");vwo_$('head').append(_vwo_sel);return vwo_$('head')[0] && vwo_$('head')[0].lastChild;})("HEAD")}}, C_940895_39_1_2_0:{ fn:function(log,nonce=''){return (function(x) {
try{
var _vwo_sel = vwo_$("`);
!vwo_$("head").find('#1740425171461').length && vwo_$('head').append(_vwo_sel);}catch(e) {console.error(e)}
try{}catch(e) {console.error(e)}
try{const getCurrentDate = (d = new Date()) => d.toISOString().split('T')[0];
function vwoCustomEvent (labelValue) {
window.VWO = window.VWO || [];
VWO.event = VWO.event || function () {VWO.push(["event"].concat([].slice.call(arguments)))};
VWO.event("customEvent", { "label": labelValue.toString() });
}
class RadioButtonComponent {
constructor (element) {
this.radio = element.querySelector('input[type="radio"]');
this.label = element.querySelector('label');
}
get value () {
let value = this.radio.value;
if (Number.isNaN(parseFloat(value)))
return value;
if (parseFloat(value) % 1 == 0)
return parseInt(value);
return parseFloat(value);
}
set value (newValue) {
this.radio.value = newValue;
}
get text () {
return this.label.textContent;
}
set text (newText) {
if (this.label.querySelector('.form-required')) {
const labelTextNode = [...this.label.childNodes].filter(({ nodeType }) => nodeType === Node.TEXT_NODE)[0];
labelTextNode.nodeValue = newText;
} else {
this.label.textContent = newText;
}
}
get checked () {
return this.radio.checked;
}
set checked (bool) {
this.click(),
bool === true && this.radio.checked === true;
}
click () {
this.label.click();
}
select () {
this.click();
}
addEventListener (eventType, callbackFunction) {
switch (eventType) {
case 'click':
this.label.addEventListener(eventType, callbackFunction);
case 'change':
default:
this.radio.addEventListener(eventType, callbackFunction);
}
}
}
class TextFieldComponent {
constructor (element) {
this.input = element.querySelector('input[type="text"]');
this.label = element.querySelector('label');
}
get value () {
return this.input.value;
}
set value (newValue) {
this.input.dispatchEvent(new Event('focus'));
this.input.value = newValue;
this.input.dispatchEvent(new Event('keyup'));
this.input.dispatchEvent(new Event('change'));
this.input.dispatchEvent(new Event('blur'));
}
get text () {
return this.input.placeholder;
}
set text (newText) {
this.input.placeholder = newText;
}
addEventListener (eventType, callbackFunction) {
this.input.addEventListener(eventType, callbackFunction);
}
}
class GiftArrayButton extends RadioButtonComponent {
constructor (element) {
super(element);
}
get amount () {
return this.value;
}
set amount (newAmount) {
if (Number.isNaN(parseInt(newAmount)) || parseInt(newAmount) <= 0)
throw new Error("New amount must be a valid number greater than 0.");
newAmount = parseInt(newAmount);
this.text = '$' + newAmount;
this.value = newAmount;
}
}
class GiftArrayOtherAmount extends TextFieldComponent {
constructor (element) {
super(element);
}
get amount () {
return parseFloat(this.value);
}
set amount (newAmount) {
if (Number.isNaN(parseInt(newAmount)) || parseInt(newAmount) <= 0)
throw new Error("New amount must be a valid number greater than 0.");
newAmount = parseFloat(newAmount);
this.value = newAmount;
this.input.dispatchEvent(new Event('updateSummary'));
}
}
class GiftArray extends Array {
constructor (items) {
if (!Array.isArray(items) && items.length === 0) {
throw new Error("GiftArray: Arugment 1 is not an instance of Array with a length greater than 0:" + items.join(', '));
}
if (items.every((item) => item instanceof GiftArrayButton || item instanceof GiftArrayOtherAmount)) {
if (items.find((item) => item instanceof GiftArrayOtherAmount)) {
let temp = items.find((item) => item instanceof GiftArrayOtherAmount);
items = items.filter((item) => item instanceof GiftArrayButton);
items.push(temp);
}
} else if (items.every((item) => item instanceof HTMLElement)) {
