Amazon Is Awarding Cars And Cash Prizes To Warehouse, Retail Workers That Get Vaccinated

Amazon is handing out cash prizes and vehicles to its workers that receive the COVID-19 vaccine as part of a push to vaccinate more of its frontline employees.

The company announced on one of its Instagram pages Monday that five employees were awarded cars worth up to $40,000 dollars as winners of a vaccine sweepstakes.

“Four more Amazonians and one Whole Foods Market Team Member found out last week their names had been drawn as Max Your Vax Winners,” the post read. “Each won a car valued at up to $40,000 just for getting vaccinated and logging it in A to Z.”

The announcement also included testimonials from the winners, who urged readers to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

“Get vaccinated,” Hsiong Lee, an Amazon worker based in Oregon, said in the post. “It’s for your own health, and to stay healthy and safe for everyone.”⁠⁠

The prizes are part of a sweepstakes called “Max-Your-Vax,” which awards prizes to hourly employees in Amazon warehouses and Whole Foods stores that are fully vaccinated. The company awarded three employees $100,000 each for receiving the vaccine last week.

Amazon does not currently have a vaccine mandate in place, though as an employer with over 100 workers, the company will be subject to the vaccine requirements that will be enacted in the coming months by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration. The company reinstituted a mask mandate for its warehouse workers in August.

Other companies have experimented with financial incentives to boost vaccination rates among their employees, with retailers such as Walmart and Target offering cash bonuses and paid time off. Asset manager Vanguard is offering its vaccinated employees a $1,000 bonus.

Several states, such as California and Louisiana, offered cash prizes to citizens who received the vaccine. New York City Mayor Bill DeBlasio offered citizens $100 each to get vaccinated, arguing the award would incentivize those reluctant to take the shot.