“Were they slow? Yeah, definitely,” one employee told The Verge. Despite these efforts, however, many employees have told media the changes feel like too little, too late.
Last week, Amazon said it is launching its own testing program for employees, though it will take time to scale up. Later, however, a leaked memo was made public in which Amazon’s general counsel tried to scapegoat Smalls, writing, “He’s not smart, or articulate, and to the extent the press wants to focus on us versus him, we will be in a much stronger PR position than simply explaining for the umpteenth time how we’re trying to protect workers.”Īmazon says it has stepped up its response to the virus, and the company is deploying more masks and gloves to workers. The company fired the leader of one such protest, Chris Smalls, first saying the termination was unrelated to the organization effort. Small groups of Amazon workers have staged walk-outs and other protests at several of the company’s locations in recent weeks. Federal officials began an investigation into one Pennsylvania warehouse last week following complaints from workers that the company was not taking the threat of the disease seriously enough. For several weeks, however, Amazon employees have been publicly criticizing the company’s response to the threat COVID-19 poses to its own workforce.Įmployees at more than 100 Amazon warehouse locations have reportedly tested positive for the COVID-19. “If you are able to do so safely,” Amazon concluded, “We kindly encourage our customers who can to shop in-person.” Employees are not immuneĪmazon touted its dedication to “the health and safety of customers and employees” in its announcement limiting grocery orders. The online giant also expects the combination of “restricted capacity due to social distancing” together with increased demand will keep it “challenging for customers” to find open delivery slots. “We’re increasing capacity each week and will invite new customers to shop every week.”Īmazon has increased Whole Foods online order capacity by more than 60 percent since the beginning of the COVID-19 crisis. “We are temporarily asking new Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods Market delivery and pickup customers to sign up for an invitation to use online grocery delivery and pickup,” the company said in a blog post Sunday. In addition to warning of delays for orders placed by Prime members, Amazon is now also closing grocery orders to new customers for the time being. Even with up to 175,000 additional people trying to get goods from Amazon to shoppers, though, the company asked for patience from its customers.
The company also said it will allow third-party sellers to resume shipping “non-essential items” through its Amazon fulfillment service later this week, The Wall Street Journal was first to report. That’s in addition to the 100,000 new workers the company hired for its warehouses, logistics, and grocery businesses through late March and into the first weeks of April. The company said today it will be hiring an additional 75,000 part- and full-time employees for its businesses in the coming weeks to try and meet demand. In an attempt to catch up, it is both going on a hiring spree and limiting new customers.
But even the massive conglomerate can’t keep up with consumer demand for groceries, home essentials, and everything else. Enlarge / If you’re not already an Amazon or Whole Foods grocery delivery customer, don’t try to sign up now it won’t work.Īs many consumers stay at home, limiting themselves to online shopping only, Amazon-already the default online “everything store” for millions-has been reaping the benefit.
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