My kids are well aware of Amazon and the many boxes that arrive at our house each month. So when I found out we could take a free tour of our local Amazon Fulfillment Center in Breinigsville, PA, we gathered up some friends and took a mini-field trip!
Upon arrival, we gathered in a welcome room where our tour guide went over some basic information about the fulfillment center (including the fact that it's the size of 12 football fields!), talked about the rules (no photos allowed, except in one designated area) and handed out headsets so we could hear her while she showed us around.
Once inside, we spend about 45 minutes checking out the monstrous facility that houses hundreds of thousands of items and learned about exactly what happens what some hits the "buy" button, from the moment the order arrives to the time it heads out for delivery. But surprisngly, we only walked about a mile total -- nothing strenuous or exhausting (though be aware, there are steps invovled.)
Want to take your own tour? Here's what you need to know:
- There are 23 centers available for tours across the country and you can find the list here. All booking is handled online and popular times (such as days that school is closed) will fill up early. We went with a group of other moms and their kiddos, 10 of us total, and the kids ranged in age from 7-9. No children under age 6 are permitted on these tours, including infants.
- Public tours are available twice a day, Monday through Friday at 10am and 1:30pm, and can accomodate up to 20 people at a time. Saturday tours may be offered this summer. And no tours are offered in the fall during the holiday rush.
- Private tours are available for groups of 21-30 (This would be perfect for scout groups and school trips!)
Would I recommend it?
Yes. This was a quick and easy educational trip for our kiddos. The tour guide was great with the kids and took the time to answer all of our many questions, including my question on why you sometimes get a huge box with just one tiny item inside. (Yup, I asked!) You'll need to take the tour to get the answer and learn what they're doing about.
The tour itself was the perfect amount of time and held the interest of the kids. I only had one kid ask me if it was "almost over" right at the end, but afterwards, even he said it was interesting and neat to see. And the souvenier that we all got at the end was a fun surprise.
Ready to schedule your tour? Click HERE to get started or learn more.
