I returned from Quebec City, Canada one night to find a package waiting for me.
Inside was a special “security” scarf designed for travelers. The scarf is a wraparound infinity scarf with a secret zipper and a hidden pocket — designed to hold your passport or other valuables when you travel.
I saw the scarf at a travel conference I was attending in Quebec City and found the design to be very clever I decided to order a scarf with a hidden pocket from Amazon. Miraculously, the scarf arrived home before I did!
Seriously, how does Amazon do it? Many items on the site are now available for same day delivery, and many more can be delivered within 24 hours. They must maintain an enormous inventory of items in their regional warehouses!
Amazon calls their regional warehouses “Fulfillment Centers.” There, products are retrieved, packed into boxes and shipped to homes around the country.
Amazon has 75 of these enormous warehouse throughout North America. Each building is about a million square feet.
Eight of the locations are open to the public for free tours.
My husband studied industrial engineering, and factory tours are right up his alley. But it turns out that tours of the Amazon fulfillment centers are very popular and fill up quickly.
How to Book a Tour of an Amazon Fulfillment Center
Amazon offers tours of their fulfillment centers at these eight locations:
The free tours are scheduled on the first and third Tuesday of each month.
In the U.S., tours start at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. local time; and in Canada, at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. local time.
The tours last one hour. Each tour is limited to 35 people.
If a tour is filled up you can join a waiting list to be notified if a space becomes available.
In my experience, the best way to find availability is to check the website in the days following the last scheduled tour. That is when tour dates will be posted for the following month. For instance, if the last scheduled tour is June 19, start checking around that time for the July tours to post.
That will be the best way to snag a ticket!
You can also email tours@amazon.com for help with a reservation.
What Are the Working Conditions at Amazon Warehouses?
Working conditions in the Amazon fulfillment centers have come under heavy criticism. Here are three articles that discuss worker safety and health in some detail.