items = items.map((item) => item.matches(".webform-component-textfield") ? new GiftArrayOtherAmount(item) : new GiftArrayButton(item));
} else {
throw new Error("GiftArray: Arugment 1 is not of type HTMLElement, HTMLElement[], or GiftArrayButton|GiftArrayButton[]:" + items.join(', '));
}
super(...items);
this.Buttons = items.filter((item) => item instanceof GiftArrayButton);
this.OtherAmountInput = items.find((item) => item instanceof GiftArrayOtherAmount);
}
get amount () {
const activeButton = this.Buttons.find((item) => item.checked);
if (activeButton.value === "other") {
const otherButton = activeButton;
if (!otherButton) {
throw new Error("GiftArray.amount: Other Button was not defined.");
}
otherButton.click();
return this.OtherAmountInput.value;
} else {
return activeButton.value;
}
}
set amount (newAmount) {
if (Number.isNaN(parseInt(newAmount)) || parseInt(newAmount) <= 0)
throw new Error("New amount must be a valid number greater than 0.");
newAmount = parseFloat(newAmount);
const matchingButton = this.find((item) => item.value === newAmount);
if (matchingButton) {
matchingButton.click();
} else {
const otherButton = this.Buttons.find((item) => item.value === "other");
otherButton.click();
this.OtherAmountInput.amount = newAmount;
}
}
addEventListeners (eventType, callbackFunction, filter = undefined) {
if (filter && typeof filter === 'function') {
const filteredItems = this.filter((item) => filter.call(this, item));
filteredItems.forEach((item) => item.addEventListener(eventType, callbackFunction));
} else if (filter && typeof filter === 'string') {
if (filter.match(/buttons/gmi))
this.Buttons.forEach((item) => item.addEventListener(eventType, callbackFunction));
if (filter.match(/other/gmi))
this.OtherAmountInput.addEventListener(eventType, callbackFunction);
} else {
this.forEach((item) => item.addEventListener(eventType, callbackFunction));
}
}
}
class FrequencyButton extends RadioButtonComponent {
constructor (element) {
super(element);
}
get frequency () {
return this.text.match(/Monthly/gmi) ? "Monthly" : "One-Time";
}
set freqency (newAmount) {
if (Number.isNaN(parseInt(newAmount)) || parseInt(newAmount) <= 0)
throw new Error("New amount must be a valid number greater than 0.");
newAmount = parseInt(newAmount);
this.text = '$' + newAmount;
this.value = newAmount;
}
}
class FrequencyArray extends Array {
constructor (items) {
if (!Array.isArray(items) && items.length === 0) {
throw new Error("FrequencyArray: Arugment 1 is not an instance of Array with a length greater than 0:" + items.join(', '));
}
/*if (items.every((item) => item instanceof GiftArrayButton || item instanceof GiftArrayOtherAmount)) {
if (items.find((item) => item instanceof GiftArrayOtherAmount)) {
let temp = items.find((item) => item instanceof GiftArrayOtherAmount);
items = items.filter((item) => item instanceof GiftArrayButton);
items.push(temp);
}
} else*/ if (items.every((item) => item instanceof HTMLElement)) {
items = items.map((item) => item.matches(".webform-component-textfield") ? new GiftArrayOtherAmount(item) : new GiftArrayButton(item));
} else {
throw new Error("FrequencyArray: Arugment 1 is not of type HTMLElement or HTMLElement[]:" + items.join(', '));
}
super(...items);
this.Buttons = items.filter((item) => item instanceof GiftArrayButton);
}
get frequency () {
const activeButton = this.Buttons.find((item) => item.checked);
if (activeButton.value === "recurs")
return "monthly";
if (activeButton.value === "NO_RECURR")
return "one-time";
return activeButton.value;
}
set frequency (newFrequency) {
const reNewFrequencyValue = new RegExp(newFrequency, 'gmi');
const matchingButton = this.find((item) => item.value.match(reNewFrequencyValue) || item.text.match(reNewFrequencyValue));
matchingButton.click();
}
get recurring () {
return this.frequency === "monthly" ? true : false;
}
set recurring (bool) {
this.frequency = bool === true ? "monthly" : "one-time";
}
addEventListeners (eventType, callbackFunction, filter = undefined) {
