Camper Check

List

Make

Campground

Reservations.

Provide

Educational

Verification to

your

CamperForce

Team.

Take inventory

of your fitness

level

Here at Amazon, we are proac-

tive in protecting our people as

well as preventing workplace

violence. Potential workplace

violence can take many different

forms, which include verbal

threats, intimidation, and physical

contact. Amazon’s “Lose your

temper, lose your job” stance

states: “Amazon is committed to

providing a safe and welcoming

working environment where all

employees treat each other with

respect and dignity. Unfortunate-

ly, conflicts sometimes arise

between individuals. Disagree-

ments, of course, will occur, but

how you conduct yourself can

affect others and, if inappropri-

ate, can affect whether you will

continue in your employment in

our workplace.” So when the

frustration begins to build a bit,

take a deep breath and remem-

ber why we’re here: To make

the Holidays bright for our

customers wherever they are!

When most folks think of Securi-

ty at Amazon they think of our

Security Officers, or the

“Randomizer” that all Amazon

associates must pass through; but

Security at Amazon is much

more than that. In protecting

people, the Security & Loss pre-

vention Team ensures that facili-

ties are designed and equipped to

allow associates access, but not

unauthorized personnel. Access

points are tested and audited

regularly as part of weekly and

quarterly drills, and site risk as-

sessments as well as Peer Re-

views are conducted regularly.

The Security & Loss prevention

Team also facilitates quarterly

Emergency Response training in

specific disciplines for managers.

In addition, the Security & Loss

Prevention Team is trained at

assessing actions and behaviors

consistent with potential work-

place violence. Another crucial

area of focus is protection of

Data. Security & Loss Prevention

works with our Fulfillment Cen-

ter IT Team and site leadership

to secure customer data, associ-

ate data, and proprietary infor-

mation through simulated

breaches, and audits for properly

shredding sensitive information.

So when you think of Security at

Amazon, remember; there’s

much more than meets the eye!

Security Check Point

When most of our associates think of Security at Amazon, they think of

the Security Checkpoint. Each day, thousands of Amazon associates travel

through the security checkpoint on their way to break, lunch, or home. In

this issue of the CamperForce Newsletter we’ll discuss ways to get

through the checkpoint more effectively during your time here at Amazon.

CamperForce Role in Security & Loss

Prevention

I N S I D E

T H I S I S S U E

What is

S&LP?

1

Get through

Security

Issue Free

2

On the Road 3

Site Info 4

Campground

Reservation

Guidelines

5

Facebook

Contest

7

Around the

Campfire

8

Security & Loss Prevention

Amazon CamperForce Newsletter

J U N E 2 0 1 2 V O L U M E I , I S S U E 5

P A G E 2

Our Mission:

“To be Earth's most

customer-centric

company where

people can find and

discover anything

they want to buy

online.”

The Randomizer deter-

mines whether you go

through or around the

Security Checkpoint.

Important Contact Information

CamperForce Benefits

How to Get Through Security Screening Issue Free

In the Fulfillment Center, getting lots of folks through the security screening process in a short amount of time is a challenging proposition. Here some tips that will assist you in getting through issue free:

Items not to bring into the warehouse:

Phones, electronics, ciga-rettes, lighters and knives are not allowed on the production floor. Leave these items in your locker. Remember that no weapons are allowed on Amazon premises.

Items that delay screening:

Coins, car keys, metal watches, metal belt buck-

les, metal jewelry, such as bracelets, are all items that can delay screening by alerting the metal detector. This scanner is similar to those in airports. When the metal detector is alerted you must take the items out of your pockets and pass through the scanner again. The process contin-ues until no alert is deter-mined. Sometimes our Se-curity team will use a wand to assist in this effort. You may be asked to raise your pant legs, empty your pock-ets, raise your cap, as well as other precautionary measures also.

What about sweatshirts, jackets, and vests?

You should wear your out-erwear through the metal detectors. Whatever is not worn through has to be hand screened additionally. Wear head gear and gloves through, too. Anything put on the slide table must be screened by the security officer, which takes more time.

Bags & Packages:

Purses, food/drink contain-ers, etc. will be opened for inspection upon exiting. Associates may be asked to move or remove contents in order to complete a full inspection. Clear, see-through fanny packs or bags are best so they can be inspected quickly.

Working with other CamperForce Associates

One benefit we don’t mention enough is the opportunity to

work with other CamperForce associates just like yourself. In

Campbellsville, Coffeyville, and Fernley you’ll build relationships

with new friends and renew old acquaintances as the hundreds of

CamperForce associates who agreed to work with us this season

arrive in our facilities. You’ll work with each other, then socialize

with one another outside of work. What a great benefit!

Coffeyville Campbellsville Fernley

2654 N. Highway 169 1050 S. Columbia Ave. 1600 E. Newlands Drive

Coffeyville, KS 67337 Campbellsville, KY 42718 Fernley, NV 89408

(620) 464-2265 (270) 849-2604 775-575-8045

(620) 464-2123 fax (270) 849-2701 fax (775) 575-8058 fax

tul-sc-coaches@amazon.com sdf-camper@amazon.com rno-camper@amazon.com

A M A Z O N C A M P E R F O R C E N E W S L E T T E R

Our Security

Officers work

hard to ensure the

safety of

thousands of

Amazon

associates each

day.

P A G E 3

Life isn’t easy on the

road….. somehow

we manage!

On the road at the

Good Sam Tennessee

State Samboree in

Lebanon, TN. May 2012.

CamperForce on the Road

Upcoming Events Your CamperForce Team will be back out on the road over the course of the next few

weeks. If you’re in the area stop by and see us!

The Good Sam Rally Louisville, KY June 21st—24th

Iowa State Samboree Amana, IA June 21st—24th

Holiday Inn Pigeon Forge Pigeon Forge, TN June 26th—27th

2012 RVW Nat’l Convention Gillette, WY July 5th—9th

FMCA 87th Family Reunion Indianapolis, IN Aug. 27th—30th

Escapees 52nd Escapade Sedalia, MO Sept. 16th—21st

A M A Z O N C A M P E R F O R C E N E W S L E T T E R

From Tampa, FL.

To Quartzsite,

AZ. And all points

in between, the

CamperForce

team attends

various events

each season telling

good people about

the opportunities

at Amazon!

News From Each Site

Fernley News Flash P A G E 4

V O L U M E I , I S S U E 5

Presenting Fernley’s Top FAQs!

What are the day shift and night shift hours?

Day shift is 7:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and night shift is 6:00 p.m. – 4:30 a.m. You will get one 30-minute lunch and a morning and afternoon break.

Does Amazon arrange carpools? While we are unable to directly arrange car-pooling, there will be a “Meet and Greet” opportunity at the very end of your first day (Orientation) with us. Here, you will have a chance to meet other campers, and arrange things like carpooling and dog-walking. Finally, while shift assignments will not be provided until your start date, our Facebook page

(facebook.com/amazoncamperforce) is also a great avenue to make con-nections with other campers you’ll be working with this fall.

How will the background check and drug screen be conducted?

For your background check, we’ll have you fill out a form authorizing a background check to be conducted. For the drug screen, we work with LabCorp, which has labs all across the nation, and the cost will be covered by Amazon. We’ll reach out to you to initiate both of these items closer to your start date.

