Amazon puts new online grocery customers on wait-list amid overwhelming demand

Amazon on Monday have begun to put new grocery delivery customers on a wait-list and curtail shopping hours at some Whole Foods stores  amid the overwhelming demand during the coronavirus outbreak.

The company aims to prioritize orders from existing customers buying food online during the outbreak, the Seattle-based ​e-commerce company said in a statement on Sunday.

Many shoppers recently seeking to buy groceries from the company found they could not place orders due to a lack of available delivery slots. This drives Amazon to relegate all new online grocery customers to a wait-list while working on adding capacity each week.

It also said it plans to shorten some Whole Foods stores’ hours for the public to enable its employees to fulfil more quickly online grocery orders.

The company have in recent weeks increased the number of Whole Foods stores, offering grocery pickup ​to more than 150 locations, up from 80 previously.