On Monday, March 16, Amazon responded to concerns over the coronavirus outbreak with changes in how the global e-commerce leader will continue to support the online shopping of more than 300+ million users and its 750,000 employees. Those changes include:
- 100,000 new full-time and part-time positions across U.S. fulfillment centers
- increased support for U.S. delivery networks
- an additional $2 per hour bump from the current rate
- consulting with medical and health experts
- follow recommended coronavirus precautions inside Amazon buildings
- implementing measures to promote social distancing in the workplace
- enhanced and frequent cleaning of all worker locations
- supporting teams with paid and unpaid time off options should they need it
Investing more than $350 million in pay raises for some hourly employees and speeding up shipments have already been two key business strategies adopted by Amazon over the past year.
“We are seeing a significant increase in demand, which means our labor needs are unprecedented for this time of year,” Amazon said in a blog post on Monday.
Some Common Household Items and Medical Supplies Are Out of Stock
Amazon executives also informed sellers and customers that they are out of stock on some “household staples categories” and “medical supplies” and extended delivery times are related to coronavirus fears. Some of those items include name brand toilet papers, hand sanitizers, baby supplies, personal care items, and pet products.
On March 13, another Amazon blog post said, “We believe our role serving customers and the community during this time is a critical one, and we want to make sure people can get the items they need, when they need them. We are working around the clock with our selling partners to ensure availability on all of our products, and bring on additional capacity to deliver all of your orders.”
And on Seller Central, Amazon announced, “We are seeing increased online shopping and as a result some products such as household staples and medical supplies are out of stock. With this in mind, we are temporarily prioritizing household staples, medical supplies and other high-demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so that we can more quickly receive, restock, and ship these products to customers.”
Amazon Seller Central: Why are my products showing as out-of-stock?
If consumers are worried about an increase in the regular price of the goods and products they are shopping for and sellers who are taking advantage of the crisis,
Amazon said it pulled more than 1 million products for price gouging or falsely advertising effectiveness against the coronavirus and is committed to continue removing similar products.
Do you have questions about your Amazon selling strategy through the coronavirus pandemic?
If so, we want to help.
The Leader in Amazon Strategy and Fulfillment
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