‘There were rules that you couldn’t not break, if you wanted to keep your job’
Demeaning, poorly paid and tedious: life as an Order Picker in Amazon’s ‘fulfilment centre’ in Rugeley, Staffordshire was a draining, revelatory ordeal for writer James Bloodworth, who worked there undercover in 2016.
In this enlightening interview with Olly, he reveals how being an ‘associate’ in Amazon’s warehouse meant enduring ten-hour shifts, tethered to an electronic device, walking up to fifteen miles per day; treated with suspicion, and effectively paid under the minimum wage.
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James’s book, Hired: Six Months Undercover In Low-Wage Britain is out now.
In this week’s Zeitgeist, Ollie Peart has news of the return of the mullet, is concerned with how smartphone photography is corrupting our memories - and triumphantly answers his challenge to spend £100 on displaying his face somewhere impressive… in Slough.
Meanwhile, down The Foxhole, Alix Fox explains why the law needs to change regarding ‘upskirting’, how your beard could carry an STI, and advises a listener seeking stealthy, quiet ‘battery-operated boyfriends’.
The Foxhole is sponsored by our friends at MyCondom.com - visit their website now for an astonishing range of toys and products, and get 15% Off when you use our code, ‘Foxhole’.
If you have a question of sex for next week’s show, or a challenge for Ollie Peart to try, don’t hesitate to reach out via our Feedback form.
Elsewhere, in this week’s Lifehack, Jessica Cerasi, curator of the Government Art Collection, offers up her Top 3 tips on how to get the most out of a visit to an art exhibition: read up, bring a friend, and spend longer than you think you want to actually looking at the art! Jessica’s book, Who's Afraid of Contemporary Art?, is out now.
Finally, our record of the week is Beware The Beast by Carpenter Brut, available to stream now:
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See You Next Tuesday!
