With the holiday season quickly approaching, many of us will start tackling our gift lists one click at a time. And thanks to Amazon in Goodyear, those gifts will be under the tree before Santa leaves the North Pole. Amazon has become a go-to shopping destination year-round, but even more so in the weeks leading up to Hannukah and Christmas. After a COVID-induced halt, the shipping giant has brought back in-person tours of its distribution facility giving locals a chance to peek behind the curtain.
The distribution center closest to Estrella is located on Bullard just south of the I-10 freeway in Goodyear. Each distribution center is named after a nearby airport. With the proximity to Phoenix Goodyear Airport, this one is named GYR1. During the tour you’ll stop at a handful of key stations and have time to marvel at the amount of movement, product and overall size of the facility. With more than a million square feet on three levels, it’s quite a sight to see.
The tour starts on the main floor and quickly makes its way upstairs to the picking area. This is where the Amazon magic happens. An incredible system of robots, conveyor belts, bins, and employees get items from one place to the next in a swift efficiency that explains the promise of 2-day shipping. Once they’re sorted, packaged, labeled and scanned, the items slide down a playground-style slide into the loading area where they are packed into trucks for delivery.
During the tour you learn about the culture of the company including its wellness program, safety protocols and job opportunities. Entry level employees make $16.25 per hour and full-time employees are offered a generous benefits package including vacation time, 401k and tuition reimbursement. Many of the 2,000+ employees at GYR1 take advantage of those benefits. The employees also participate in a variety of programs that give back to the community.
The tours are offered once a day at noon and last about an hour. They are limited to 12 people and those spots go fast. You must register on their website ahead of time and arrive 15 minutes prior to the start of the tour. Once inside you will be asked to show identification and go through a very brief safety overview. If you have long hair, they’ll ask you to pull it back so keep that in mind before you leave the house.
GYR1 is one of 29 Amazon facilities in Arizona. Its proximity to Estrella makes it a convenient place to work at one of the many available jobs or visit for a free tour. Either way, seeing it from the inside will leave you with a better understanding of the many ways this business giant impacts our community.
Find your new home at Estrella.com and discover why 8,000 families already call this diverse, welcoming West Valley master-planned community home. Located in Goodyear, Arizona amongst pristine mountains and a dramatic desert landscape, Estrella amenities include multiple Residents’ Clubs, resort-style pools and a waterpark, 72 acres of lakes, 65-plus miles of paths and trails, the Yacht Club of Estrella, the award-winning Nicklaus Design course at the Golf Club of Estrella, community welcome center, and more than 50 neighborhood parks.
