RICHMOND, Texas — Online retail giant Amazon invited KHOU 11 News into its biggest fulfillment center in the Houston area to see the rush of orders leading up to Christmas.
The five-story Richmond warehouse holds more than 40 million units of inventory.
Within minutes of someone buying an item on Amazon, a robot carrying a four-sided pod takes the product to a person sorting orders. It is then sent to the packing department.
Evan Luscher, the director of operations for the Richmond fulfillment center called HOU6, said packages are carried on 15 miles of conveyor belts in the building.
Hundreds of associates and robots are working around the clock to deliver packages over the holidays.
Luscher said 1,000 people have been hired to work during Amazon’s peak season, which runs from Black Friday until Christmas. During this time, HOU6 processes half a million orders per day.
“What we see as you get closer and closer to the end of the season is more people ordering things with gift wrap, or they’re taking advantage of last-minute deals we have,” he said.
The inventory packaged at HOU6 is then stacked on 18-wheelers that travel to more than 100 locations. They end up on your doorstep within a day or two of you clicking “buy.”