Video: Hope King/Axios
Ahead of Amazon Prime Day this year, I recently visited an Amazon fulfillment center in Carteret, New Jersey, which handles 3.5 million packages a week.
My main takeaway: The ease with which we buy our things online masks the labor and logistics required to fulfill those orders.
State of play: The facility will see nearly 1,000 workers staffed during one of Amazon's busiest periods of the year, according to John Thompson, general manager of the site.
- Typically, there are about 800 workers a week who work alongside machines that transport packages inside a warehouse that's 1.3 million square feet (more than 20 football fields).
Threat level: Consumers can be more fickle than ever when it comes to where they shop.
- Retailers — legacy brick and mortar as well as online direct-to-consumer — stepped up their logistics during the pandemic to satisfy record consumer demand for goods.
- This new reality makes it even more crucial for Amazon's industry-leading supply chain operations to hold up during its annual sales event.
What to watch: Amazon Prime Day (which is really 48 hours) will take place next week Tuesday and Wednesday on July 12 and 13.
- Walmart won't hold a competing campaign, but Best Buy, Target and Macy's are among retailers that will.
Go further... Walmart bulks up automation to compete against Amazon