Amazon Says One-Day Deliveries Of Non-Essential Goods To Restart In Coming Weeks

Amazon.com Inc. AMZN said Tuesday Prime deliveries of non-essential goods on its e-commerce platform will return gradually in the coming weeks, Bloomberg reported.

What Happened

The one- and two-day deliveries have remained suspended for about two months in the United States as the company struggled to meet the sudden surge in demand and restrictions on operations in the wake of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Amazon on Sunday also removed restrictions on the amount of inventory suppliers can send to its warehouses, company spokesperson Kristen Kish told Bloomberg.

"We removed quantity limits on products our suppliers can send to our fulfillment centers," Kish said. "We continue to adhere to extensive health and safety measures to protect our associates as they pick, pack and ship products to customers, and are improving delivery speeds across our store."

Amazon restarted stocking some non-essential items in mid-April but asked third-party sellers to limit the goods they send to the warehouses.

The Seattle-based e-commerce giant has added 175,000 workers since March to match the surge in demand.

It has also faced criticism and regulatory scrutiny for the treatment of its warehouse and delivery workers and alleged lack of precautions to keep workers safe from infecting the coronavirus.

Price Action

Amazon shares closed 2.16% lower at $2,356.95 on Tuesday. The shares dropped another 0.7% lower at $2,340.03 in the after-hours session.