I was talking to the Amazon guys at Hershey last weekend. Sounded like a pretty nice gig. Anyone have any experience? What was the campground they put you up at like?

Becky Schade who blogs over on her Interstellar Orchard site has worked camper force for several years now and has written extensively about it, what the work is like, how the campgrounds are, how to get hired, etc.

https://interstellarorchard.com/?s=camper+force

  On 9/20/2018 at 2:43 AM, Allentc2 said:

I was talking to the Amazon guys at Hershey last weekend. Sounded like a pretty nice gig. Anyone have any experience? What was the campground they put you up at like?

It varies widely from site to site and year to year. I only did it once, years ago, and that was enough for me. But I've known others who did it for several years at different locations. Its hard physical work, 10-12 hrs on your feet with minimal breaks and some assignments require constant walking back & forth for those 10-12 hrs. Your productivity or lack of, is constantly monitored. It can also be a bit frustrating, since you're a temp they are not at all interested in any feedback on how to improve their system, which at times can seem a bit disorganized. The attitude of management and fulltime staff toward the camperforce folks also varies from site to site, year to year. The work hours can vary widely. You may be sent home early some days, you may be told they don't need you for 2 days, you may be forced to work overtime some weeks or you may not be offered any overtime at all. Its purely up to their needs and not yours.

The campgrounds they expect you to stay in also vary widely. Some are nice, some are barely usable, some are open dirt fields fields with some temp utilities used only for camperforce, & some turn into mud piles when it rains.  Amazon doesn't manage the campgrounds, they just pay the bill. They have little interest in getting involved with problems at the campgrounds. Many years their designated campgrounds filled up quickly and you were left on your own to find something else.

Maybe a lot has changed since I tried it, but I wouldn't go back for double the money. Try to find & read lots of reviews from different folks who have been through it recently. I may be overly harsh, everyone has a different perspective and there are lots of them online & in various RV forums. If you get a good location and need the money, it can be a great option. But if you get a bad location, its been hell for several folks.

Can't say I was overly satisfied with the amount of pieces per hour one was expected to put out! I was at Campbellsville KY location and stayed at a decent campground near a state park. Worked two rush seasons until my health failed me!

I  worked 2 Peaks at Campbellsville and had a great time.....and will do it again.  The work was not “easy”, but I did not find any of the jobs hard or tiring.  Depending on what I did, I walked anywhere from 12,000 to 45,000 steps/day.  The “stow” positions averaged in the 12-14,000 range; “pick” averaged 14-20,000; “water spider” ranged from 20-45,000; “gift wrap” was hard for me as it required standing and very little walking but some people loved it; “ICQG“ (inventory control) was easy (maybe 6000 steps/day) but boring for me, “receiving/unloading” trucks was fun but requires twisting/bending/stooping/carrying with some heavy boxes.  The people were great and the work was .......work.  My piece rate never measured up, but as a CamperForce, employee I was only required to attain 85% of what was required of full-time employees.  I volunteered for any and all overtime and worked 60 hr weeks as often as possible, but 60 hours was never required.

We stayed out at Green River RV Park across the street from the Green River State Park RC flying field and had a great time.  The people I spoke with at Heartland, the Stables, and the State Park all seemed satisfied with their places.  There were a few that decided they liked the idea of being across the street from the DC and walking to work that moved to Heartland but I think most people were content.

I will not be a CamperForce worker this year as I have another commitment, but I would not hesitate to do it again.

Edited September 21, 2018 by mb36912

Spelling/punctuation

Thanks for the input everyone! Sounds like it may be worth trying out at some point.