Amazon Office Employees Encouraged to Support Warehouse Operations During Prime Day

As reported by The Guardian,Amazon’s corporate staff in the New York City region were recently invited to lend a hand with grocery deliveries during the company’s extended four-day Prime Day event.

On July 7, an internal message circulated among numerous engineers, marketers, and other office personnel in NYC. The note encouraged them to “pitch in for Prime Day” by volunteering for two-hour shifts from July 8 to July 11 at Amazon’s Red Hook warehouse in Brooklyn. Tasks included selecting groceries, preparing delivery carts and bags, packing boxes on receiving carts, and even spreading some cheer with snack distributions. Employees were also informed they could utilize conference rooms for their regular meetings and calls while volunteering.

In comments made to the Guardian,Amazon spokesperson Griffin Buch emphasized that this isn’t a new initiative; corporate employees have previously been invited to assist at warehouses as a way of connecting more closely with customers. He reassured that participation was wholly voluntary.

During significant sales events like Prime Day or the holiday rush, Amazon typically brings on thousands of temporary workers. Notably, this year marks the first time the company has expanded its usual two-day Prime day sale into a four-day extravaganza.

This year has seen Amazon make substantial reductions in its grocery delivery sector—closing several physical Amazon Fresh stores and laying off hundreds of staff members. In June, CEO Andy Jassy announced plans to streamline the corporate workforce while shifting focus towards investments in generative AI technologies.