A behind-the-scenes look at how Amazon prepares for its biggest shopping events of the year

With Prime Day coming soon in July, there’s a lot of planning that goes into preparing for successful shopping events like Prime Day, Black Friday, and Cyber Monday.

Jae Garcia, a senior operations manager at Amazon.

Jae Garcia, a senior operations manager at Amazon, knows firsthand what it takes since he’s been with the company for a decade, and manages one of the largest delivery stations on the West Coast.

Garcia spoke with About Amazon about what it’s like behind the scenes in the lead-up to these big shopping events—and how he and his team plan and ensure things run safely and smoothly.

Prep happens year-round

Preparing for a big shopping event is many months in the making, with regular planning meetings and training series to ensure Amazon’s fulfillment centers and delivery stations are properly staffed and trained to safely work through one of the busiest weeks of the year.

But before we get into the planning, you might be wondering how a fulfillment center and delivery station are different. Fulfillment centers are where Amazon employees pick, pack, and ship customer orders; delivery stations are where those packages get sorted, routed, and then distributed to delivery drivers. As Garcia says, the delivery station is “the last stop” before orders go to customers.

These are busy but exciting times to work at Amazon

During the weeks leading up to big shopping events like Prime Day, Amazon’s fulfillment centers and delivery stations are brimming with energy and excitement. “Our employees are the heart and soul of our operation, and we want to show extra appreciation for their hard work during busy shopping events like Prime Day,” says Beryl Tomay, vice president of transportation. “Sites are buzzing with excitement during the event, and leaders arrange things like barbecues and ping-pong tournaments to build on that energy and thank our employees for everything they do.”

Hiring and training are top priorities

Hiring new team members is a priority in the planning process for events like Prime Day. Garcia and his team start the process a few months out by looking at the forecasted volume of orders so they’re well informed to hire for big shopping events. Since delivery stations work with third-party delivery companies, it’s not just a matter of hiring people to work in our buildings, but also making sure that Delivery Service Partners (DSP) are hiring drivers to deliver the packages to customers.

Getting the right people in the right places across our operations network is important, but ensuring that everyone is trained on how to safely perform their new roles is essential. As part of their onboarding process, every operations employee must participate in rigorous safety trainings as they learn their new job. They learn things like how to pick and stow products in ergonomically friendly power zones to reduce risk of injury, what the different color tape is on the floor so they know safe places to walk through the site, and how to push and pull carts safely around the building.

We also have emergency preparedness plans in place across all of our operations sites that focus on disruption timelines and mandatory procedures of what to do in emergencies such as severe weather. Our operations site leaders familiarize their teams with their building plans, nearest exits, designated severe-weather assembly areas, and site rally-point locations outside of the building. In addition, site-wide drills are held at least twice a year to ensure everyone knows exactly what to do in the event of an emergency and where they may need to evacuate or shelter in place.

There’s a detailed plan that runs through everything

Once new hires have been onboarded and there’s a robust team in place, Garcia says it’s important to ensure that everyone is on the same page.

“We prepare a playbook for the team, which is essentially a one-stop shop for all the information an employee might need,” Garcia says. The playbook “describes every single part of our operation from front to back,” he adds, noting that there are even check marks for every item to make sure the whole team is prepared.

And over-communication is key, Garcia says. That’s why, in addition to the playbook, there are refreshers that go over different processes and monthly team trainings. They also run through “what if” scenarios and detail what to do if the team hits any snags, such as faulty equipment or a truck arriving late—that way, Garcia says, delivery station employees know how to handle these situations and can escalate them to the manager on duty.

In the lead-up to big shopping events, Garcia says, managers at delivery stations meet regularly to discuss progress and lessons learned, too. Managers also share expected forecasts for day-to-day volume with their teams, so they can plan roles and responsibilities accordingly.

The facilities also prepare for the increase in employees during this time

Fulfillment centers and delivery stations are busy places, especially during the year’s biggest shopping events. During Prime Day, for example, “we’re seeing close to 500 to 600 people—drivers, employees, leadership, and support teams such as our janitorial team—coming into the building at different times throughout the day,” Garcia says of his delivery station.

With more employees and partners in the buildings, he adds, it’s crucial that there are ample facilities for everyone. “We even take into account the fact that there needs to be more food available on-site leading up to and on Prime Day,” Garcia says, adding that everything down to the number of microwaves, parking spaces, tables, and toilets, is carefully considered ahead of Prime Day. In addition, DSP drivers can access food and drink offers, clean restrooms, complimentary water and ice refills, and spaces to cool down and take breaks this summer at McDonald’s locations across the country.

While these shopping events are exciting for customers, they also are for our employees who make them possible.