Coronavirus pushes Amazon to prioritize essential household, medical supplies
The temporary action will take place from March 17 through April 5
Amazon is temporarily prioritizing some shipments over others as novel coronavirus cases grow in the U.S., the tech company confirmed to FOX Business.
As demand for specific products grows and consumers are hit with supply shortages, Amazon has decided to temporarily prioritize the restocking and delivery services for "household staples, medical supplies and other high-demand products," the company said in a Tuesday statement.
"We understand this is a change for our selling partners and appreciate their understanding as we temporarily prioritize these products for customers," the statement continued.
Hand sanitizer, cleaning wipes, and tissues sit on a meeting room table as seen through a window of the Brazil Building on Amazon's Seattle campus, Wednesday, March 4, 2020, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
The temporary action will take place from March 17 through April 5.
Many popular toilet paper, disinfectant wipe and hand sanitizer products are or have recently been out of stock on the platform because customers have been stocking up on these household essentials in fear that the U.S. will run out of certain supplies amid new coronavirus fears.
Amazon said in a Monday blog post that it has seen a "significant increase in demand" and "unprecedented" labor needs and has decided to open "100,000 new full and part-time positions across the U.S. in [its] fulfillment centers and delivery network to meet the surge in demand."
AMAZON TO HIRE 100,000 WORKERS AMID SHOPPING SPIKE
Steven Smith places packages onto a conveyor prior to Amazon robots transporting packages to chutes that are organized by zip code, at an Amazon warehouse facility in Goodyear, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
The tech giant is also investing $350 million in increased compensation for hourly employees across the U.S., Europe and Canada.
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Amazon also confirmed to FOX Business on Monday that company founder Jeff Bezos has been in contact with the Trump administration about offering assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
