My Cousin Thought He’d Hate It – Now He’s Been There a Year
So my cousin just landed this warehouse associate gig in New Jersey, and honestly I didn’t expect him to stick with it longer than a month, but dude’s been there almost a year now and he’s actually kinda into it. Starts at like 18-19 bucks an hour these days, which isn’t life-changing but beats flipping burgers or driving for Uber when gas is stupid. Plus the overtime is insane around the holidays. He pulled 70-hour weeks before Christmas last year and walked away with a check that made his eyes water.
It’s Not Glamorous – It’s a Concrete Jungle Gym
Look, it’s not glamorous. You’re scanning boxes, slapping labels, building pallets, running around a giant concrete box that’s either freezing in winter or a sauna in summer because the AC can’t keep up when they open all the dock doors. Your Fitbit thinks you’re training for a marathon every shift. Feet hurt, back hurts, sometimes you’re stuck picking tiny items in the mezzanine for eight hours and your soul leaves your body a little. But then you hit a good day where the orders are big stuff, you’re on the forklift (if you get certified, huge pay bump), music’s playing, and it’s almost fun.
Packing: Two Different Worlds
The packing side is its own animal. Some places want everything perfect, like you’re wrapping gifts for the queen. Bubble wrap, foam, tape in exactly the right spots. Mess up one expensive item and suddenly everyone’s looking at you. Other warehouses just want it out the door fast, throw it in a box, handful of paper, done. Amazon’s the extreme version, rate of like 300 units an hour or they start sending you warnings. My boy worked there for three months and said he lost ten pounds without trying, just from stress and running.
Small Warehouses > Giant Corporations
Best ones are the smaller companies, 3PL places or distributors. Less pressure, managers who actually know your name, sometimes free snacks or pizza on Fridays. Worst are the big boys during peak, you’re just a number, replaceable by tomorrow. Oh, and steel-toe boots are mandatory pretty much everywhere now. Spend the extra forty bucks on good ones or your toes will hate you forever.
Language Doesn’t Matter – Hustle Does
Funny thing is half the crew doesn’t even speak English as a first language, but everyone figures it out. Spanish, Polish, Somali, whatever, you learn “faster,” “careful,” and a bunch of curse words real quick. Makes the day go by.
These Jobs Are Everywhere Right Now
If you need something now and you’re not scared of showing up and working hard, these jobs are everywhere. Indeed’s full of them, temp agencies will place you same week. Some even do day pay if you’re really broke. Just don’t be late, don’t be on your phone in the aisles, and don’t call out every Friday. Do that for six months and you can usually go full-time with benefits.
Bottom Line: Right-Now Money That Actually Changes Things
It’s not forever money, but it’s right-now money, and sometimes that’s exactly what you need. My cousin bought a half-decent car cash and moved out of his mom’s place. Not bad for scanning boxes, right?