Amazon stops accepting new online grocery customers amid surging demand during coronavirus outbreak

Amazon said it will begin to put new grocery delivery customers on a waiting list and curtail shopping hours at some Whole Foods stores to prioritise orders from existing customers buying food online during the coronavirus outbreak.

Many shoppers recently seeking to purchase groceries from the Seattle-based e-commerce company found they could not place orders due to a lack of available delivery slots. Amazon said it would have to relegate all new online grocery customers to a waiting list starting Monday while working on adding capacity each week.

In recent weeks, it increased the number of Whole Foods stores offering grocery pickup to more than 150 locations, up from 80 previously.

Amazon also plans to shorten some Whole Foods stores’ hours for the public so its employees can more quickly fulfil online grocery orders, the company said.

The moves illustrates how the world’s largest online retailer, which showed its ambition to enter the grocery industry by acquiring Whole Foods for US$13.7 billion in August 2017, is now leveraging its presence both online and in physical stores to handle high demand from consumers who are stuck eating at home, with many restaurant dining rooms closed to the public.

Amazon offers grocery delivery services Amazon Fresh and Amazon Prime Now from its own warehouses and Whole Foods stores. It typically touts ultra-fast delivery within hours, with shoppers able to choose a delivery window. Last month, Amazon temporarily suspended the Prime Pantry delivery service, which sells non-perishable groceries.