Amazon Prime has delayed delivery of some products it deems non-essential or not in high-demand until late April in response to coronavirus, according to a report by Recode.
Amazon classified the following six categories as essential: baby products, health and household, beauty and personal care, grocery, industrial and scientific and pet supplies.
It’s unclear what constitutes a “high-demand” item on Amazon’s end.
Amazon Prime, which costs $119 per year or $12.99 per month, offers free shipping and fast delivery as two of the biggest membership perks. Typically, items are delivered within one-to-two days.
Now, though, some delivery dates are showing anywhere from April 21-30.
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An Amazon spokesperson told Recode that the company’s typical operations have changed because of the coronavirus, and it has to "prioritize stocking and delivering items that are a higher priority for our customers,” which has “resulted in some of our delivery promises being longer than usual.”
Additionally, Amazon Fresh and Prime Now also are experiencing delivery delays and unavailable inventory “due to increased demand,” according to their websites. Prime Pantry has temporarily ceased operations as a result of too many orders.
“Due to high order volumes, Pantry is not accepting new orders at this time,” Amazon announced on its website. “This means that items listed as “Ships & Sold from Pantry” cannot be added to your cart. We apologize for this inconvenience, and are working with our partners to get these items back in stock as quickly as possible.”
Third-party sellers and vendors also were told last week that all shipments of non-essential products to Amazon’s warehouses will be halted in response to the high demand of items.
To help keep up with the volume of orders, Amazon announced plans to create 100,000 new full and part-time jobs in its fulfillment centers and delivery operations.
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Nicolette Accardi can be reached at naccardi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter: @N_Accardi. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips