NEW YORK — Amazon said Tuesday that it will only accept shipments of cleaning equipment, medical supplies and household goods from suppliers at its warehouses for next three weeks to fill surging demand of those items.
The online retailer has been sold out of items like disinfecting wipes and toilet paper as the new coronavrius spreads and more people shop online at home.
Amazon said the restrictions will last until April 5. It applies to large vendors and third-party sellers, who list items to sell on Amazon.com directly.
It’s still unclear what affect the new restrictions will have on shoppers. For now, they will be able to buy other products like clothing and accessories that are already stored in warehouses and available on its site.
The company said Monday that it needs to hire 100,000 people across the U.S. to keep up with a crush of orders as the coronavirus spreads and keeps more people at home, shopping online.
The online retailer will also temporarily raise pay by $2 an hour through the end of April for hourly employees, who work at its warehouses, delivery centers and Whole Foods grocery stores.
Dave Clark, Amazon's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Operations, said the commitment to increased pay through April is an investment of more than $350 million.
"We also know many people have been economically impacted as jobs in areas like hospitality, restaurants, and travel are lost or furloughed as part of this crisis," Dave Clark, Amazon's Senior Vice President of Worldwide Operations, said in a statement. "We want those people to know we welcome them on our teams until things return to normal and their past employer is able to bring them back."
Those interested in applying can learn more about the openings at www.amazon.com/jobsnow.
