The Walmart distribution center built around where I grew up was not known as a hub of shit jobs. It was a source of envy. Amazon warehouse worker pay, in contrast, lags behind Walmart by several dollars per hour and offset several years. And that's assuming you're actually hired by the company directly, rather indirectly as a second class worker brought in through the timeless scam involving contractors employed by staffing agencies.
Total anecdote but had the opportunity to chat at length with an Amazon warehouse worker (in the UK) over the holidays. They said it’s hard work but they got various perks, decent pay, they didn’t even want to be a supervisor which they had been offered, and liked it.
Would I want the job? Hell no. But this is an intelligent person who is doing this because they have no other option.
The UK has social safety nets that Americans don't get when they have a job. Amazon isn't allowed to play the same game in countries with worker protections.
I can certainly believe there are issues for Amazon workers in the US that don’t apply in the UK to the same degree. Although Amazon does seem to have various heath insurance plans for US workers. I assume workers have to pay some amount in as is the case with most jobs, including white collar ones, in the US.
Amazon management has to routinely come up with contingency plans after having burnt through/burned out the local available workforce. I have never heard of any other company ROUTINELY has that issue.
