First 50 Hour Week Completed

We made it through our first 50 hour week. We should have at least two more. I’m guessing they’ll release us before the end of the week of December 16th. Kevin actually went in for an extra half shift on Wednesday night, so he worked 55 hours last week. Today we’re off and then tomorrow it starts all over again.

I did not work extra hours on Wednesday. I stayed home to rest my aching feet. Amazingly, even with all the walking, the blisters on my little toes are slowly healing. I’ve been using antibiotic cream with band-aids and some moleskin wrapped around the band-aid to keep them protected.

My backside is also doing better. It hurt pretty bad for the first couple of days. I was able to continue to visit AmCare twice a shift to ice it. Last night I didn’t need any icing. Its feeling much better.

I think a little bragging is in order. Kevin received a commendation letter for his HR file for his work during Thanksgiving week. He picked almost 5,000 items with zero errors. I have not received any letters for my file. The good news is I haven’t gotten any bad reports. I’m just plodding along in the middle somewhere. That’s okay with me. I’m giving it all I’ve got!

I continue to marvel at some of the strange items I see while picking. Did you know you can buy an electric do it yourself back shaver with an extension handle to help you get to all the spots. Or how about a shower gel dispenser that looks like a large nose. The shower gel that comes with it is green and you can guess where the gel comes out. Just what everyone needs in their shower.

Melissa and Doug brand toys are still a hot item this year. I’ve also been picking a lot of little action figures from something called Skylanders. I don’t know what that is, but I’m guessing it has something to do with a video game. We’ve also seen a lot of dolls from something called Monster High. Again, never heard of it.

Diapers were a hot item this week. Amazon has a diaper program, and I’m thinking lots of diapers are shipped out at the beginning of the month. We both picked a bazillion boxes of diapers the last two days.

Clothing is another big seller at Amazon. Last year we shipped a lot of the brand Bebe. This year Bebe has begun shipping their own product and no longer contracts with Amazon. However, the brand Lacoste is a hot seller from Amazon. Some of the clothing items have price tags on them. I can’t believe how expensive the Lacoste stuff is. A polo shirt for $100 or a kids t-shirt for $50. I figured they must be heavily discounted on Amazon’s website, so I took a look. The polo shirts online are still $85. Maybe we’re cheap, but I’m not spending that kind of money on clothes just to have a little alligator logo on it.

There’s also a brand of underwear called ExOfficio. Supposedly, this underwear is designed for the traveler. You can wash it out easily because the fabric is super quick drying. Its also treated with some type of anti-bacteria chemical so you can wear it for more than one day. They sell for $20 a pair. Sounds kind of gross to me.

As you can imagine, wandering around the warehouse for 10 hour shifts can be pretty boring. You have to do something to keep your mind occupied (and not thinking about your sore feet). I sing Christmas songs to myself. It helps pass the time.

Last Monday they had doughnuts and juice for us at our first break. This coming Monday they will be serving us a holiday dinner of Beef Brisket and trimmings. I think its very nice of them to give us some special meals and snacks during the peak season.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!