if (filter && typeof filter === 'function') {
const filteredItems = this.filter((item) => filter.call(this, item));
filteredItems.forEach((item) => item.addEventListener(eventType, callbackFunction));
} else if (filter && typeof filter === 'string') {
if (filter.match(/buttons/gmi))
this.Buttons.forEach((item) => item.addEventListener(eventType, callbackFunction));
if (filter.match(/other/gmi))
this.OtherAmountInput.addEventListener(eventType, callbackFunction);
} else {
this.forEach((item) => item.addEventListener(eventType, callbackFunction));
}
}
}
//
const lockedProperty = { writable: false, configurable: false, enumerable: true };
function DonationFormAPI (elements, options = {}) {
const defaultOptions = {
min: 1.00,
max: 999999.99,
makeTabbed: false,
fakeSubmit: true,
overrideGiftArrayValues: false,
};
options = { ...defaultOptions, ...options };
//
const { frequencyRadios, submitButton, root } = elements;
const [ amountRadiosOnetime, amountRadiosMonthly ] = elements.amountRadios;
const oneTimeOtherAmountWrapper = amountRadiosOnetime.find((div) => !div.matches('.webform-component-textfield') || div.querySelector('input[type="text"]'));
const oneTimeRadioButtons = amountRadiosOnetime.filter((div) => div !== oneTimeOtherAmountWrapper);
const monthlyOtherAmountWrapper = amountRadiosMonthly.find((div) => !div.matches('.webform-component-textfield') || div.querySelector('input[type="text"]'));
const monthlyRadioButtons = amountRadiosMonthly.filter((div) => div !== monthlyOtherAmountWrapper);
const debug = {
log: (...args) => window.NA.DonationForm.DEBUG_MODE && console.log(...args),
info: (...args) => window.NA.DonationForm.DEBUG_MODE && console.log(...args),
warn: (...args) => window.NA.DonationForm.DEBUG_MODE && console.log(...args),
error: (...args) => window.NA.DonationForm.DEBUG_MODE && console.log(...args),
};
//
const api = new Object();
Object.defineProperty(api, 'root', {
value: root,
writable: false,
configurable: true,
enumerable: true,
});
Object.defineProperties(api, {
'FORM_MINIMUM': {
value: options.min || 0,
...lockedProperty
},
'FORM_MAXIMUM': {
value: options.max || Infinity,
...lockedProperty
},
});
Object.defineProperties(api, {
GiftArrays: {
value: {
"one-time": new GiftArray([ ...oneTimeRadioButtons, oneTimeOtherAmountWrapper ]),
"monthly": new GiftArray([ ...monthlyRadioButtons, monthlyOtherAmountWrapper ]),
},
writable: false,
configurable: true,
enumerable: true,
},
Frequencies: {
value: new FrequencyArray(frequencyRadios),
writable: false,
configurable: true,
enumerable: true,
},
SubmitButton: {
value: submitButton,
writable: false,
configurable: false,
enumerable: true,
}
});
Object.defineProperties(api, {
'getFrequency': {
value: async function () {
if (!this || this === null) throw new Error("validate: Unable to read API context.");
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
try {
resolve(this.Frequencies.frequency);
} catch (error) {
reject(error);
}
});
}, ...lockedProperty
},
'setFrequency': {
value: async function (frequency) {
if (!this || this === null) throw new Error("validate: Unable to read API context.");
return new Promise(async (resolve, reject) => {
try {
this.Frequencies.frequency = frequency;
if (await this.getFrequency() === frequency)
resolve(frequency);
} catch (error) {
reject(error);
}
});
}, ...lockedProperty
},
'getAmount': {
value: async function (frequency = undefined) {
if (!this || this === null) throw new Error("validate: Unable to read API context.");
return new Promise(async (resolve, reject) => {
try {
frequency = frequency || await this.getFrequency();
if (frequency && this.GiftArrays.hasOwnProperty(frequency)) {
const activeGiftArray = this.GiftArrays[frequency];
resolve(activeGiftArray.amount);
} else {
throw new Error("getAmount: Invalid frequency: " + frequency);
}
} catch (error) {
reject(error);
}
});
}, ...lockedProperty
