"It's insane!" Workers busy at Kenosha Amazon fulfillment center during very first Cyber Monday
KENOSHA -- On "Cyber Monday," Monday, November 30th -- the biggest online shopping day of the year, millions logged onto the internet to get special deals. But the annual online shopping event meant even more for families in southeastern Wisconsin. Monday marked the very first Cyber Monday for Amazon's new fulfillment center in Kenosha.
Cyber Monday at Amazon fulfillment center in Kenosha
It may be difficult to comprehend Amazon.com's busiest shopping day of the year, but at Amazon's new fulfillment center in Kenosha, you can at least get an idea of the size and scope.
Cyber Monday at Amazon fulfillment center in Kenosha
"We have millions of products in this building. We'll get thousands of orders every hour," Brian Yurkiel, plant GM said.
Carlee Nestelberger
And someday, Carlee Nestelberger's jewelry might be shipped out through the fulfillment center.
Currently, Nestelberger is a featured artist on Amazon.com.
"It's insane! Especially today for Cyber Monday," Carlee Nestelberger with AmazziRoots said. "It's been an awesome experience to throw my stuff out there and see how it does. See how my views do."
For Kenosha and southeastern Wisconsin, Cyber Monday is no longer just about shopping for the holidays -- it's also about putting people to work. The fulfillment center in Kenosha employs 2,000 full-time employees.
Cyber Monday at Amazon fulfillment center in Kenosha
"We're also hiring hundreds of seasonal employees as well -- so there is a lot of local employees working to get products to customers as quickly as possible," Tom Cook, Amazon PR manager said.
"Definitely as big inside as it is from the outside. It's almost like its own little city," Angela Peterson, Amazon learning coordinator said.
Cyber Monday at Amazon fulfillment center in Kenosha
Peterson is one of Amazon's thousands of full-time employees. She was born and raised in Kenosha.
"It's really exciting to be a part of it, and I actually did a lot of Cyber Monday shopping on Amazon prior to this," Peterson said.
Cyber Monday at Amazon fulfillment center in Kenosha