In normal times, Amazon will happily deliver almost any item to your doorstep, no matter how frivolous. These are not normal times. Millions of Americans are now largely confined to their homes as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and many of them have turned to Amazon for household staples, groceries, and medical supplies in large numbers. To keep up with surging demand for essential goods, Amazon announced Tuesday that it would no longer accept other items at its warehouses until April 5.
The unprecedented action will immediately affect millions of third-party sellers and vendors, who have come to rely on Amazon’s warehouses to get their products into the hands of consumers. Amazon customers can expect greater availability of things like soap and dog food, and potential shipping delays when it comes to less pressing items like clothing and electronics.
“We are seeing increased online shopping, and as a result some products such as household staples and medical supplies are out of stock,” reads an announcement on Amazon’s official forum for sellers. “With this in mind, we are temporarily prioritizing household staples, medical supplies, and other high-demand products coming into our fulfillment centers so that we can more quickly receive, restock, and deliver these products to customers.” Last week, news outlets like Vice reported that Amazon had virtually no supply of goods like toilet paper left on its virtual shelves.
The new policy is only one facet of Amazon’s sweeping response to the coronavirus outbreak. The retail gia