},
'setAmount': {
value: async function (amount, frequency = undefined) {
if (!this || this === null) throw new Error("validate: Unable to read API context.");
return new Promise(async (resolve, reject) => {
try {
const currentFrequency = await this.getFrequency();
if (!frequency) {
frequency = currentFrequency;
} else if (frequency !== currentFrequency) {
frequency = await this.setFrequency(frequency);
}
if (frequency && this.GiftArrays.hasOwnProperty(frequency)) {
const activeGiftArray = this.GiftArrays[frequency];
activeGiftArray.amount = amount;
} else {
throw new Error("setAmount: Invalid frequency: " + frequency);
}
if (await this.getAmount() === amount)
resolve(amount);
} catch (error) {
reject(error);
}
});
}, ...lockedProperty
},
'getRecurring': {
value: async function () {
if (!this || this === null) throw new Error("validate: Unable to read API context.");
return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
try {
resolve(this.Frequencies.recurring);
} catch (error) {
reject(error);
}
});
}, ...lockedProperty
},
'setRecurring': {
value: async function (bool) {
if (!this || this === null) throw new Error("validate: Unable to read API context.");
return new Promise(async (resolve, reject) => {
try {
this.Frequencies.frequency = bool ? true : false;
if (await this.getRecurring() === bool)
resolve(bool);
} catch (error) {
reject(error);
}
});
}, ...lockedProperty
},
freqency: {
get () { return this.getFrequency() },
set (value) { this.setFrequency(value) },
enumerable: true, configurable: true,
},
amount: {
get () { return this.getAmount() },
set (value) { this.setAmount(value) },
enumerable: true, configurable: true,
},
recurring: {
get () { return this.getRecurring() },
set (value) { this.setRecurring(value) },
enumerable: true, configurable: true,
},
});
Object.defineProperties(api, {
'submit': {
value: async function (condition = this.validate||function(){return true}) {
//this.hooks['onBeforeSubmit'].forEach((callback) => callback.call(this));
let result;
const isAsyncFunction = (func) => func.constructor.name === "AsyncFunction";
if (Array.isArray(condition)) {
if (condition.every((c) => typeof c === 'function' && isAsyncFunction(c))) {
result = await Promise.all(condition.map(async (c) => await c.call(this)));
} else if (condition.every((c) => typeof c === 'function')) {
result = condition.every((c) => c.call(this));
} else if (condition.every((c) => c === true || c === false)) {
result = condition.every((c) => c);
}
} else if (typeof condition === 'function' && isAsyncFunction(condition)) {
result = await condition.call(this);
} else if (typeof condition === 'function') {
result = condition.call(this);
} else if (condition === true || condition === false) {
result = condition;
} else {
console.error("Unknown error.");
debugger;
}
//
if (result === true) {
if (window.NA.DonationForm.hasOwnProperty("DEBUG_MODE") && window.NA.DonationForm["DEBUG_MODE"] == true)
return console.log("Submit aborted (debug mode is enabled).");
this.SubmitButton.click(),
this.hooks['onSubmit'].forEach((callback) => callback.call(this));
//this.hooks['onAfterSubmit'].forEach((callback) => callback.call(this));
} else {
return console.log("Submit failed (conditions did not evaluate to true).");
}
}, ...lockedProperty
},
'interceptSubmit': {
value: function (handleInterceptedSubmit = () => { return new Promise((resolve) => resolve(undefined)) }) {
try {
window.NA.DonationForm.SubmitButtonCopy = window.NA.DonationForm.SubmitButtonCopy || createNewSubmitButton(window.NA.DonationForm.SubmitButton, { cloneOriginal: false, hideOriginal: true, observeOriginal: false });
window.NA.DonationForm.SubmitButtonCopy.addEventListener('click', async (event) => {
event.preventDefault(), event.stopPropagation();
const shouldFormSubmit = await handleInterceptedSubmit.call(this, event);
if (shouldFormSubmit) {
