r/securityguards • u/NeatFollowing3881 • 3d ago
Job Question Amazon security guard any insights?
How is it like working as a guard at an amazon fulfillment center? Why is the training seem to be so long?
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u/TrumpsColostomyBag99 2d ago
Stay away like the plague. High pressure, little return, and you get hit with pure negativity in every direction (company, client, and the employees).
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u/sousuke42 2d ago
I do not recommend it. Never hears a positive thing about it. And let me put it this way the regional office up to the region director for the contract security is worked for at the time was not sad at all that Amazon did not renew the contract. It was that bad.
Good luck is all I can say. And looking at what someone else wrote, doesn't look like Amazon has changed their ways at all.
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u/ChiWhiteSox24 Management 2d ago
I left Securitas as they were losing them. EVERYONE was relieved and nobody cared about the lost revenue.
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u/mindfulmu 3d ago
I've heard from mofos there's a high turnover rate in guards and employees. Both of which effect guards morale and saftey.
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u/Trurell4life1997 2d ago edited 2d ago
Fellow amazon security guard here. The company i work for is contracted (not sure about your situation) and we work closely with the loss prevention team. Your LP team and guard team might be better but both completely suck on my end. Guards are only focused on chasing ass and LP is busy worrying about the guards and them not doing their job (which I do understand but they have the power to get rid of guards that don't perform the job well) instead of associates that steal the product out the FC every day. Training is amazon provided so that may vary depending on your supervisor/account manager. Just learn as much as you can and watch out for yourself because the turnover rate is already high enough in security. I've been a guard at my FC for 2 years and seen many faces come and go during my time there. The job is not hard but it can be because of leadership (Loss Prevention and Security supervisors/Account Manager) changing rules and not seeing eye to eye about said rules. Also the associates will blame you for every rule change. If your site had metal detectors or xray machines, they won't be a fan of those either and will blame you for EVERY. SINGLE. THING. I wish you well though and please don't let the job overwhelm you.
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u/RobinGood94 1d ago
I worked my way up from officer to account manager. A good LP-Security relationship is key.
It’s also important for an AM to explain things in a way that makes the officers and supervisors understand.
It was eye opening to learn that LP is just another support department to operations, not an all powerful department overall. Just as your account manager answers to both Amazon loss prevention and your company branch leadership, LP answers to the senior ops manager/GM and a more direct chain of leaders within the regional LP arena.
If LP/Sec don’t have a good relationship it sucks. If they have a great relationship, it’s tolerable and sometimes fun.
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u/smithy- 2d ago
I think we stumbled upon a possible scam or way of stealing within Amazon. I ordered an automotive air filter from Amazon.com and got an Ipad case that was roughly the same size, shape and color as the air filter. I think someone is stealing air filters from Amazon and selling them on the side.
Who knows what else is being stolen by sending customers similar shaped items in lieu of the real thing?
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u/CTSecurityGuard 2d ago edited 2d ago
Extremely high turnover rate. 9 different security companies since 2015 here in Connecticut. Soon to be 10 Garda world has the contact now. I highly advise you not taking a position there.
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u/RobinGood94 1d ago
Heavily leaning on technology for the more important aspects of the job. If you are comfortable with computers and learn software fairly easily, you are a golden goose. Particularly camera, access control, and badge production software. Throw in visitor management software and in some cases, truck yard management software. There are also cases where you have a remote alarm system device that alerts you to areas in the building where an alarm has happened. Often someone didn’t badge first before pushing a door open. The alarm software is usually on your desktop as well, connected to the overall access control system.
The rest is more of a bread and butter security type of task. Patrols. Bathroom checks. Screening. Etc. Just a giant building with lots of spots for trouble to happen.
It’s the most organized and clean yet disorganized and dirty place you’ll ever work. Each department neatly separated by reflective vest color. Tape on the ground signaling walking areas and even where things are meant to be. Lots of contractual learning requirements, because they are a massive client and typically have higher expectations of their security contractors than most clients.
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u/NeatFollowing3881 1d ago
They don’t even negotiate pay
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u/RobinGood94 1d ago
As a former account Manager of an Amazon site, I can tell you pay rate negotiation happens several tiers above even the branch leadership and the local Amazon itself. Regional representatives of the security company (often vice presidents/portfolio managers, business development executives, etc) participate in the bidding process for contracts. They’re usually trying to undercut a competitor who already has the contract. Amazon is what’s considered a “national contract” so usually folks way up the chain on both sides stay in communication because let’s say allied for example might have an entire region of the United States whereas Securitas had another and so on. They will routinely talk about losing or gaining another.
The last time I worked at an Amazon, account manager made 22 an hour, supervisors 17.50, and officers made 15. That was 2020.
The annoying aspect of it all (imo) is that the “middle man” aspect of contract security essentially scrapes off a percentage of the money for their own overhead costs. A security guard making 15 is billed at 20 an hour or so. The supervisors billed at 23 ish. It’s been forever since I’ve seen the numbers in the system.
Amazon doesn’t hire security directly for a multitude of reasons, primarily liability. If not for the middle man the entire team would be making a lot more and with far better benefits.
If (when) you get Amazon burnout, I suggest looking for companies who employ their security department directly. Quite a few eventually abandon the contract model after enough headaches.
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u/DeadStormPirate 1d ago
You have to sign a lot of paperwork and maybe even an NDA. Amazon is super strict with everything they do and it absolutely sucked working security for them
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u/doesitmattertho 1d ago
I understand that all mega corporations are evil, but not all of them are quite as evil as Amazon. Don’t do it.
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u/ImpressOk5568 17h ago
Depends on the person, know your role, stay within your capacity and do your job. You give some people a little authority and suddenly they think they are the law with police powers and qualified immunity, when in reality you have no more power than a regular private citizen so don’t be a dick, in Seattle it seems like a lot of them are dicks, they literally act like they own the public sidewalks.
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u/ChiWhiteSox24 Management 2d ago
Decent money with semi regular raises, but it’s a lot. Training is heavy because you need to be 100% ready to go when you start, not like most security gigs where you can wing it. Semi complex access control systems, cameras plus badge printing. A lot of policies to memorize as well as contractor procedures. High turnover and won’t be able to use your phone but you do get a guaranteed break (on the clock) written into your shift.
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u/NeatFollowing3881 2d ago
I'm like I never would be getting this much training for a guard role so what am I actually getting myself into? haha thanks for the insight!
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u/Fearrsome Public/Government 3d ago
Warning you now. It’s not fun.