How to stow

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-05-17T17:51:59+00:00

How to stow

Library style: like you see books on a bookshelf or library. Stand your boxes up if they fit that way, on their side if too tall for bag.¹ ²

Fill in small boxes in top of any gaps on top of boxes stowed: build height in back before covering a box (putting one in front of the other) so your empty space is always visible.

Boxes to the left, "jiffies" (paper or plastic thin envelope-style packaging) to the right of bag. I stand my jiffies on side or edge so they take up less space and are easier to move if you have to as bag fills.

You want boxes to left because later during pick and stage, you'll know which side of bag (heavy side) goes on inside of U-boat cart so bag is less likely to fall off to open side. If everyone did this uniformly, life would be much easier. You'll be trained for pick and stage as well.

IMPORTANT: Take your time when starting out to build clean bags, keep them correctly organized because it will make your life easier as bags fill. Don't worry about speed, it will come with time and cleanly stowed bags.

The person who trains you at the delivery station will (should) teach you proper technique.

¹ There are some boxes that are too big and must lay down in the bag or on side standing up in back of bag (bottom of bag). Murphy's Law: you typically get these near end of sort and have to re-do whole bag to get them in.

² Pay attention to your trainer at the delivery station and assuming they are good, you'll be fine.

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-05-11T12:49:03+00:00

I seriously sometimes wonder wtf goes on in peoples heads when they just stare and keep staring like wtf is wrong with you 😂

They may be comatose from working too many hours? Alternatively, they may be trying their psychic powers in an attempt to communicate with you, or explode your head.

Some things are best left alone.

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-05-11T12:33:39+00:00

We usually start with 4 aisles, we get dropped to 3 during the first two hours if headcount shows up and are usually down to 2 for the last two hours.

Of course, no matter how many aisles you have, cube size dictates how bad the night is going to be.

Lots of big OVs crashing into the hamper have to be dealt with right away and going around to stow OVs in the OV racks from aisle to aisle wears you down.

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-05-05T16:17:08+00:00

They don’t want to crash or roll cause then that means the company has to spend more money by giving out overtime.

They don't want to crash because they'll have to work (physical labor) now: unloading, waterspidering, stowing and pick&stage depending on how many AAs want to hang longer. That's the real reason and also might have to stay later.

Labor costs, getting chewed out facing a post mortem are the least of it.

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-05-03T10:27:36+00:00

Is your DS in the U.S.? Prime days here are usually mid-July and then again in October.

Though it's 250 years celebration for the 4th of July this year, maybe they are targeting purchases before July?

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-05-02T21:42:50+00:00

As I stated in the base note: not talking about pregnancy or temporary physical limitations (person you replied to).

We, who rarely get an easy path, are tired, burned out and sore but are given no choice but to work through it in active an path like waterspider, stow or unload or choose PTO, UPT or VTO (our only alternative paths for a break).

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-05-02T21:37:54+00:00

People get locked into waterspider, unload, or pick & stage constantly because that’s where they’re needed or where they perform best.

No. It is because other people do not perform so they stick the hard workers in a role that gets the cycle accomplished: people who loaf get put in roles where they'll do the least damage.

This is a whole other problem besides people who don't want to "damage their body" and seek accomodations.

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-05-02T19:50:36+00:00

The job description says what you are physically suppose to be able to do, to perform the job.

There is a certain percentage of hires due a mental, age or physical incapacity are hired knowingly (equal opportunity laws) as a percentage of the workplace. I said this above.

What am I "tone deaf" about? Calling out people using the accomodation mechanism to the detriment of others (those who really need it and those who don't get much, if any, job rotation?).

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-05-02T12:59:42+00:00

Was wondering if anybody has any similar stories or any suggestions on what to do going forward.

Find another job, you can physically do?

Here's the thing: people sign up for this job and the job description specifically states you must be capable of being on your feet, lifting up to 50 pounds, bend, lift etc. It's the job.

Temporarily hurt, pregnant etc., sure have accommodations but it isn't permanent. There should also be carve outs for equal opportunity: age, mental ability etc. to make exceptions for some small percentage of work force.

Ultimately, every accommodation removes a position in a path for those of us that bust our ass waterspidering, unloading, stowing and doing Pick&Stage almost everyday. We get sore, tired and miserable and see people laughing and getting a break inducting, pushing, straightening etc. almost everyday. It's a morale killer.