console.info("Submit allowed by initial interceptSubmit callback function resulting in a truthy evaluation.");
const formIsValid = await window.NA.DonationForm.validate();
if (!formIsValid) { // if submit allowed but there are known errors in the form
console.warn("Form has known errors. Attempting to submit to show errors then retrying.");
console.log("Submitting...");
window.NA.DonationForm.submit(true); // submit anyway to trigger the error to be shown
window.NA.DonationForm.SubmitButton.style.setProperty("display", "none"), debug.info("SubmitButton hidden."), // hide the original submit button again
window.NA.DonationForm.SubmitButtonCopy.style.setProperty("display", "none"), debug.info("SubmitButtonCopy hidden."); // hide the copy of the submit button again
window.NA.DonationForm.SubmitButtonCopy.style.removeProperty("display"), debug.info("SubmitButtonCopy unhidden."); // show the copy of the submit button
} else {
console.log("Submitting...");
window.NA.DonationForm.submit(true);
}
} else {
console.log("Submit prevented.");
console.info("Next submit will be allowed.");
window.NA.DonationForm.SubmitButton.style.removeProperty("display"), debug.info("SubmitButton unhidden."); // show the original submit button so that if something goes wrong the user can still click the submit button
window.NA.DonationForm.SubmitButtonCopy.style.setProperty("display", "none"), debug.info("SubmitButtonCopy hidden."); // hide the copy of the submit button that intercepts submit attempts so that there aren't two buttons
}
});
console.log("Submit intercept added.\nButton:", window.NA.DonationForm.SubmitButtonCopy);
} catch (error) {
console.error("Failed to add submit intercept:", error);
}
}, ...lockedProperty
},
'validate': {
value: async function (root = undefined) {
if (!this || this === null)
throw new Error("validate: Unable to read API context.");
root = root || this.root;
const flattenArray = (array) => array.reduce((flat, toFlatten) => flat.concat(Array.isArray(toFlatten) ? flattenArray(toFlatten) : toFlatten), []);
try {
const freqency = await this.getFrequency(),
amount = await this.getAmount();
if (!freqency || !amount)
return false;
if (amount < this.FORM_MINIMUM || amount > this.FORM_MAXIMUM)
return console.error("validate:", "Gift amount is invalid:", amount), false;
let requiredFields = Array.from(root.querySelectorAll('label:has(.form-required)'))
.map((label) => document.getElementById(label.htmlFor) || (label.nextElementSibling || label.previousElementSibling))
.filter((_) => !!_) // remove blanks
.filter((field) => {
if (field.name && field.name.includes('[payment_information]'))
return false;
return true;
})
.map((field) => {
if (field.matches("div"))
return [...field.querySelectorAll('input')];
return field;
})
requiredFields = flattenArray(requiredFields);
const valid = requiredFields.every((input) => {
const type = input.tagName.toLowerCase() === 'select' ? 'select' : input.type;
const { name, value, id } = input;
//console.log(type, name, value);
if (name === 'submitted[payment_information][payment_fields][credit][card_number]') {
if (value && value.length === 16)
return true;
return console.error("validate:", name+':', "CC is invalid."), false;
}
if (name === 'submitted[leadership_circle]')
return true;
if (name === 'submitted[donation][other_amount]' || name === 'submitted[donation][recurring_other_amount]')
if (amount)
return true;
switch (type) {
case 'email':
const emailRegex = /^[a-zA-Z0-9._%+-]+@[a-zA-Z0-9.-]+\.[a-zA-Z]{2,}$/;
if (!emailRegex.test(value))
return console.error("validate:", name+':', "Email address is invalid.\n", input, value), false;
return true;
case 'tel':
if (!value || value.length < 10)
return console.error("validate:", name+':', "Phone number is invalid.\n", input, value), false;
return true;
case 'select':
case 'radio':
case 'text':
if (!value || value.length === 0)
return console.error("validate:", name+':', "Field is invalid.\n", input, value), false;
