More cuts coming at Amazon Fresh grocery stories
Jul 27, 2023, 9:48 AM | Updated: 10:40 am
A man walks past an Amazon Fresh Pickup in Seattle. (Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)
(Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)
Amazon is making more cuts at its Fresh grocery stores. Amazon Fresh laid off hundreds of its U.S. workers amid a large-scale grocery restructuring, according to Winsight Grocery Business.
According to CNBC, the company said it’s restructuring its in-store staffing and operations model. As a result, Amazon is eliminating its “zone lead” role. Zone leads are lower-level management positions, with responsibilities including oversight of specific store departments and assisting with training new employees.
“Like any retailer, we periodically assess our stores’ organizational needs and make decisions to increase efficiencies for our employees and deliver customer value,” Jessica Martin, an Amazon spokesperson, said in a statement. “As a result, we’ve decided to evolve our in-store staffing and operations model to better serve our customers and teams.”
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The Seattle area has several Amazon Fresh stores: North Seattle, SoDo, Central District, and 610 East Pike Street.
It is unclear exactly how many employees lost their jobs.
Amazon said it is working with employees to identify new roles for them within the company, and those who do not find another position will be given severance pay. Amazon zone leads who do not stay with the company received 60 days’ pay upon their departure, according to the Washington Post.
The company confirmed the layoffs did not extend to its other grocery chain, Whole Foods Market.
The last layoffs came in April when the corporate chain eliminated hundreds of corporate-level positions.
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Amazon also said it will continue to invest in its stores.
Meanwhile, the company, which planned to open at least a dozen new Amazon Fresh stores across the U.S., faces at least two lawsuits—one in Washington state and another in Pennsylvania—over its decision to leave newly built Amazon Fresh stores unopened.
