Amazon's distribution center in Montgomery County prepares for busiest holiday shopping rush
"1,600 items were ordered on Amazon.com per second," said Amazon spokesperson Steve Kelly.
CONSHOHOCKEN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- It's one of the busiest holiday seasons Amazon said they have ever seen.
At the recently opened distribution center in Conshohocken, Montgomery County, they're averaging sending out 90,000 packages a day, which is significantly higher than a typical day.
"What we saw on Black Friday, and this will blow your mind...1,600 items were ordered on Amazon.com per second," said Amazon spokesperson Steve Kelly.
The demand remains high, and the company says to fight the nationwide staffing shortage, they increased the starting wage to $18 an hour to attract workers.
Amazon also opened new HUBs nationwide like the one in Montgomery County.
"We've got more vans on the road. We've opened up more port space, we've got more planes," Kelly said.
The company is hoping that will cut down on delays. Amazon offers special shipping for Prime members, including two-day and one-day shipping. They say they're also prepared for last-minute shoppers.
"For those few thousand items that are available for same-day delivery in and around the Delaware Valley, you can order the morning of December 24, and one of these Amazon vans will bring it to your doorstep by the end of the day," Kelly said.
Amazon says a big key to making sure packages arrive on time is having fully staffed distribution sites.
At the Conshohocken site, there are 300 employees. The job offer comes with signing bonuses of up to $3,000.
"That means we are bringing more and more people into each building so that our employees have the time to spend with their families and we can still deliver for our customers," Kelly said.