return true;
default:
debug.log("default");
return true;
}
/*if (!value || value.length === 0)
return false;*/
});
return valid;
} catch (error) {
console.error(error);
return false;
}
}, ...lockedProperty
},
//'makeTabbed': { value: function(){} },
'DonationInterrupter': {
value: { init: initDonationInterrupter.bind(api) },
enumerable: true,
configurable: true,
writable: true,
}
});
initHooks(api, ['onFrequencyChange', 'onAmountChange', 'onTrySubmit', 'onSubmit']);
api.Frequencies.addEventListeners('change', (event) => {
if (event.target.checked) {
api.hooks['onFrequencyChange'].forEach((callback) => {
callback.call(api, event.target.value);
});
}
});
Object.entries(api.GiftArrays).forEach(([ key, GiftArray ]) => {
GiftArray.addEventListeners('change', (event) => {
if (event.target.checked) {
api.hooks['onAmountChange'].forEach((callback) => {
callback.call(api, event.target.value);
});
}
});
});
api.SubmitButton.addEventListener('click', (event) => {
api.hooks['onTrySubmit'].forEach((callback) => callback.call(api, event));
});
api.root.addEventListener('submit', (event) => {
api.hooks['onSubmit'].forEach((callback) => callback.call(api, event));
});
if (options.makeTabbed)
api.makeTabbed();
/*if (options.fakeSubmit)
window.NA.DonationForm.SubmitButtonCopy = window.NA.DonationForm.SubmitButtonCopy || createNewSubmitButton(window.NA.DonationForm.SubmitButton, { cloneOriginal: false, hideOriginal: true, observeOriginal: false });*/
return api;
}
function createNewSubmitButton (originalSubmitButton = window.NA.DonationForm.SubmitButton, options = {}) {
const defaultOptions = {
cloneOriginal: true,
hideOriginal: true,
observeOriginal: true,
};
options = { ...defaultOptions, ...options };
const newSubmitButton = document.createElement('button');
//newSubmitButton.id = "submit-button-copy";
newSubmitButton.classList.add("btn");
newSubmitButton.textContent = originalSubmitButton.value;
originalSubmitButton.after(newSubmitButton);
options.hideOriginal && originalSubmitButton.style.setProperty("display", "none");
return newSubmitButton;
}
function initHooks (api, hookNames = []) {
const hooks = Object.fromEntries(hookNames.map((hookName) => ([hookName, new Array()])));
Object.defineProperty(api, 'hooks', {
value: hooks,
...lockedProperty
});
}
function initDonationInterrupter (options = {}) {
const getExpId = () => {
let experiments = window._vwo_exp;
experiments = Object.entries(window._vwo_exp);
let id = experiments.find(([id, data]) => {
const name = data.name;
return name.match(/Donation Interrupter/);
})[1]?.id;
return id;
};
const getExpVariation = (id) => {
let experiment = window._vwo_exp[id];
return experiment.combination_chosen || experiment.combination_selected;
};
const defaultOptions = {
id: [ 'VWO', getExpId(), getExpVariation(getExpId()) ].join('-'),
tokenName: ("NA__MPR_DonationInterrupter:" + [ 'VWO', getExpId(), getExpVariation(getExpId()) ].join('-')),
min: 10,
max: 100,
askAmount: (originalAmount) => {
if (originalAmount > 500) // $500+
return false; // don't show
if (originalAmount >= 400) // $400-$500
return 50;
if (originalAmount >= 300) // $300-$399
return 40;
if (originalAmount >= 200) // $200-$299
return 30;
if (originalAmount >= 100) // $100-$199
return 15;
if (originalAmount < 100) // $100-
return 10;
return false;
},
askFrequency: (originalFrequency) => {
return "monthly";
},
popupHTML: {
headingHTML: (`
Consectetur adipiscing elit. Sed nec egestas turpis, hendrerit semper nisl. Pellentesque auctor ipsum at
pharetra eleifend. Pellentesque a rhoncus turpis, ut tempus nibh. Donec vel dui hendrerit nisi imperdiet
tincidunt. Class aptent taciti sociosqu ad litora torquent per conubia nostra, per inceptos himenaeos.
Duis efficitur dolor ut nisl blandit imperdiet. Nullam pretium est nunc, tincidunt viverra ligula dapibus.
Duis malesuada:
Sed placerat fringilla consequat. Nullam eu pellentesque sem?
