Stitch Fix warned customers of potentially delayed orders and returns on Saturday after government mandates forced it to close two distribution centers, in California and in Pennsylvania.
The fashion subscription service said it will continue to pay employees of those centers in the near term and will “continue to evaluate doing so if the closures are extended.” In its distribution centers that remain open, Stitch Fix says it has increased its deep cleaning and sanitization practices. It has also added increased flexibility to work schedules and sick time to ensure employees who need to take leave are able to do so.
Additionally, to financially support single parents working in its distribution centers who are impacted by school and child-care closures, Stitch Fix has created the Stitch Fix Family Emergency Program.
“Our hearts are with everyone around the world who has been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, and we are incredibly grateful to all who are working hard to keep our communities healthy and safe,” wrote founder and CEO Katrina Lake in a statement.
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“This is the most challenging time we’ve faced in our nearly 10 years. But, in the face of that challenge, we also see opportunity,” she continued. “We see the opportunity to invest in the connections to each other that bring meaning to our work, the opportunity to lean on our company values and do what we believe is right, and the opportunity to support each other and make our community even stronger.”
Amidst the coronavirus outbreak, some states across the country, including New York, California and Illinois, have ordered all nonessential companies to temporarily shut down operations, with exemptions for some essential services such as grocery stores and gas stations. Many fashion and footwear retailers have made the decision to temporarily close all doors in the U.S., among them Nike, Nordstrom, Macy’s and TJ Maxx.
In the U.S., coronavirus cases have risen to over 27,000, according to Johns Hopkins data. Over 320 Americans have died after contracting the virus, which causes the disease COVID-19.
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