The e-commerce giant Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) says several popular household items are running out of stock because of the outbreak of COVID-19. According to a blog post of Amazon, several people are resorting to online shopping.
Advises customers to check availability at checkout
Amazon is advising its customers to check the availability of the items at the time out checkout. In a quick scan, several items like bottled water and toilet paper, are out of stock. The online retailer’s one-day and two-day delivery options are showing several days of delay. Amazon displays a message ‘The products arrive in four days’ at the time of adding products to the shopping cart.
Amazon is also working to prevent price rise amid the demand created by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is closely monitoring the stock, and has removed some of the items from its store.
Even prime members face delay
Even prime members of Amazon are experiencing a delay in receiving the items. Amazon is struggling to serve its customers. The company is working 24 hours a day with the selling partners to ensure the availability of vital household items.
Amazon is serving over 150 million Prime members worldwide. The company invested $1.5 billion in the same-day and one-day delivery services last year during the holiday shopping season. The online giant is experiencing demand from multiple fronts because of the impact of coronavirus. It is unable to meet in time delivery for even Amazon Fresh grocery and Prime now services.
Amazon is facing logistics challenges because of the increased demand. Some Chinese factories are shut down and experiencing supply disruptions. Another challenge is that some of the fulfillment employees are not turning up for the duty. Earlier this month, Amazon has relaxed the attendance for its warehouse employees. It allowed them to avail of unlimited unpaid leaves during March 2020.
Improves cleaning of the premises
Amazon is taking extra precautions by cleaning the premises at fulfillment centers. It has made it mandatory to clean the vehicles and work stations in every shift. The employers are using sanitizers to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
Amazon is also offering unattended deliveries to prevent contact and contain the spread of the deadly virus.