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
Your monthly gift supports trusted journalism, music discovery, and community conversation for all – no matter where you live or how you listen. From the broadcast to the podcast, on-air and online, gifts from individuals power everything you find at Minnesota Public Radio.
Would you consider becoming a sustainer by converting your one-time gift to a monthly gift today?
The online retail giant is offering more public tours of its fulfillment centers. Can that counter the idea that they’re bad places to work?
When a tour group enters the Amazon warehouse in Edison, New Jersey, the first thing each person receives is a pair of headphones and a radio.
“If you look at your radios, everyone should be on letter E. Is anyone not on letter E?”
Amazon guide Regan Quilty is talking to a group of Girl Scouts for this particular tour. They’re listening to her on a radio frequency because the warehouse — or fulfillment center, to use Amazon’s term for it — is really loud. There are squeaking jacks lifting pallets of stuff, 12 miles of rumbling conveyor belts, and periodically, buzzers let you know when a belt is stopping or starting back up.
Amazon wants people to hear — and see — all of this. The company is expanding its public tours program to 23 warehouses, up from just six. The company has over 100 of these fulfillment centers in the United States. They are key to the company’s operations: products come in, get organized, packaged and shipped out to customers.
But they don’t have a reputation for being great places to work. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled this week that workers can move forward with a lawsuit to force Amazon to pay them for time they spend getting searched by security after their shifts are over. Last week, workers near Minneapolis walked off the job over a cap on their hours. There were also protests in Sacramento over the company’s time off policy. And last year, there were reports, which Amazon denied, about employees urinating in bottles at a United Kingdom warehouse to avoid taking bathroom breaks.
So Amazon is trying to counter that narrative.
“Part of it is to really be transparent with the general public and with our customers about what happens inside of an Amazon fulfillment center,” said Rachael Lighty, an Amazon spokeswoman. “We want people to know why we’re so proud and to see for themselves how safe our fulfillment centers are.”
Sunil Gupta, who studies business strategy as a professor at Harvard University, said if the tours are successful, that could make customers feel closer to the company.
“It’s like if you go to a restaurant, and if you have an open kitchen where you can see the cook actually making the food, it suddenly tastes good,” Gupta said. “There are studies which show that if you see something being made, it tastes different than if it’s just pre-packaged and shipped to you.”
During the tour, the Girl Scouts observe the process of sorting millions of items into Amazon’s system. All items in this warehouse are under 18 inches in length. Things arrive from the outside world — jars of pork rinds, pairs of socks, tubes of caulk. Workers then place the items into slots in big towers of stuff called pods.
“I’m going to pick up the item, make sure the item is not damaged. Then I’m going to scan the item,” said Yogi Kotak, an Amazon warehouse worker, demonstrating with a Spanish language dictionary. “Then I pick up the next item, do the same thing and continue.”
As soon as Kotak scans the item, a clock appears on the screen above her, counting the seconds since she last put an item away. Amazon says it uses these kinds of timers to give employees a better sense of how they’re doing.
Once Kotak is done, an autonomous robot moves the pod away. It will stay on the floor until someone buys an item that’s stored in it, at which point it’ll move to another worker, who begins assembling an outgoing order. When the pods are all moving around, they sort of look like blocks in a massive game of Tetris.
“They have cameras on the bottom and on either side, so they can see where they are going,” said tour guide Quilty. “You can see how these guys get very close to each other, but there are sensors, so they’ll never crash into each other.”
This choreography between robots and humans is one of the things that most stood out to the Girl Scouts on the tour.
“I thought it was all just robots who did it, and no people at all,” said 8-year-old Girl Scout Anna Matos. “It just says that, these days, people really want to work hard, and they just don’t want to let robots do everything.”
Another one of Amazon’s stated goals with these tours is to inspire kids. In the case of Matos’ sister, 12-year-old Sofia, it may have worked.
“I have hopes to become a scientist one day,” Matos said. “Hopefully, maybe even a programmer for the robots. That would be very fun.”
The way automation is changing work, by the time Matos enters the workforce, being a robot programmer might be the only human job left in an Amazon warehouse.