When will I know my start date? As our start dates are based on business need, we are unable to predict them too far in advance. We are planning on having 4 or 5 different start dates in order to work with our campers’ busy schedules and prior obli-gations. We plan on bringing campers on-site as early as the beginning of October and as late as the beginning of November. We know you’re anxious to know your start date, but rest assured that we will let you know as soon as possible! We anticipate being able to provide this information to you by August, at which point you can contact your campground and let them know your exact date of arrival.

some skirting over some form of insulation. Use public showers if available. If your hot water tank has been emptied, this will decrease the odds of water lines freezing! Frozen sewer hoses can be a nightmare and cause unwanted delays in dump-ing. During the winter, only open your drain valve at drain time. After each dumping, add a cup of non-toxic antifreeze into the black and grey tanks! Dumping is certainly possible in the late fall and winter months and with some short study on how to stay warm and keep your lines free from freeze, you can rest with ease!

It’s June but let’s prepare for all four seasons! As a traveler, you understand the importance of being prepared to face all kinds of weather! Southeast Kansas sees most of its winter precipitation during the mid-January through late February time. Thinking about the weather issues that can arise during your fall/winter assignment can keep you one step ahead of averting a disaster with your rig! Here are a few tips: If your coach isn’t well insulated or doesn’t have a basement, it may be worth adding

ter, they’ve studied and analyzed what our labor staffing needs will be. Once those determinations have been made, they’ll give us start dates and the number of CamperForce associates needed to start each week. During Peak season, typically we’ll have a new group starting each week through early November. In example, September 9th may be our first start date, and on that date we may need 75 CamperForce associ-ates to start. Finance will tell us what

departments and shifts need staffing as well as the number needed. The CamperForce team will look at the information you provid-ed during your telephone interview regarding your availability date and preferences with the available positions and shifts. We take your preferences into account and try to accommo-date your requests, but sometimes it just isn’t possible. Positions are filled based upon the needs of Amazon at the time of arrival and quite often those needs change frequently. Usually, we’ll have a much better idea about start dates later in the summer, usually around July. We’ll let you know ASAP!

One of the recurring questions we get here at SDF-1 is “When will we get start dates?” We know how frus-trating it can be when you don’t know your start date, so we want to take some of the mystery away from the process. So how are start dates determined? Each year our financial teams, both here and in Seattle determine our labor staffing needs for the holiday season based on business models, projections, and past history. In the months leading up to the 4th quar-

Campbellsville Corner

Coffeyville Chronicle

Thank you for reading and we look forward to meeting you all very soon! If you have any questions or concerns ahead of your arrival, please feel free to reach out to our team at the Amazon Kansas Fulfillment Center.

Coffeyville, FYI: Start dates available! If you have not discussed a starting time-frame with Paul or Mike, please call 620-464-2665 to arrange your tentative start date. See you soon!

Volume I, Issue 5 Page 5

Campground Reservation Guidelines

We are excited about you joining us in the fall for the 2012 Holiday Peak Season! A smooth transition

from “road mode” to “camp mode” begins with good communications concerning your campground reser-

vations. This information will guide you through that process so that you can be assured there is a place

for you when you arrive at your destination.

Although Amazon is not and does not want to be in the campground business, it is important to us that

you have campground accommodations that meet your needs and desires. It is equally important that we

know which campground you have chosen, and any changes that may occur before and during your stay.

Therefore, please use the following guidelines when you plan your stay:

1. Make a reservation: It is up to you to make a reservation at the campground of your choice. You

will be provided with the campground information for all campgrounds with site openings. We suggest

you make the reservation as soon as possible after you have completed the initial hiring process.

2. Call our Amazon CamperForce hotline or email us: Please call your location (contact info is found

on page 2 of the Newsletter) or email them and let them know where you have a reservation. We need

your name, contact information in case we have a question, and the name of the campground where you

have the reservation.

3. Keep in touch with your campground: Make sure your campground has your updated contact in-

formation, and inform them of any changes in your hire date, travel plans, etc.

4. What Amazon pays for: We know you may need a few days to rest up and set up camp before you

start work; and may need a day in final preparation to hit the road again. Therefore, in addition to paying

the campground for your campsite for all days of your employment, Amazon will also pay for two days

before your start date and one day after your release date. If you decide to come earlier or stay later,

those arrangements are between you and the campground owner.

