Whole Foods COVID-19 Update

* This is a living document that will be updated on a regular basis until it is no longer needed. For the most up-to-date information, please visit the Whole Foods Market Company News page.

We believe our role serving customers and the community during this time is a critical one. We care about our team members, customers and products, and we’re evaluating the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation in real-time. We will continue to update here about the actions Whole Foods Market is taking.

In addition to modifications to our prepared foods, self-serve and restaurant venues, we have implemented enhanced daily cleanliness and sanitation protocols across all stores and facilities, on top of our standard stringent protocols.

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How we are adjusting operations in our stores:

  • We are operating under social distancing guidelines in our stores and facilities, ensuring that interaction between team members and among team members and customers can happen at the recommended distance.
  • We are closing stores up to two hours early to give our team members more time to restock shelves, sanitize our stores and rest in preparation for the next day.
  • All food and product sampling and demos have been suspended.
  • We have closed all hot bars, salad bars, soup bars and self-serve pizza counters.
  • Seated restaurant venues and taprooms are closed for in-store dining and will offer takeout only.
  • Indoor and outdoor café seating is temporarily unavailable.
  • Self-serve offerings are closed in additional departments, including antipasti and olive bars, acai machines and poke bowls.
  • We have increased the location and number of hand sanitizer stations available for use by shoppers and team members, including for shopping carts and checkout.
  • We are no longer allowing personal, reusable containers at our smoothie and coffee bars.
  • In order to serve more customers, we are limiting the purchase quantities of high-demand items.
  • To ensure the health and safety of our team members and customers during this critical time, we are suspending our current return policy and all sales are final unless there was a quality problem with the product at the time of purchase.

How we are serving our customers:

  • At Whole Foods Market stores, we’re adjusting our hours of operation to better serve our communities. Please check our store finder page for your store’s updated hours.
  • All Whole Foods Market stores will service customers who are 60+ years old (70+ years old U.K.) one hour before opening the store to the general public.
  • We are partnering with Amazon in expanding capacity to service more Prime Members with free, two-hour grocery delivery and door drop service from Whole Foods Market in more than 2,000 cities and towns.
  • We are also working to expand pickup to all markets under an accelerated time line. 

Our team members are our top priority, and we’ve taken the following steps to support them during this time of uncertainty:

We have implemented enhanced daily cleanliness and sanitation protocols across all stores and facilities, on top of our standard stringent protocols.

  • We are operating under social distancing guidelines in our stores and facilities, ensuring that interaction among team members and between team members and customers can happen at a safe distance.
  • If they are unable or unwilling to work their scheduled shift, team members have unlimited call-outs during this time.
  • All part- and full-time hourly team members at Whole Foods Market stores and facilities in the U.S. and Canada are receiving an additional $2 per hour on top of their current hourly rate through the month of April. In the U.K., part-time and full-time team members in our stores and facilities will receive an additional 2£ per hour through the month of April.
  • All part- and full-time hourly team members at Whole Foods Market stores and facilities will receive double their regular hourly base rate of pay for every overtime hour worked in a workweek from March 16 through May 3, 2020. Enhanced overtime pay is something that Whole Foods Market activates during high-volume holidays, emergency situations or natural disasters.
  • All team members placed into quarantine or diagnosed with COVID-19 will receive up to an additional two weeks of paid time off, as announced by our parent company, Amazon.
  • Like our full-time team members, all part-time team members are eligible to accrue paid time off, which can be used at their discretion.
  • We have increased funds available through our Team Member Emergency Fund, which is available to all team members faced with an unforeseeable emergency or critical situation. Amazon has committed an additional $1.6M to support the fund, bringing the total to $3.34M. All additional donations to the fund will be matched 100% by Whole Foods Market.
  • We have asked team members to cancel nonessential business travel (both domestic and international).
  • Team members who have jobs based in our regional offices and global headquarters are empowered to choose to work from home if they are able.
  • While it is not currently recommended by the CDC, and the guidance is to preserve these resources for the medical community and those caring for the ill, any team member who wishes to wear a mask while working may do so.
  • We have additional shopping hours designated especially for team members to allow them to purchase the items they need.