Everything You Need to Know About Amazon Deliveries During Coronavirus

As more and more companies shut down during the coronavirus pandemic, many people are left wondering how to get necessary supplies, including food and other household items. Amazon, which also offers Prime Now and Prime Pantry, is being affected by the current state of the world as well, and the online retailer has had to update its shipping and delivery services.

Amazon announced that its warehouses would only be accepting essential items so it could more quickly make those deliveries to the people who need them. The modification to stock, which is currently in effect until April 5, was posted on Amazon’s seller forum and indicated that “household staples, medical supplies, and other high-demand products” would be prioritized in the warehouses. Amazon also hired extra people to work to help to fulfill those orders so people at home can get what they need. If you want to order something outside what is considered essential and it’s not currently in stock in a warehouse, you’ll have to wait until at least April 5 when Amazon potentially allows restocking of the warehouses.

Prime Pantry, where Amazon Prime members can order groceries and household items to be shipped, however, has been overrun with orders because people are trying to stay home and have also had trouble finding groceries in their local supermarkets. Because of this, Prime Pantry has shut down for new orders for the time being. If you have Amazon Prime, you can still shop through Amazon Prime Now, which gives you shopping and delivery options at your local grocers. However, the Prime Now page has a large banner noting that delivery may be limited or unavailable depending on where you live and what you’re ordering. Depending on your area, also, you might run into a shortage of delivery people, which means there are fewer delivery options and your order could take longer.

Things are constantly and quickly changing during the coronavirus pandemic, so we recommend checking Amazon’s website and social media channels for real-time updates.