Amazon Tries to Hire 50K Workers in Single Day

Amazon held a massive nationwide job fair Wednesday, which is a good thing since retail companies are blaming the internet giant for forcing them to close thousands of stores and lay off employees. On its first-ever Jobs Day, Amazon aimed to hire 50,000 workers to fill positions at 12 warehouses in a single four-hour period, NBC News reports. According to Fortune, thousands of hopeful applicants lined up outside Amazon warehouses in New York, Maryland, Tennessee, Ohio, Kentucky, Wisconsin, and more with the hopes of being offered a job on the spot. Some complained about the pay at their current jobs, while others touted the benefits package available to Amazon's warehouse workers. Amazon was hiring for positions that pay between $11.50 and $13.75 an hour.

But not everyone was excited about Jobs Day. Mashable calls it "corporate propaganda" and "bleak as hell." Yes, Amazon is offering decent jobs, but there was no reason to force applicants to get up at the crack of dawn to stand in line for hours just so Amazon could hire 50,000 people in a single day. No reason, that is, except good press—a chance for the company to show off its power in a positive light. "On Jobs Day, Amazon is delivering feels," Mashable states. (More Amazon stories.)