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Amazon Prime members who are used to getting their orders in 24 to 48 hours are facing a new reality as the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic spreads. The online retailer says certain nonessential items will be de-prioritized and could take one month or longer to be delivered.
Some items, including select Nvidia graphics cards, are showing delivery dates of April 21. The news comes days after Amazon said it would prioritize medical supplies and household staples (along with other high-demand products) as it deals with increased workloads from the outbreak.
In a statement to Recode the company said, “To serve our customers in need while also helping to ensure the safety of our associates, we’ve changed our logistics, transportation, supply chain, purchasing, and third-party seller processes to prioritize stocking and delivering items that are a higher priority for our customers. This has resulted in some of our delivery promises being longer than usual.”
Amazon is currently hiring 100,000 people to work in its distribution facilities to keep up with demand.
The affected items vary wildly. A quick look at Amazon’s bestselling items page shows shoppers who buy games such as Jenga or Hasbro’s Guess Who will get their order this week (though in three days, not two), but those who want Connect 4, the third bestselling game, will have to wait until early May. Top-selling books are now not available until April 21, as well.
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Subscribe to Outbreak, a daily roundup of stories on the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on global business, delivered free to your inbox.
