Amazon Prime deliveries delayed during coronavirus crush
Company says delayed shipments are necessary
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Some Amazon Prime deliveries will not arrive until late April, even though Prime shipments usually arrive within two days, according to a number of Twitter users.
An Amazon spokesperson told Vox's technology news website Recode that the delayed dates are necessary.
"To serve our customers in need while also helping to ensure the safety of our associates, we've changed our logistics, transportation, supply chain, purchasing, and third-party seller processes," the spokesperson said in a statement. "This has resulted in some of our delivery promises being longer than usual."
Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment from FOX Business.
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The tech giant has experienced a huge surge in demand and decided last week to temporarily prioritize some product shipments, such as household staples and medical supplies, as novel coronavirus cases grow in the U.S.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AMZN | AMAZON.COM INC. | 179.17 | -2.11 | -1.16% |
Amazon said on March 16 that it is looking to hire 100,000 new workers with $17/hour pay for its U.S. warehouse and delivery wings in order to keep pace with essential sales.
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Amazon employees themselves have to wait for "millions of facemasks" to arrive to their facilities, according to a March 21 notice from Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos, as warehouse workers test positive for COVID-19 in New York, Florida, Oklahoma and Kentucky.
An Amazon Prime truck passes by the sign outside an Amazon fulfillment center, March 19, in Staten Island, New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
Bezos has come under fire in recent days for keeping warehouses open without properly managing safety precautions, though it has encouraged non-essential employees to work from home.
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"Much of the essential work we do cannot be done from home," Bezos' letter reads. "We've implemented a series of preventative health measures for employees and contractors at our sites around the world — everything from increasing the frequency and intensity of cleaning to adjusting our practices in fulfillment centers to ensure the recommended social distancing guidelines."
"We are meeting every day, working to identify additional ways to improve on these measures," he said.