5. If you change your campgrounds before you arrive: We understand you may want to change

from one campground to another before your arrival. For example, you initially booked at campground A

and then found out you have friends coming, and they are booked at Campground B. It’s OK to change

the reservations as long as (a) the original campground is notified before your arrival and the reservation

there is cancelled; and (b) the new campground of your choice can accommodate you. If you make such

a change, you must also notify Amazon. (see #2 above).

6. If you change campgrounds after you arrive: We understand that there may also be some move-

ment between campgrounds (premium site at another campground opens up or you want to be next to

your friends, for example). We don’t have any issues with someone moving as long as the original

campground is notified in a timely manner and the new campground can accommodate the move. Be

sure you vacate the site before the checkout time, or you may be held responsible for the extra day! If

you make a move for any reason, the same guidelines apply, including notifying Amazon of the

move!

On behalf of the Amazon CamperForce Staff and the Campground Owners, we appreciate your cooperation with these reservation

guidelines. We sincerely hope your stay is comfortable and rewarding!

V O L U M E I , I S S U E 5 P A G E 6

Amazon Acronyms If you are new to the Amazon CamperForce program we want to help you become familiar with the language we speak!

There are some words we use that have very specific meanings and can seem like a foreign language. We’ll introduce them

to you now, so when you arrive you can speak like a true Amazonian!

ERC (Employee Resource Center): This group of Amazon HR professionals in Seattle help answer associate questions and

requests. Associates can call them directly at 888-892-7180 between 9am - 9pm EST.

UPH (Units Per Hour): Standard of productivity measurement. Refers to how many units (items) received, stowed, packed,

etc. per hour.

Referrals

Meet Jose & Jill Ferrer. This great couple has referred several candidates for Campbellsville,

Coffeyville & Fernley this season! Jose and Jill have been fulltime RVers for almost 10 years,

and author their website, www.your-rv-lifestyle.com Some years have been spent fully

engaged in travel: throughout the USA, into Mexico and Canada, and last summer in a rent-

ed RV in Europe. Some years they combine both work and play, earning some extra income

and sightseeing famous and not-so-famous places. They plan to return to Amazon for their

4th season this fall. Their 1st year they worked as Stowers in Cofffeyville, KS. The last few

years they have been Pickers in Campbellsville, KY. "We like the walking (10- 15 miles a day). It's a good job because we

get our exercise as well as our wages." Jose and Jill share their CamperForce experience with others and submit referrals

from potential candidates. "We try to set realistic expectations. Amazon has been very clear that the jobs can be physically

demanding, so we always tell interested RVers that they should expect long hours on their feet. But we also let them know

that they will be in good company, with fellow RVers and Amazon associates working together as Santa's helpers".

Thanks Jose & Jill! Keep those referrals coming in!

You can earn Referral Bonuses, just like Jose & Jill! The process is very simple:

1. To refer a potential candidate, please fill out the referral form you received in your new hire packet and return it via email or fax to the location you’ll be working at this season

2. You are eligible for a referral bonus when you refer a potential candidate that hasn’t previously worked for Amazon before and is not currently interviewing for an open position.

3. If the candidate you refer is hired and indicates during the interview process that you referred them, you will receive a $50 bonus after the new associate has worked for Amazon.com for 30 days. You must completely fill out the CamperForce Referral Form at the time of referral and be employed by Amazon.com at the time the referral is eligible to be paid in order to receive the bonus.

Employees involved in the hiring decisions are not eligible for a referral bonus.

V O L U M E I , I S S U E 5 P A G E 7

Amazon CamperForce Facebook Page

By now, many of you have seen the Facebook “Like” icon contained in the CamperForce team’s email signatures. If you

have not already done so, we encourage you to log onto:

www.facebook.com/amazoncamperforce

and “Like” our page! We will post weekly updates and hope to use the page as an interactive forum for campers to ask

questions, share stories, and meet other campers joining our program this fall.

