Amazon is excited to welcome the public to the opening of its first full-size Just Walk Out-enabled Amazon Fresh grocery store, and to introduce the local community to the team making it happen.
As with our other Amazon Fresh store locations, our new store in Bellevue has created hundreds of great jobs for the local community, and we continue to hire. Positions at this store currently offer starting pay of at least $16.90 per hour—more than double the federal minimum wage—as well as comprehensive benefits and a safe working environment.
Amazon aspires to be Earth’s Best Employer, and we are committed to giving our Amazon Fresh store team—and all of our employees—the resources to be successful in their roles and future careers. Get to know some of our new Bellevue store employees, including their favorite food, which is also listed on their name badge.
Patricia Payumo, front-end and center store
Favorite food: Pad Thai
Born in the Philippines, Patricia Payumo moved to the U.S. with her family when she was 12. She joined Amazon in 2016 to work at a fulfillment center in Kent in Washington state. After a brief stint at an Amazon Fresh Store in the Chicago area, Payumo relocated back to Washington state for her current zone lead position this fall.
Payumo recently transitioned from the overnight team to lead both front-end and center store teams. Her front-end team is responsible for greeting customers and answering customer questions, while her center store team is responsible for stocking shelves and assisting customers in aisles featuring grocery store staples including shelf-stable groceries, frozen food, paper products, and toiletries. She’s excited to expand her knowledge to other areas of the store.
Outside of work, Payumo loves to sing, and she even participated in singing contests while living in the Philippines. She also loves to spend time with family and friends, and to take long drives around Seattle to clear her mind and explore the city.
“The whole team is so excited for store opening,” she said. “We’re the first of our kind, and I can’t wait to see our customers’ excitement around the experience.”
Darby Martin, outbound and store marketing lead
Favorite food: Fries
Previously pursuing a career in early education, Darby Martin joined the Amazon Fresh Bellevue store team in January.
“The school I worked at closed due to COVID-19, and I was trying to figure out my next move,” said Martin. “Living in Seattle, I was always interested in working for Amazon because I thought there would be a lot of potential for growth with the company, and then the opportunity came to me.”
In her role, Martin leads the outbound team, which is responsible for fulfilling online Amazon Fresh orders for customers. She works with her team to ensure customers are able to pick up their online Fresh orders quickly and seamlessly. She is also the store’s marketing lead, making sure the store has all appropriate signage and promotion details in place ahead of opening.
“In my free time, I hang out with family and friends and try to do everything I can to give back to the community,” Martin said. “I’m particularly passionate about education and helping to end homelessness. Luckily, I’m also the store’s community engagement ambassador, so I’m able to work on the causes that matter most to me as part of my day job.”
Martin also inspires her coworkers to get involved, and identifies local opportunities for her team to give back. She looks forward to growing with the company, and she sees a few different paths that make sense to her.
Fred Kennedy, front-end
Favorite food: Pizza
After moving from Houston to Seattle for a job in retail more than 10 years ago, Fred Kennedy joined Amazon Fresh in early 2021 to start a new chapter in his career and have more growth opportunity.
“I wanted to work in an industry, and at a company, that was growing,” Kennedy said. “I had thought about working for Amazon, but after a friend who works in an Amazon fulfillment center told me how much he loves the people and management, I decided to apply.”
As front-end zone lead (or “Front-End Fred,” as his team likes to call him), Kennedy and his team are the first point of contact for customers, welcoming them into the store, answering any questions they may have, and demonstrating how to use the store’s technology for a seamless shopping experience, including Just Walk Out and Amazon One.
Holding a bachelor’s degree in fine arts, Kennedy continues to pursue the arts in his free time. “I love anything creative. Creating something new and releasing it into the world, that’s my passion,” he said. Kennedy also enjoys meeting new people, and his smile and enthusiasm are contagious.
“Working at Amazon has been an eye-opening experience for me,” he said. “I’ve never worked in an environment where everyone is so nice, and I feel like I have a real mentor in my manager. This feels like the start of something new, and I’m excited for the future.”
Eli-James Miyazaki, associate experience
Favorite food: Gyros
Looking for a change, Eli-James Miyazaki moved to be near family in Seattle from his home state of Hawaii in fall 2020. Only a few weeks after moving, Miyazaki learned about the Bellevue Amazon Fresh store from his uncle, who helped to design the new Downtown Seattle Fresh location.
“My background is in retail, so I love working with customers,” he said. “Moving to Seattle, I was looking for a new start, and I found the job with Amazon Fresh within a couple of weeks of moving here. It was perfect.”
In his role as associate experience zone lead, Miyazaki is responsible for onboarding new employees and making sure they’re set up for success from day one. He leads new hire orientations and makes it his mission to ensure all employees feel at home in their new roles.
“My favorite thing about working here is that it feels like a family,” he said. “I love Amazon’s, and Seattle’s, inclusivity.”
In his free time, Miyazaki pursues his passion for acting. Mastering a British accent at the age of 5 after watching Doctor Who, he has always loved to perform. He recently finished a round of acting classes and hopes to start auditioning for small roles and commercials in the near future. In the meantime, however, he’s excited for his future at Amazon.
“My other favorite part of my job is my mentor, Mollie, an assistant store manager,” he said. “I learn so much from her, and I really admire her. She encourages me and makes me feel like I have a lot of potential for growth here.”
Rotem Drori, kitchen
Favorite food: Veggies
Born in Israel, Rotem Drori has spent most of her adult life in southern and central California. She moved to Seattle for a job with Amazon Fresh in November 2020. Although she wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted her next career move to be, the opportunity with Amazon came at just the right time.
“It felt almost serendipitous,” she said. “I’ve worked in kitchens for the last 12 years, and I think I bring a lot of knowledge and passion to the position, helping to make the team more efficient and effective. I also bring a sense of humor to work and make sure we have some laughs in between all of our hard work.”
Throughout her years in the food and beverage industry, Drori has done it all: catering, event management, bartending, and everything in between. Most recently, she worked as an executive chef at a falafel food truck in Los Angeles.
Currently, Drori is in the process of creating her own production company and also has ideas for a few restaurants she would love to open. For the time being, she loves where she is and believes that there’s a lot of potential to grow with Amazon. Next, she hopes to be an assistant store manager at an Amazon Fresh store.
“I learn something new from my team every day here, and I get to teach them too, which I love,” she said. “My favorite part of this job is the people I get to work next to every day. It’s a really special group.”
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