Here at Zappos, our KY Content coordinates monthly team-building activities to Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit. We are quite the large group, but we go above and beyond to try to stay close to one another despite this fact! Events have included cupcake-eating contests, water balloon fights, cornhole tournaments, extreme Jenga and cream-pie Supervisor target practice...among many others.

When my turn came up to coordinate a team building exercise, I decided to try and do something a little different. I have played guitar for many years, so, with that in mind, I decided to serenade my co-workers and grace them with the gift of song.

So we decided to have a sing-along with the entire department. Basically, I picked a few songs that I think everyone knows (plus a couple of my personal favorites), put together a set list - ranging from Johnny Cash to The Smiths - brought in my acoustic guitar, handed out lyric sheets and gave it a go.

The audience was receptive and sang the words right back at me...so, all in all, this was a success! If anything, I think I did manage to do something that was memorable considering all of the random, amusing things that occur here pretty much on a daily basis.



written by: Alex M.
photos by: Lynn G.

Last week the entire team from the Kentucky Fulfillment center held their all hands meeting to celebrate our 10 year anniversary, as well as get everyone together to review our performance in 2008 and our goals for 2009. The Kentucky fulfillment center also built a time capsule inside of which each department placed several items that represent moments from 2008 and 2009. We'd love to tell you exactly what went inside, but you'll have to wait until 2013 or so to find out!

We, the C-Shift of Tech Support, have created life, and we shall call him… Nibble.

Nibble T. Half-Byte is our floppy haired new friend that was created out of madness, err… out of creating fun and a little weirdness. C-Shift (Blake and Kristy) each work alone except for one night a week. We get lonesome on some of the quiet nights as we work on our projects. It gets tough not having anyone immediately available to bounce ideas off of, and not having someone there when you’re thinking too hard about how to resolve an issue to tell you ‘Hey, silly, plug in the power cord!’. For these moments, Nibble is there for us. Don’t let his goofy exterior fool you; he’s a very intelligent and complex Tech Support Rep Jr..



Nibble The Half-Byte’s Bio

Hi! My name is Nibble, I work in Tech Support. I specialize in staring issues straight in the face and… well, waiting until staring fixes it. I am also a great tamer of the mischievous Kiva bots. I am a very hard worker and I love being part of the team. I resolve tickets in creative ways; usually I just throw myself into it (literally, as I have no arms to do much else). I love to have fun and frolic about the warehouse. I recently went on an outing with the team. We rode the conveyor coaster, played hide and seek, and worked on the world record for the biggest rubber band ball EVER! I also met a lot of new friends. Most people don’t quite understand me, and I love Zappos because everyone here accepts me for who I am. If you’re ever in KY and need some help with your computer stop by and I’ll help ya out!
Your friend,
Nibble

written by: Kristy W.

Recently we had a satellite poker competition in which several employees competed to win a seat in the 1st annual Zappos Poker challenge. The group was narrowed down to 10 competitors and the final table was held at the Inn Zone, a favorite hangout of several Zappos employees. Our CEO Tony Hsieh made a special appearance, and showcased his poker skills for us in the video below.

The Zappos Finance Department teamed up with Spread the Word Las Vegas to help Clean books for At Risk Children in Southern Nevada. Spread the Word gathers gently used books from Children who have outgrown them, find groups to help clean them, and place them into hands of children who may have never had a book to call their own. We feel this not only helps our Community, but also helps the finance team to build a positive team and family spirit.

Recently Tony, Alfred and Aaron were invited to attend the season finale Filming of Celebrity Apprentice. They were milling around the auditorium when our very own Linda L. motioned for the three to come up on stage because she wanted to take a picture of them “Behind Donald Trump’s chair and the Boardroom table”.They didn’t want to come up on stage…thinking they weren’t allowed and the producer said “of course your allowed up here with Linda…” Still hesitant, Linda demanded "Get up there"! Thanks to Linda's determination and not to mention impeccable photography skills, we get to see the remnants of this fun photo op!

P.S. After our Bald and Blue event last wednesday, some of you may have forgetten what 2 of these guys look like with hair !!!!!!

This is what happens when you click on the cute fuzzy kitten link your aunt sent you.



Much like our "Reply to All" treatment, IT decided to make an "I Got a Virus Hat" complete with sign in order to let the entire office know, that yes, they got a virus.

Our Human Resources team is known for hosting potlucks in the 2290 building, but today they really went over and above. In honor of Frog Jumping Day, they hosted a breakfast potluck complete with freshly made french toast, waffles, fresh fruit and breakfast pastries to feed the entire building.

Our Blogging Queen Melissa L. is taking safety to a new level, and she's starting from the ground up. We always knew she had a good head on her shoulders, and she intends to keep it that way. Fashionable functionality is her new motto.

We get lots of folks who come in for a tour of the Zappos office here in Las Vegas, and there are several Zappos team members are certified tour guides. Loren B., is a Tour Certifier and quite the fashionable tour guide. He has a new sporty look that we would like to show you.

The Pipeline team got festive on Cinco De Mayo and invited some members of Finance and HR to take a swing at a traditional Mexican Fiesta Piñata full of candy and Zollars! Little did Finance know, the Pipeline team would be handing out more than just Candy this year.

Yesterday the Pipeline team invited everyone over to their area for a Hot Dog Social! Brett had a chance to talk to a few pipeline instructors and ask a few questions about classes, and of course enjoy a tasty Dog! Is there a dancing class coming up in the near future?

In the Spirit of Health Awareness Month, Chris P. from the Performance team lead us on a walk across the street. We were initially promised party hats and Fat Free Pork Rinds, but we settled for coffee. For the entire month of May, there will be scheduled fitness walks led by different members of the Zappos.com team, Monday through Friday. Some days actually have 2 scheduled walks, so get out there and help raise Health Awareness!!

If you're a regular Blog Reader you know about Bald Blue and Beautiful, and possibly about Free Golf cart rides for 3, but beautiful and Lustrous permanent Hair Color? That's right, The Lovely Ladies from Procter & Gamble stopped by with the new Frederic Fekkai hair color and hooked a couple of gals in our merchandising department up! Stayed tuned for Frederic Fekkai Hair color on Zappos.com!

John D. Is known around the office for having a love for the outdoors, an obsession with rock music and is rumored to have wrestled alligators as one of his first jobs. Lets take a look at his desk to see what kind of cool stuff he has to show us.