Amazon created a waitlist for grocery deliveries because demand is so high

Crushed by the massive increase in demand due to the coronavirus pandemic, Amazon is making some big changes to its grocery delivery services.

In a blog post published over the weekend, Amazon laid out some of the changes it’s making at Whole Foods stores in order to meet increased demand for deliveries and pick-ups while most of America is stuck at home. 

On the consumer end, the most noteworthy change is that new Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods delivery customers need to sign up for an invitation to get food delivered. 

In other words, if you haven’t already been using those services, you’re going to be put on a waitlist. Amazon said it’s letting new customers in each week, so monitor your email inbox if you’ve signed up.

The Amazon Fresh home page will display available delivery windows each day for anyone who’s able to actually use the service. In normal times, you put together your cart and just choose the time that is most convenient for you. Now, you’ll have to choose a delivery time first, and you’ll only know when one is available by checking the website that day.

Whole Foods workers will also see some changes. Store hours are being adjusted to allow for increased restocking and some stores are actually going to focus exclusively on online deliveries. One store in Woodland Hills, California, for example, will only serve online customers on a temporary basis.

Amazon also noted the safety protocols it has implemented in the wake of the coronavirus, such as glass shields for cashiers and gloves and masks for retail workers. Whole Foods workers went on strike two weeks ago to demand better protections from their parent company. That followed a similar strike by Amazon warehouse workers, who felt the company was lax in its response to the fact that several of them tested positive for the coronavirus.