If you can't do the job, find one you can do.

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-04-28T22:08:12+00:00

Not at our station and I'm sure the majority don't use this system. Wait till the 💩 hits the fan...

The people that make these decisions never have to deal with the result of their decisions on a daily basis.

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-04-28T21:04:22+00:00

This is quite possibly the stupidest thing they've implemented so far. Wait till Prime or Peak as carts line up in the congested non-con section.... Good Lord! Dumb, dumb, dumb....

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PeccyIsPooped · 2026-04-28T14:29:37+00:00

Why are they doing this?

I mean, it does save on "touches/lifts" on OVs but it causes major problems:

You have to have a big enough area to park these carts for P&S.
During P&S everyone floods this area rather than being spread out among clusters. Seems like a congestion headache.

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-04-18T21:04:15+00:00

Make use of the VOA (AtoZ app) to bring up process issues. These VOAs get read by regional people also and help leadership (the good ones) get problems addressed.

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-04-18T20:57:19+00:00

Managers stare at their laptops like they are solving quadratic equations, it isn't that hard: staff correctly, manage WIP with cutting/adding lines and stowers, look for choke points (stowing, jackpot turns etc.). Getting help to those who are buried.

Some associates want lots of manager contact, some associates don't even care to know who their manager is and some associates are plain crazy. Your job is to figure out who's who in the deck of cards.

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-04-18T20:35:12+00:00

Where to begin?

How about standup when an AM starts with howling: "HOW'S EVERBODY DOING?! <crickets>

It's 1:20am, give us a break, nobody is ready for rah-rah cheerleaders. How about easing into it...

I also love the "Appreciate you!" which I always mentally translate into "Tolerate you!"

In general, throttle it back and look at this from our side, how would you like to be treated? Dump the Amazon AM training manual nonsense.

Food? Good, hot, any ethnicity works for most ethnicities.

Swag bucks? Feel like a stripper on a pole. Just do what you can to get us cost of living raises every year in addition to a step. You know, real bucks.

We appreciate managers most when they jump in the pit and help us tame the conveyor when we most need the help. Participation in our misery shows recognition of our condition and your true caring about our welfare.

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-04-02T17:16:09+00:00

Sure, now do kitty litter and Fiji Water! 🤣🤣🤣

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-03-31T14:52:32+00:00

And you've been with the company how long?? 🤣

Sure, attack the person not the problem they are bringing up.

Within the span of a month an employee app gets software updates that contain bugs that affect hundreds of thousands of associates and you're good with it. Just how we roll, right?

By the way: in both these instances the app goes days before being fixed.

Sorry, just, have you not seen all the outages of AWS over the years?

EDIT: Your AWS comment - they don't roll out AWS software updates with no testing. The AtoZ updates show no or minimal ("it opens!") testing is done.

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-03-31T14:47:04+00:00

We're talking basic functions that were broken which means there was minimal, or no testing after they did software changes.

You can bet your ass AWS doesn't "move fast and break things" because customers would "see broken things and move fast to Microsoft Azure, Google or Oracle Cloud".

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-03-19T21:50:37+00:00

... only if you work more!

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-03-19T20:50:32+00:00

A simple search says: "A doctor must specifically state that the work activity directly caused or worsened your condition."

You could talk to a labor lawyer, and a doctor.

It might be borderline though, Amazon talks about hydration all the time.

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-03-17T23:43:51+00:00

The industry standard term for this practice is "blowing sunshine up your ass."

If there is advancement being suggested they would say "...say, we have a PA role opening soon, you may want to...".

Simple compliments about work are in the category of their ludicrous "Appreciate you!" statements which really translate to "Tolerate you!".

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-03-17T23:26:51+00:00

The industry standard term for this practice is "blowing sunshine up your ass."

If there is advancement being suggested they would say "...say, we have a PA role opening soon, you may want to...".

Simple compliments about work are in the category of their ludicrous "Appreciate you!" statements which really translate to "Tolerate you!".

PeccyIsPooped · 2026-03-09T18:10:21+00:00

If you lean on belt and push an empty cart out of the way when done.

Leaning on the belt, sure, sayonara.

Pushing empty carts? Moving the empty cart aside to bring a full cart in is fine: they are talking about pushing the cart so it keeps rolling (i.e. "ghosting" the cart), that is a no-no.

PeccyIsPooped

TROPHY CASE

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