Thank you for all the “Likes” we received on Facebook last month! We hope our lucky winners enjoyed their T-shirts—we sure enjoyed seeing pictures of you wearing them! Due to the overwhelming response we received, we will be hosting an-

other giveaway this month! To enter, please answer the below question in an email to camperforce-giveaway@amazon.com. The first 25 correct answers will receive a limited edition Peak 2011 t-shirt, sizes

based on supplies available. Selected winners must be fans of our Facebook page.

Question: What does the Amazon acronym “ASIN” stand for?

Those who have already received a T-shirt from our last giveaway will not be eligible for this giveaway. Good luck, and we look forward to seeing you in our shirts!

*Amazon Standard Identification Number

This month’s edition of Around the Campfire features CamperForce associates from each of our

CamperForce locations: Campbellsville, Coffeyville, and Fernley!

Cathy Dunican

Cathy will return to Campbellsville this year following a great 2011 peak season in Picking. Cathy has been a full timer for 2 years and has worked in, and visited Arizona, West Yellowstone, Montana, Florida, Missouri, Michigan, Utah & Kentucky. Her hobbies include crocheting, reading, hiking, and anything to do with water! When asked what she enjoyed most about Amazon, Cathy said, “ The people I met. I had a wonderful man-ager and great group of pickers! Everyone was helpful and friendly and it made the job enjoyable. The Camp-erForce HR staff was awesome!” Her tips for our new CamperForce associates? “Buy good quality, comfy tennis shoes with thick soles and get inserts for them. Walk in them before you start at Amazon in order to break them in. Capris are great to wear, good for the hot areas and cold as they cover a bit more of your leg

than shorts.”

Chris Hill & Joyce Vito

Chris Hill & Joyce Vito took the plunge to become CamperForce associates at TUL-1 for our 2011 Peak Season. Chris is originally from the great state of Tennessee, while Joyce hails from beautiful, Maryland. While working in Coffeyville, this dynamic duo developed their Amazon shipping prowess! When asked about what they liked best about Amazon, they said, “The friendly people we worked with.” Chris and Joyce still remain in contact with their Amazon friends and look forward to reconnecting this fall. When not working, some of this couples hobbies include fishing, hunting, watching sports, doing word games, walking & playing with their dogs. Interestingly enough, Joyce has worked for the Baltimore Ravens and the Jacksonville Jaguars! Chris is a mechanical-savvy guy with the ability to build complex equipment. This couples travels have taken them to the Florida, Georgia, the Sugar Beet Harvest, and KOA campgrounds in Texas. We are delighted to have them back in Coffeyville for Peak Season 2012! Joyce has a tip for new CamperForce associates: “Buy good fitting, support shoes—you’ll need them!”

Walt & Kellie Gunn

Walt & Kellie Gunn, from Calaveras County, California, worked at Fernley for the past two Peak sea-sons. They racked up two years of experience in Shipping and enjoyed meeting new people and see-ing new processes. They have been full-timing for the last 10 years, and enjoy woodcarving, beading, 4-wheeling, fishing, gourds, and anything related to the outdoors! They are proud members of the Escapees RV Club; Kelly worked as Seminar Coordinator for 7 years and Walt is the all-around "Go To

Guy." A little known fact is that between the two of them, Walt and Kellie have 18 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren! The Gunns have traveled in 32 states and worked in 7, the longest stint having been four summers in Utah, near Bryce Canyon. They used to ride horses in the back country and fish in the San Joaquin Delta. To those new to the program, Walt and Kellie advise: “You will get out of your experience what you put into it. Keep an open mind, don't be afraid to ask questions and get involved in your area. Yes it is work, but it can be fun work, too! Find some comfortable shoes and clothes…this is not a suit and tie affair.”

V O L U M E I , I S S U E 5 P A G E 8

AROUND THE CAMPFIRE