It can be assumed that many Germans will increasingly order products online in the coming days and weeks in order to avoid having to leave the house as little as possible due to the corona virus. The news agency spot on news asked what the current situation is with parcel deliverers and mail order companies.
No customer signature
A company spokesman for the Deutsche Post DHL Group (DPDHL) said on request that it was "too early" to determine a trend in the shipment volumes caused by the corona virus. "There are currently no significant restrictions in the delivery of letters and parcels or in our branches in Germany." Observe the current situation "very closely" and "continuously adjust the business activities of our company in order to mitigate possible effects as possible and to ensure the security of our staff, our customers and the maintenance of the postal supply".
In order to better protect the company's employees from a possible infection, "we decided to forgo the customer signature when receiving the parcel until further notice and replace it with documentation by the deliverer". Customers who fear contagion could also arrange a storage location for the receipt of parcels online.
As of yesterday, Monday, the Hermes shipping service "has no evidence that the corona crisis is increasing the shipment volumes". This was confirmed by a spokeswoman when asked by spot on news. "If the number of infections continues to increase, the structural advantage of online trading can be assumed, that goods are sent directly to the house and thus avoid contact with other people in brick-and-mortar shops." Currently deliver "unchanged nationwide and there are no significant delays or the like".
It was a top priority at Hermes "to avoid infecting our employees, service partners and delivery staff" and, at the same time, "to protect our customers as best as possible". A delivery can be delivered "without any physical contact". "Thanks to good digital solutions, customers have the option of receiving their shipment in person or having it delivered to a desired storage location. With package delivery to the front door, in the gazebo, garage or another secure storage location, delivery takes place without a personal contact point. This also means there is no need to acknowledge receipt of the shipment on the scanner. "
Amazon, on the other hand, is struggling with delivery bottlenecks
At the German mail order company Otto, there is currently no increased demand – not even for certain articles. "Everything is going according to plan," said a company spokesman when asked. There are "no delivery bottlenecks either". The introduction of contactless delivery is currently considered "not necessary", all deliverers are healthy.
Amazon, meanwhile, referred to an entry in the in-house blog on request. As a "global company, we monitor the effects of COVID-19 very closely," it says, among other things. However, orders are currently increasing, which is why the stocks of products from popular brands – especially in the household sector – are currently exhausted. Delivery can sometimes take longer than usual. But you work "around the clock" to ensure replenishment as quickly as possible.
In addition, it is ensured, among other things, that other providers who use Amazon's platform do not take advantage of the situation to artificially drive up prices. "Ten thousands" of such offers have already been blocked. In addition, Amazon has just announced that it will advertise 100,000 new part-time and full-time jobs for warehouse work and the delivery of goods in the United States. In addition, they want to increase the hourly wages of employees. In EU countries it is around two euros an hour. It is currently not known whether there are significantly more vacancies in Germany.