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Amazon worker exposes hidden danger of putting your packages on bed and countertops: "This is how..."

A study highlighted the alarming number of bacteria found on a large package from Amazon.
PUBLISHED DEC 4, 2024
(L) Representational image of a worker delivering items and (R) a photo of Amazon box (Cover image source: Getty Images | (L) arlutz73 (R) Kirk Fisher)
(L) Representational image of a worker delivering items and (R) a photo of Amazon box (Cover image source: Getty Images | (L) arlutz73 (R) Kirk Fisher)

Logistics including transport and warehousing are the backbone of the global e-commerce industry, but it also means that a package has been in a lot of different places, which aren't always hygienic, before it finally reaches the consumer. This is probably why, an Amazon worker who is also active on TikTok as @jxhzeel.a, took to the video-sharing platform to warn others against opening the packages on beds and countertops. 

Woman asking people to not open the Amazon packages on bed and kitchen countertops | (Image Source: TikTok | @
Woman asking people to not open the Amazon packages on bed and kitchen countertops | (Image Source: TikTok | @jxhzeel.a)

In the video, she goes on to show a sweatshirt that she is wearing which is covered in dirt. "This is how dirty my BRAND new sweater got within the first hour of me working my shift," she wrote in the caption. Dirty and unhygienic packages are not very rare. According to an October 2022 study, from delivery software company Circuit, "A retail package contains 6x the bacteria of a toilet seat." The worst part is that many people do not feel the need to clean and sanitize the packages before they bring them inside the house. According to the study, more than half of the respondents admitted to opening their delivery package on their beds or kitchen tables, and less than a third said that they opened their packages outside their homes. 

 Amazon parcels are prepared for delivery 
| (Image Source: Getty Images | Nathan Stirk)
Representative picture of an Amazon parcel prepared for delivery | (Image Source: Getty Images | Nathan Stirk)

Many took to the comment section of the video to share their thoughts on what the delivery agent said. "I get so upset when my parents put my packages on my bed, like please just leave them on the floor," @emily wrote. "like the package was sitting OUTSIDE on the GROUND and y'all still have the audacity to toss it on ur bed???" @Whiimo added. Another Amazon employee @celi.ot7 wrote, "My Amazon found bed bugs inside some of the boxes & still were shipped out to a different location lol."

Woman talking about not opening Amazon packages on bed and countertops | (Image Source: TikTok |
Woman talking about not opening Amazon packages on bed and countertops | (Image Source: TikTok | @aayyeelex)

This is not the first time that people have warned others against putting their newly arrived packages on the bed and counters. Another woman who is a self-identified Amazon delivery driver, known on TikTok as @aayyeelex, took to the platform and said, "As someone who works for Amazon, stop putting your boxes… on your bed and your counters." 

Image Source: TikTok | @Drivykins
Screenshot of a comment describing conditions at a warehouse (Image Source: TikTok | @Drivykins)

Image Source: TikTok | @MistakenlySerious
Comment comparing unhygienic packages to shoes inside the house (Image Source: TikTok | @MistakenlySerious)

The driver also showed their hands in the camera which were covered in dirt even after a visit to the bathroom. According to the germ swab analysis conducted by Circuit, a large package from Amazon can contain 11x the bacteria of a kitchen sink. It was also found that more than 13% of Americans don't wash their hands after handling a package. "While retail packages hosted the least — just 2,900 CFUs, large boxes had 7.8 million, and small boxes had a whopping 10 million," the study said. The study also said that the small packages contained four times the amount of Colony-forming units, which is a count of microorganisms such as fungi, viruses, and good and bad bacteria present in a sample, compared to your headphones. Now that we know these details, it's best to sanitize the packages before you take them in. It's important to know that a little disinfectant can play a major role in keeping you and your family safe from germs. 


@jxhzeel.a this is how dirty my BRAND new sweater got within the first hour of me working my shift 🧍‍♀️ #fyp #amazon #foryou ♬ euhhh brother euhhhj - m🤍

 

You can follow (@jxhzeel.a) and (@aayyeelex) on TikTok for more such content.

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