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- “As we navigate the challenges associated with COVID-19, we continue to find ways to increase delivery availability as we navigate security measures and social distancing,” said an Amazon spokesperson.
- Kroger, Stop & Shop and HyVee have also been closing stores to the public to focus on pickup and delivery orders.
- Visit the Business Insider home page for more stories.
Amazon is turning more Whole Foods locations into “dark stores,” which are exclusively dedicated to completing online orders.
The last Whole Foods store to switch to the online-only model is in Chicago, near DePaul University. The store will close to customers starting Wednesday at 4 p.m. Central time, the company said.
After that, store employees will focus only on completing online orders for delivery.
The Chicago store is the sixth Whole Foods location to switch to a “dark store” format.
“With orders to stay home, customers have generated unprecedented demand for grocery delivery,” said an Amazon spokesperson. “As we navigate the challenges associated with COVID-19, we continue to find ways to increase delivery availability as we navigate security measures and social distancing.”
The other “dark” Whole Foods are found in New York City (Bryant Park), San Francisco (SOMA), Baltimore, Austin, and Castle Rock, Colorado.
The San Francisco store still partially serves customers who want to shop at the 9 a.m. store. at 1 p.m. Pacific time. Shoppers at risk can visit the store an hour before opening.
Stores in Austin, Castle Rock, and Baltimore are all new stores that were converted to the online-only model before opening to the public. Amazon said the conversions to “dark stores” are temporary.
Supermarket chains are testing ‘dark stores’ as workers worry about rising infections
Kroger, Stop & Shop and HyVee supermarket chains have also been closing stores to the public to focus on delivery and pick-up orders, as demand for online grocery services increases amid the pandemic.
The strategy makes it easy for the store to quickly complete online orders. Most supermarket staff can focus on these orders instead of working at cash registers or assisting customers.
It also reduces the exposure of grocery employees to COVID-19, as workers worry about increasing infections within their ranks.
The International Union of Commercial and Food Workers, the largest union representing supermarket workers, said this month that at least 30 grocery employees have died from the coronavirus and that at least 3,000 have stopped working because of exposure. to the virus or have become ill. The union does not represent Whole Foods workers.
Separately, a group of state attorneys general sent a letter dated May 11 to Amazon and Whole Foods citing reports of infections at Whole Foods stores, and requested that companies provide a description of their policies to notify clients and public health officials of serious COVID. -19 developments in stores.
By switching to a “dark” format, stores reduce the number of people entering the store, thereby reducing overall exposure to employees. Stores can also more easily enforce uniform safety regulations, such as the use of masks and gloves, among those who can enter.
And with fewer people overall in stores, employees have more room to socially distance themselves while completing orders.
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