Order Picker

Index

Hiking In The Hema Distribution Center

As a student, I had a summer job at the Hema Distribution Center in Utrecht, Lage Weide. My task was to pick products for orders placed by different Hema stores so they could sell them to their customers. Back then, there were no robots to assist with order picking. As an order picker, I spent most of my day walking through long aisles, collecting items and filling large carts. Sometimes, I even pushed two or three fully loaded carts at the same time.

Hema Distribution Center

What I also remember is that the distribution center was divided into three different sections. I normally worked in the area where products such as towels and other small household items were picked for the stores. On one occasion, however, I was assigned to the secure section, where watches, jewelry, and other valuable items were collected for shipment to Hema stores. That assignment did not last long. One of the warehouse troublemakers spotted me working there and somehow managed to enter the secure area. The supervisors asked me whether I knew him. To this day, I can honestly say that I did not. Nevertheless, I was removed from the secure section, and another girl was assigned to the job instead. Even though I had never done anything wrong, the supervisors did not want to take any risks. Only later did I understand what had happened. The young man was apparently acquainted with a former friend who pointed me on this job. I never worked a shift at the same time as her. Everyone working at the Hema distribution Center was regularly checked, and I certainly could not imagine stealing anything and did not steal anything. Years later, when I was living in Arnhem, I was looking for a part-time job to supplement my volunteer work while waiting for the business proposals I had submitted to be approved. I applied at the Kruidvat distribution center, expecting another order-picking position. Instead, they asked whether I would be interested in becoming a supervisor responsible for handling cases involving employees caught stealing from the warehouse. The idea horrified me. After that conversation, I went straight home and decided to send out a few more proposals instead. It seemed a much better option than spending my days dealing with thieves.

Order Picking Improved My Physical Fitness

Another thing I remember is how happy I was to return to my Business Economics studies after the summer. Order picking was hard work, and by the end of the season, I had spent countless hours walking through the warehouse and pushing heavily loaded carts. There was, however, one major benefit: my physical fitness improved significantly. All those kilometers I walked every day turned out to be excellent training. My tennis coach certainly noticed the difference. He was delighted that I could reach almost every ball he sent my way, no matter how fast or how far he hit it. What had started as a summer job in a distribution center unexpectedly became one of the best fitness programs I had ever followed.