I had interviewed and received an offer to join the recruiting team at Amazon Over the holiday season. I also did some networking with folks who work there, ex targeteers, locals, non amazonians and about 70% responses were NOT favorable. One of the guys I talked with was in Merch at Target and has been ar AMZ now for two years. His exact words were "if you have other options make sure you consider all before you accept here.." A local I talked with in in the medical field, " I've heard working at AMZ is worst than my last year in residency." So those were signs. It was difficult as yes the package was very attractive, however I had to follow my own rules. As a recruiter I refuse to call or email a candidate before 8am and after 5 pm and I will not reach candidates on weekends. As I feel it's a reflection of work life balance. Have I worked outside of these core hours? Absolutely and I love what I do, however I habe always believed that you should be in control of your work life balance. My decision was based on my own experience as a candidate. The recruiter and the hiring leader that I would have been reporting to were not on the same page and sending me conflicting messages, the hiring leader was extremely aggressive and trying to close me while I was having Chrstmas dinner with my family and refused to honor the "10 day offer validation" and wanted me to make a decision ASAP knowing I had other opportunities I was pursuing. I just took a look at the situation and if this was going to be a reflection or expectation of me as a recruiter at Amazon, it was not worth the extrinsic motivators or that big of a move across the country. Hopes this helps.
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My husband is with Amazon he hated it at first and still doesn't care for it some days but it is better. He did say he knows why he doesn't care for it. He said Target made him soft. He said he had not really worked in the last 12 years with them. His promotions and raises have always been about his image not about any real meaningful work which is probably why the company was ran into the crapper. He is getting his work ethic back and while he works a bit more he is home more because Amazon doesn't require him to go to team building exercises or other suck up events. He works and then is able to come home and not think about work. He doesn't get a million calls while at home like he did at Target. He agrees his work life balance is much better and he is actually enjoying his job better as he learns his new role. He said it was nice to be noticed for his production and also likes that it isn't a popularity contest. He said moving on from Target to Amazon was like leaving high school and going to college. He had to leave childish things behind and get serious and do some real work. He loves his pay, signing bonus and stock options which have grown significantly since he started. He said pay is why he works so working at a place that pays him what he is worth is refreshing. He said they do expect him to work as a manager but it's fine he was used to working the years he worked before Target. Most from former Target people he knows don't last long he said they are too soft.
Anonymous83944 - you are contradicting yourself a bit: a) "thought I fit better a AMZN" and b) though I personally fit better at Target... Which is it...
I'm now ex-TGT. When I was hired less than 4 years ago I was excited to work in a fast, fun and friendly place. FYI - I have 25 years of experience predominantly on the East Coast, with 3 years in the Valley. I worked in TTS. My assessment? Fun - marginally. Friendly - not really. Fast - NOT. Was like working for the Federal sector. Amazon, eBay et al actually are fast. They are not fun or friendly. Nor should they be. They GTKY through work, not statuses. If you can deliver, you're in. If you can't, you're a liability. Welcome, TGT to the real world.
I've worked at both companies AMZN and TGT. (I'm currently at ebary). I don't think one companie's culture is better than another necessarily, thought I fit better a AMZN.
A few differences based on my experience in online merchandising
1) At amazon, promotions and raises at tied directly to results. At Target its tied to your network and potential as seen by the organization
2) Amazon solves problems through direct stright talk and confrontation. Target is looking for organization wide alignment and consensus
3) Amazon is a leaner organization and more decision-making is pushed down to lower levels. (probably too much)
4) There is far less internal paper work at amazon compared to target when you spent half of your time working on or meeting about Forecast.
Obviously someone who thrives in target's culture will have a shock at Amazon and someone from Amazon would come off as a bull in a china shop at target. I dont believe either is better (though I personally fit better at Target).
"When Amazon employees get a Bezos question mark e-mail, they react as though they’ve discovered a ticking bomb. They’ve typically got a few hours to solve whatever issue the CEO has flagged and prepare a thorough explanation for how it occurred, a response that will be reviewed by a succession of managers before the answer is presented to Bezos himself. Such escalations, as these e-mails are known, are Bezos’s way of ensuring that the customer’s voice is constantly heard inside the company."
http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2013-10-10/jeff-bezos-and-the-age-of-amazon-excerpt-from-the-everything-store-by-brad-stone
You can also find information about Amazon on glassdoor.com. http://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Amazon-com-Reviews-E6036.htm
I've seen several posts about how horrible it is to work at Amazon, but they are all short on specifics. What exactly is so awful about working at Amazon HQ? Please don't respond with general things like "work/life balance". Be specific. This isn't directed at you OP. I'd like to hear from current or former Amazon employees.