Update (1000ET): Shortly after this report on a pause of grocery orders after "unprecedented demand", Amazon has announced this morning it is creating an additional 75,000 jobs.
Amazon hiring for additional 75,000 jobs; has brought on 100,000+ new associates in the last four weeks
On March 16, we announced Amazon would invest over $350 million globally to increase pay for our teams during the coronavirus pandemic and would hire an additional 100,000 people in full and part-time jobs across our operations network to keep as many people as possible working during this crisis.
Today, we are proud to announce that our original 100,000 jobs pledge is filled and those new employees are working at sites across the U.S. helping to serve customers. We continue to see increased demand as our teams support their communities, and are going to continue to hire, creating an additional 75,000 jobs to help serve customers during this unprecedented time.
Interested candidates can apply at www.amazon.com/jobsnow. We know many people have been economically impacted as jobs in areas like hospitality, restaurants, and travel are lost or furloughed as part of this crisis and we welcome anyone out of work to join us at Amazon until things return to normal and their past employer is able to bring them back.
We also continue to invest in pay increases and previously expected to spend $350 million to increase wages during this unprecedented time - we now expect that to be over $500 million.
We’ll continue to invest in safety, pay, and benefits for our teams who are playing an invaluable role in getting items to communities around the world, and you can read more about our safety efforts.
The Amazon employee count is soaring...
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Amazon has paused new grocery orders and decreased store hours at Whole Foods as it struggles to handle the "unprecedented demand" from Americans stuck in quarantine, a blog post from the company read.
Shoppers over the weekend noticed that they had difficulty ordering groceries online due to the lack of available delivery slots. Starting Monday, new orders will be placed on a waiting list while the company works to build capacity.
"We're increasing capacity each week and will invite new customers to shop every week," Stephenie Landry, vice president of Grocery at Amazon, wrote in a blog post on Sunday.
"We still expect the combination of restricted capacity due to social distancing and customer demand will continue to make finding available delivery windows challenging for customers," Landry wrote.
Currently, Amazon operates 487 Whole Foods stores in the US. It says it will 'adjust store hours' for the public so its employees can fulfill online grocery orders.
Amazon has had to increase online grocery order capacity by 60% to handle the influx of demand as the pandemic has left tens of millions of Americans confined to their homes, unable to eat at restaurants or shop at malls. The world's largest online retailer said in March that it would hire an additional 100,000 people to satisfy demand.
As the online retailer boosts capacity and preps for a post-corona world, some employees have gone on strike, demanding the company provide hazard pay and protective health equipment.
In recent weeks, employees at Amazon fulfillment centers and Whole Foods stores have been given temperature checks. The company has said it is using advanced cleanliness protocols to decrease the spread of the virus.
As for Amazon customers who are now placed on delivery waitlists, there was no timeline in the company update on when grocery orders would be sent. Such a move could leave many people hangry.
With the lack of 3M N95 masks and people placed on Amazon waitlists for grocery orders, this could force many into supermarkets, causing the virus to spread even more.
Will food delivery delays force people into supermarkets or place orders on other online platforms?
By Zerohedge.com
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