. We didn't go to Jeffersonville, but I agree, we will continue to request Campbellsville. For us, with Al's job in Amcare, it didn't make sense to go. We also like the smaller town, and it is plenty "urban" enough for us...considering where we work in the summer (Moran WY consists of a post office, a fire station and lots of ranches) LOL. And the State Park where we stay os wonderful for those of us with dogs that need lots of exercise. Hope to see you back here next year.

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  3. Glad to hear that you will be back at Campbellsville. For now we'll be back. We really loved the people we met, workers and fellow rvers. We're so anxious to hit the road as well. That snow on Saturday better not change to Sunday!

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  4. Nice to be almost done! enjoy the last bit of work time and soon it will be time for R and R!..the kitties will be happy then!

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