.jpg)
ACommunity Banana Stand is afruit stand operated by the American companyAmazon around itsSeattle headquarters andArlington headquarters, offering free bananas to passersby. Originally proposed by then-CEOJeff Bezos, the first Community Banana Stand opened inSouth Lake Union in December 2015.[1]
The stands are open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 3:30 pm, providing bananas to employees and non-employees alike.[2] Stand attendants, known as "banistas", oversee the distribution of around 8,000 bananas per day at its two wooden carts, supervised by so-called "bananagers" who keep track of demand.[3] Banistas sometimes offer up trivia facts about bananas, such as the proper term for a bunch of bananas (ahand).[3] Having previously considered oranges and apples, Amazon decided to go with bananas as they require no washing or extra packaging, with each stand providing acompost bin for peels. Visitors have requested a greater variety of fruit, but Amazon has demurred due to the high cost of other fruits.[3]
Community feedback has been mixed. Most employees have a favorable view of the stands, though some have complained that it is difficult to find bananas for purchase at nearby grocery stores. A local vegetarian café, which offers sliced banana as ayogurt topping for $1, has seen demand for the topping plummet. Canadian chain restaurantLocal Public Eatery has complained about the manners of certain customers at its Seattle location, who often bring in bananas to eat and leave behind the peels.[3] Some have viewed the initiative as an attempt by Amazon to clean up its image after criticism of the company's culture and relative lack ofemployee perks compared to other tech companies.[2]
The Seattle stands were closed in March 2020 during the onset of theCOVID-19 pandemic after Amazon adoptedremote work for its headquarters employees.[4] They reopened the following year after employees were allowed to return to the headquarters campus.[5]
Outside of Seattle, Amazon opened a temporary banana stand for the duration ofCES 2019 inLas Vegas, in the midst of making several major product announcements at the trade show.[6] In early 2022, Amazon opened a second Community Banana Stand inArlington, Virginia at itsHQ2 location.[7]
| People |
| ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Facilities | |||||||||||||||||||
| Products and services |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Litigation | |||||||||||||||||||
| Other |
| ||||||||||||||||||
| Unions | |||||||||||||||||||
