Whole Foods’ Shelves Are Empty And It’s Becoming A Huge Problem

@withoutbest

When Amazon acquired Whole Foods back in June of 2017, consumers were left on edge, wondering what this would mean for the health food chain. And it’s definitely been a rollercoaster since the acquisition. Some prices have dropped… but then slowly crept right back up. And now, employees are saying there are food shortages throughout stores, making customers angry and potentially causing a dip in sales.

A post shared by tobeChefAlfie (@tobechefalfiewang) on Aug 28, 2017 at 9:11pm PDT

There’s a chance the empty shelves could be a result of higher shopper traffic since Amazon took the reigns, but Whole Foods employees are saying the problems stem from the strict buying system called “order-to-shelf,” or OTS.

A post shared by 425 Business Magazine (@425business) on Jun 16, 2017 at 3:16pm PDT

Basically, Whole Foods tried to reduce food waste, clear out storage and cut costs by tracking product purchases and sales. Instead of leaving products sitting in a stockroom somewhere, employees are carrying products straight from the trucks to the shelves as necessary, cutting out the middle man.

A post shared by Karissa (@withourbest) on Nov 13, 2017 at 7:54pm PST

While the ordering system has successfully helped to reduce food waste and cut costs, it ended up backfiring on the front end, and now, Whole Foods seems to be constantly running out of products in each department. We’ll see how Amazon decides to handle this situation. Hopefully, a solution is brewing…