How Arizona’s 30 Amazon facilities are preparing for a surge of activity on Prime Day

Posted By: Sophia Andrew

Posted On: July 9, 2023

Amazon’s Prime Day shopping event is coming up, and it’s a big deal for millions of online shoppers. In Arizona, where Amazon has 30 facilities for handling orders and deliveries, the employees are getting ready for a busy time.

Prime Day actually lasts for 48 hours on July 11 and 12, and it’s all about great discounts, new products, and special promotions. According to Zoe Richmond, a spokesperson for Amazon, electronics and household goods will be popular items.

People will also be shopping for back-to-school stuff and more. At the Tolleson facility, which handles order fulfillment and sorting, they will rely more on part-time flexible workers like college students and stay-at-home moms.

Stephanie Kalili, the site leader in Tolleson, mentioned that these employees, known as flex workers, usually work as little as 3.5 hours a week, but many of them will work more during the two days of Prime Day.

During Prime Day, the orders in Tolleson need to be processed quickly because there are a lot more of them than usual. Normally, the facility handles around 200,000 to 300,000 items in a week.

They have about 600 employees who work seven days a week, almost around the clock (with a break for cleaning and maintenance). However, during Prime Day, everything becomes more intense.

The volume of orders could be two or three times higher than average. Stephanie Kalili, the site leader, explained that they expect to break records and surpass their goals. Prime Day starts at 12 a.m. Arizona time on July 11.

Extra Prime Day efforts

To prepare for Prime Day, Amazon has been making sure that all their workstations are functioning properly. They started this preparation about two months ago.

During Prime Day, Amazon will provide food for the staff and organize fun activities with small prizes. Stephanie Kalili mentioned that they will be handling a lot more orders and trying to make it an enjoyable experience.

They also have regular stretching periods for the staff to keep them comfortable. With the ongoing heat wave in Arizona, they are paying extra attention to ensure that employees stay hydrated. Inside Amazon facilities, there are robots that look like boxes on wheels.

These robots are guided by bar codes on the floor and help move the merchandise to human workers. The workers then sort, pack, and inspect the orders. Conveyer belts transport the packages to the delivery vans.

The robotic delivery systems keep arriving at employee workstations almost all the time. The Tolleson complex mainly distributes products in the metro Phoenix area, but some Amazon facilities in Arizona ship goods to other states as well.

The Tolleson complex receives items from all around the world, including a good selection from small and midsize businesses, according to Zoe Richmond.

Promotions geared to Amazon members

Amazon promotes its Prime Day sales as an extra benefit for its members. During Prime Day, customers who have paid for Prime memberships can enjoy special discounts and unique product offerings.

This event is very important for Amazon, as it attracts the attention of around 200 million customers worldwide who are Prime members. Seattle-based Amazon is already a big player in the retail industry, having made $127 billion in sales during the first quarter of 2023.

In Arizona alone, Amazon employs around 33,000 people, making it one of the largest employers in the state. Prime memberships usually cost $14.99 per month or $139 per year, but there are discounts available for college students and those receiving government assistance.

Non-Prime customers can still participate in Prime Day by starting a 30-day free trial on the Amazon website. This year, Amazon has promised to offer more deals than ever before.