Amazon Worker Posts Downsides of Working for Retailer, Internet Thinks She’s Dramatic

An Amazon employee posted a viral TikTok listing the "downsides" of working in a warehouse for the popular online retailer. If you're looking for a new job, especially in the months leading up to the holiday season when an influx of new orders is constantly being placed day in, day out, then there's a good chance you've seen postings for Amazon warehouse gigs.

Shy (@adoree.shy) says in a viral TikTok that gainful employment at Amazon may seem like an enticing prospect at first, but then she went on to list the downsides of working for the business. A bunch of other TikTokers who saw her post, however, didn't think that these drawbacks were anything egregiously wrong.

Shy begins her video with a recording of her wearing her Amazon worker's vest while looking directly into the camera and posing. She sticks her tongue out and moves her recording device around set to a song that samples Justin Timberlake's "Suit and Tie," and writes in an overlay: "everyone wants to work at amazon until you find out..."

The rest of the clip is a smash cut of her listing all of the downsides of working for the globally popular online retailer. The first, she writes is "managers dtm"

It's an acronym that stands for "doing too much," which could depending on the context, be positive or negative, something that shy confirmed in the comments section of the video in response to another TikTok user who was confused as to what she meant.

For instance, if you're in a relationship with somebody, you might want them to be "doing too much," when it comes to going out of their way to spend time with you, be with you, want to hang out, etc. because that shows that they're, you know, actually into you and not just trying to have a placeholder significant other.

From the way that Shy was referring to it in her video, however, it seems that "dtm" isn't exactly something positive: if one's manager is "doing too much," she probably means that her supervisor is, by her estimation, annoyingly pedantic and particular about performing their duties.

The next downside, according to Shy, of working at Amazon is: "only get a 30 min lunch break"

Amazon has, in the past, been criticized for its stringent adherence to schedules in order to hit goals, like in 2019 when it was revealed employees were urinating in water bottles in order to make its deliveries in a timely fashion.

It wasn't just delivery drivers who had to delay peeing or let loose in less-than-ideal scenarios: warehouse workers purportedly skipped bathroom breaks as well.

A January 2023 article published by CNBC seems to suggest that this issue is a persistent one and that there's even been federal insight into the company's treatment of its employees: "Amazon warehouse workers have previously complained that the company's pace of work prevents them from taking adequate bathroom and rest breaks, and leads to unfair disciplinary actions."

This could mean that even though 30 minutes are set aside for employees to take a lunch break which will allow them to enjoy a meal away from the hustle and bustle of their gigs, theey may not get to enjoy the entirety of that time if they've got particular targets to hit.

Her last criticism as a downside of working for Amazon: "gotta work 10hr shifts and 11 hr shifts for overtime" she penned in the viral clip, yet another allusion to the workload that many Amazon employees find themselves undertaking after they sign up to work for the retailer.

Shy's other sticking point with the company also pertains to break times where she writes: "get two 15 min break but it's really 10 min" as she dances in front of the camera as the video ultimately closes out.

There were several commenters who had varying opinions on the Amazonian life that the TikToker criticized in the video. One person wrote: "so a regular job.... can you believe it," while someone else seemed to think that the benefits of the job mostly outweighed the cons: "I mean 4 days on, 3 days off with a guaranteed 40 hours with a check every week sounds decent."

Another penned that Shy's dilemma is a tale as old as time when it comes to folks just wanting to work in general: "Everyone wants to work at Amazon until they find out you actually gotta work" — i.e. people want a paycheck and a job, but don't necessarily want to perform the duties associated with said job.

Someone else seemed to think that working for the retailer was ultimately worth it: "Amazon is a good paying and easy job it’s just u gotta be willing to do it for 10-11 hrs a day but it’s worth it for a short term job"

While another thought that Shy's issues with the gig were being overblown: "Amazon is the easiest warehouse job there is."

"Y’all get 2 10 min breaks ? Cries in healthcare," someone else wrote, suggesting that their own healthcare work packed a much more intense schedule.

There was one TikToker who didn't seem to regret their time working at Amazon, writing they were able to secure themselves a decent amount of money with the retailer despite only working intermittently: "hated amazon but the money was niceee i left with 5k in my account and only worked seasonal"