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Any CamperForce vets?


Allentc2

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Becky Schade who blogs over on her Interstellar Orchard site has worked camper force for several years now and has written extensively about it, what the work is like, how the campgrounds are, how to get hired, etc.

https://interstellarorchard.com/?s=camper+force

Regards

John

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1 hour ago, Allentc2 said:

I was talking to the Amazon guys at Hershey last weekend. Sounded like a pretty nice gig. Anyone have any experience? What was the campground they put you up at like?

It varies widely from site to site and year to year. I only did it once, years ago, and that was enough for me. But I've known others who did it for several years at different locations. Its hard physical work, 10-12 hrs on your feet with minimal breaks and some assignments require constant walking back & forth for those 10-12 hrs. Your productivity or lack of, is constantly monitored. It can also be a bit frustrating, since you're a temp they are not at all interested in any feedback on how to improve their system, which at times can seem a bit disorganized. The attitude of management and fulltime staff toward the camperforce folks also varies from site to site, year to year. The work hours can vary widely. You may be sent home early some days, you may be told they don't need you for 2 days, you may be forced to work overtime some weeks or you may not be offered any overtime at all. Its purely up to their needs and not yours.

The campgrounds they expect you to stay in also vary widely. Some are nice, some are barely usable, some are open dirt fields fields with some temp utilities used only for camperforce, & some turn into mud piles when it rains.  Amazon doesn't manage the campgrounds, they just pay the bill. They have little interest in getting involved with problems at the campgrounds. Many years their designated campgrounds filled up quickly and you were left on your own to find something else.

Maybe a lot has changed since I tried it, but I wouldn't go back for double the money. Try to find & read lots of reviews from different folks who have been through it recently. I may be overly harsh, everyone has a different perspective and there are lots of them online & in various RV forums. If you get a good location and need the money, it can be a great option. But if you get a bad location, its been hell for several folks.

Jim

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I  worked 2 Peaks at Campbellsville and had a great time.....and will do it again.  The work was not “easy”, but I did not find any of the jobs hard or tiring.  Depending on what I did, I walked anywhere from 12,000 to 45,000 steps/day.  The “stow” positions averaged in the 12-14,000 range; “pick” averaged 14-20,000; “water spider” ranged from 20-45,000; “gift wrap” was hard for me as it required standing and very little walking but some people loved it; “ICQG“ (inventory control) was easy (maybe 6000 steps/day) but boring for me, “receiving/unloading” trucks was fun but requires twisting/bending/stooping/carrying with some heavy boxes.  The people were great and the work was .......work.  My piece rate never measured up, but as a CamperForce, employee I was only required to attain 85% of what was required of full-time employees.  I volunteered for any and all overtime and worked 60 hr weeks as often as possible, but 60 hours was never required.

We stayed out at Green River RV Park across the street from the Green River State Park RC flying field and had a great time.  The people I spoke with at Heartland, the Stables, and the State Park all seemed satisfied with their places.  There were a few that decided they liked the idea of being across the street from the DC and walking to work that moved to Heartland but I think most people were content.

I will not be a CamperForce worker this year as I have another commitment, but I would not hesitate to do it again.

Edited by mb36912
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Mike & Joan
2006 Volvo 780
2008 KZ Escalade Sportster 41CKS
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  • 1 month later...
  • 1 year later...

We tried to sign up, can't remember for sure, maybe the 2018-19 peak season but the spots were all gone in Campbellsville KY before they ever officially opened it up. That's the last we tried.

We had stayed in the campground right across the street from the FC. Basically, it was a big parking lot but it worked well for us. We walked to work.

The gig wasn't bad once we got into the groove. I think my best times were in ICQA and in the packaging part of gift wrap. I was very good at counting so I was typically right up there with the fulltime workers in my numbers in ICQA. Running a machine in packaging was very physically demanding but it went well. I had a supervisor that saw where I worked well and put me there to crank out the packages. Young guy, Canadian, good guy, really liked him.

There were some really good people there, there were some awful people there. We worked night shift and liked the more laid back atmosphere.

I'm sure some things have changed dramatically since we were there. Will probably never go back now. Anyway, it was a decent gig for us. Made some decent money. At this point, I'd probably see if I could find a job with Kroger or Fry's or someplace like that if I really wanted a job. I suspect after Amazon, it would probably not be that difficult. But that's just me. 

Good luck!

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