Amazon Hits 1 Million Banana Milestone

SEATTLE, WA — Amazon hit another sales milestone this week, but it's one that probably didn't turn much of a profit: The e-commerce giant handed out its millionth free banana.

In December 2015, Amazon opened a "community banana stand" inside a courtyard at one of its South Lake Union buildings. It later opened a second one in the Denny Regrade neighborhood. The stand, manned by workers called "banistas," gives out free bananas to anyone, employee or citizen, between 8 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

"Bananas are a great healthy snack with built-in compostable packaging,” an Amazon spokesperson told Geekwire in 2015. “We hope the community likes it, and if they do, we’ll keep doing it.”

The company estimates it hands out about 4,500 bananas per day.

On Friday, the Seattle Times reported that Amazon had given away 1 million bananas. In addition to handing out bananas, the stands also hand out banana facts. And apparently, bananas are actually berries.

Image via Pixabay