Warehouse Direct’s Response To COVID-19 To Support Our Community
Dear Valued Customer,
Warehouse Direct’s operations remain open and operational to all delivery customers during current “stay-at-home” and “shelter-in-place” orders from state and local government officials, including the recent order in Illinois, which encourages Essential Businesses and Operations to stay open.
Warehouse Direct meets the definition of an “essential business” under the currently available exceptions from “stay-at-home” and “shelter-in-place” orders. In addition, as a large distributor of infection control, cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, sterilization supplies and equipment, masks, gloves, as well as tissue, paper towel and beverages and snacks for the workplace, Warehouse Direct, falls into an “essential critical infrastructure” industry under the Health Care category as designated by the Department of Homeland Security. Accordingly, all Warehouse Direct distribution centers remain open at this time. We are prepared and proud to do our part to help support our community during this challenging time.
Caring for Our Employees & Community
The safety and security of our associates, customers, vendor partners and community are our top priority as we navigate the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), and its impact on our work and personal lives. Based on Centers for Disease Control information, and our own expertise as a large distributor of workplace sanitation products and equipment, we have implemented several additional procedures to protect our associates and customers. These procedures include, but are not limited to;
- Additional sanitizer stations throughout our facility
- Providing portable sanitizer to our drivers
- Guidelines on social distancing
- Eliminating signatures on deliveries
- Delivering product outside of buildings that are considered higher risk to prevent contact with people in those facilities
- Use of exam gloves to pick and pack products for delivery
- Telecommuting for able employees
- Providing limited exposure and limited contact of employees at our headquarters and affiliate offices
- Conducting meetings by phone or virtually
- Onboarding of additional cleaning and sanitation employees
- Postponed all events and gatherings at this time
- Medical questionnaire to vendor delivery staff and contractors delivering product to our facilities
There are no WD employees known to have contracted COVID-19, and we hope our efforts make it remain this way. We advise all employees who are feeling ill to leave our workplace until they are feeling well again. WD will continue to take recommendations from the CDC to protect our employees during this time.
Continued Support of Our Community
As a family and locally owned business, WD values the health of our surrounding community. Many of WD’s customers include schools, park districts, medical facilities, and other community-driven groups that are near and dear to our heart. WD is currently updating our practices with our leadership team to serve our communities with their ever-changing workplace.
Fulfilling Customers’ Needs
We have experienced unprecedented demand for many of our infection control, cleaning and janitorial products. We have been monitoring this situation for some time, and have taken steps to increase supply. However, even the increase in supply is not yet able to keep up with the market demand, and we have begun allocating quantities on certain items in order to fairly serve our customers. And, like all responsible distributors during a pandemic, we are prioritizing infection control and cleaning products to critical healthcare, first responders and other critical organizations in our community, which have also historically been the highest volume consumers of these products. Click here for more information on product allocation.
Back-orders. Items on allocation are not available on our website right now. Many customers want to take additional steps to keep their workplaces safer now and in the future. Warehouse Direct can offer a wide variety of solutions to help our customers. Please contact your Warehouse Direct Account Executive and or Customer Service Representative to discuss options we have available to you now and additional options we will have shortly once supply and demand gets closer in line. We will hold back-order demand and contact you as additional supply becomes available. In many cases alternatives to the items you have requested will become available before the specific items you requested. For example a different brand or pack size, wall mount vs desktop pump. We will contact you as these items come into stock to ask if alternatives are acceptable.
As this situation evolves, we will closely monitor any developments that could change the way we operate and will communicate changes to you.
Returns of Volume Purchases: (All returns require a return authorization and are subject to our standard return policy; must be returned within 30 days of purchase in the original carton in resalable condition with no damage or marking on boxes. Report any shortages within 7 days). Returns of Volume Purchases that exceed a customer’s historical purchase levels will be subject to a 25% restocking fee. Purchases of food, Beverages, First Aid Supplies are non-returnable. Returnable items with expiration dates are nonreturnable after our standard 30-day return policy.
Outside of janitorial and sanitation solutions, WD provides a vast array of products and service solutions to help your organization operating during these times. At this time, WD is still providing the ordering and delivery of all our product categories to our customers. WD is aware that many customers may want to practice social distancing at this time, and we are available to take your orders via our customer support team and online ordering. If you would like to make specific delivery arrangements to limit exposure to our drivers, such requests can be made at the time of order.
Promoting Awareness to Our Customers & Community
WD takes pride in constant communication of our business practices and events that take place. The pandemic has brought forth a new opportunity to empower and educate our customers and community on healthy and safe practices to promote at the workplace. We will continue to provide literature of information to help our customers be informed on new information to safeguard against illness.
WD continues and will follow federal and state legislation regarding these current events. Our practices have been modified to honor current recommendations within our workplace and servicing our customers and community.
WD recommends all customers continually read about updates of COVID-19 and other illness prevention on the Center Of Disease Control website.
During this time, there may be changes in our service structure to our community to provide the best, reliable, and fast service and products. As changes and options for updated service needs become available, WD will actively communicate with our customer base via our website, social media, and email campaign efforts.
As always, WD’s top priority is our community of workplace customers and employees. Please refer to this page for updates regarding COVID-19 for our business practices and service efforts to our community.
