CORONAVIRUS
(COVID-19) UPDATE:
Committed to Your
Health and Safety
Coronavirus Update
Our thoughts are with everyone affected by the Coronavirus. Throughout this rapidly evolving situation, the health and safety of our customers and team members remains our top priority. We've instituted a pandemic plan across our organization that includes health and safety protocols that will allow us to continue to serve you. Below you'll find the latest information on steps we're taking to support our commitment to keeping everyone safe and operations up and running.
FAST FACTS
- By providing hardware, safety, personal protection equipment and other MRO products, Grainger is an “essential business” for customers, including government agencies, hospitals, first responders, food producers, utilities, pharmaceutical manufacturers and those that work in critical infrastructure sectors.
- Our branches and our distribution centers remain open, and our service agents are ready to assist you.
- As of Wednesday, June 24, all our branches across the US re-opened our branch showrooms for counter service. In addition to welcoming customers into our showrooms, we will continue to provide curbside service for will call orders. Customer-facing hours vary, Monday through Friday, depending on the location. Please check Grainger.com for current branch hours in your market. After-hours emergency call services are currently available at all Grainger branches. Due to Covid-19, we will not be accepting cash payments.
- Inventory positions remain strong in categories not directly impacted by the pandemic.
- There are certain pandemic-related products where we have limited inventory and unknown replenishment timing, including select personal protective equipment and sanitation products. These are noted as unavailable for purchase on Grainger.com®.
- To ensure the health and safety of the nation, we are working first with the government to ensure emergency responders and hospitals have appropriate resources to assist those impacted by this virus.
- Please alert your Grainger representative immediately if you receive a communication from an unauthorized outside party that claims to have Grainger product available for purchase. This is a fraudulent claim and Grainger does not authorize outside parties to communicate on our behalf on this topic. We will always communicate directly with you about product availability.
Coronavirus (COVID-19): How Grainger is Preparing and Responding
All of us at Grainger are committed to helping you keep your operations up and running during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The health and safety of our team members, customers and business partners are at the center of all our decisions and response efforts.
By providing hardware, safety, personal protection equipment and other MRO products, Grainger is an "essential business" for customers, including government agencies, hospitals, first responders, food producers, utilities, pharmaceutical manufacturers and those that work in critical infrastructure sectors. We are committed to doing all we can to stay open to serve you so you can serve our communities and those in need.
At the onset of this global pandemic, Grainger established a task force to plan and respond to the impacts of the coronavirus. This groups works with local health officials to help ensure our actions around team members and facilities meet their requirements, and closely monitors the latest reports from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). To handle the unprecedented demand for product, our teams across the business—from your local branch staff and distribution center associates to our sellers and call agents—have tirelessly worked to support customers. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work to help you keep working.
While this is not an exhaustive list, here are some of the actions Grainger is taking across our business:
Our Branches
We are ready to serve you at our locations across the country. We've augmented our cleaning protocols and have communicated CDC guidelines about hygiene to all team members. We are currently offering curbside service along with limited service in our showrooms at all of our U.S. branch locations to help keep you safer. As always, you can have your product delivered by ordering on Grainger.com® or through 1-800-GRAINGER.
For both our branches and DCs, we have established a protocol that allows for a consistent approach when determining if there is a need to temporarily suspend operations and/or implement a deep cleaning process due to a team member who is either diagnosed positive or presumed positive with COVID-19.
Our Sales Representatives and Inventory Management Professionals
To help navigate the uncertainty of the pandemic, our sellers are able to help you and our inventory management professionals are actively servicing KeepStock® accounts where appropriate. Even if your facility is closed or has implemented restrictions on access, Grainger team members are capable to connect virtually and work with you to provide relevant Grainger solutions.
Product and Order Priority
We are leveraging our capable supplier network to replenish and restock our distribution centers and branches to get you what you need.
Like others, we are seeing unprecedented demand for personal protective equipment like face masks, hand sanitizers and cleaning supplies. To ensure the health and safety of the nation, we are working first with government customers so emergency responders and hospitals have appropriate resources to assist those impacted by this virus. All other orders are arranged based on Grainger inventory management commitments, contract obligations and order timing.
Grainger is making every effort to manage costs around the acquisition of products. Any price increase that our customers experience at this time reflects the increased price for Grainger to acquire products. This is due to factors such as increased cost of raw material, transportation and/or continued demand for pandemic related products, and is not the result of increased margin or price gouging.
The global shortage of products like N95 masks has created opportunity for dishonest parties to attempt to capitalize on this global crisis. We were recently alerted to an attempted communication from an unauthorized outside party to a small number of Grainger customers. In this message, the sender fraudulently claims to have Grainger product available for purchase.
Please know that we will always communicate directly with you about product availability. Grainger does not authorize outside parties to communicate about this topic. If you receive such a message, please alert your Grainger representative immediately. Given the nature of the message, we’ve also alerted law enforcement authorities regarding this matter.
Inventory positions remain strong in categories not directly impacted by the pandemic.
Our Team Members
In order to minimize exposure and slow down the rate of infection, we have established a mandatory work remote policy for all team members who are able to do so. For team members who must be on-site to serve our customers, we have done the following:
- Augmented cleaning procedures
- Implemented CDC and WHO guidelines
- Instituted social distancing practices
- Provided gloves and masks to branch and DC team members
- Given gloves, masks, hand sanitizers and wipes to those KeepStock team members visiting our customer facilities
Additionally, we are implementing temperature screening at select Grainger locations nationwide.
Grainger also provides premium pay to recognize team members who need to perform their work activity at a Grainger facility or customer location. This includes our hourly team members and select leaders who are unable to work remotely.
We will continue to evaluate our actions to help keep our team members safe and our customers working.
We want to thank you for your support and understanding during a rapidly evolving situation as we make every effort to support our customers, team members and the communities we serve.
On behalf of all of us at Grainger, thank you for your continued business.
Additional Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
To ensure the health and safety of the nation, we are working first with government customers so emergency responders and hospitals have appropriate resources to assist those impacted by this virus. All other orders are arranged based on Grainger inventory management commitments, contract obligations and order timing. Grainger is making every effort to prioritize product for KeepStock locations. Where there are global shortages of certain product, we are identifying gaps and working with the customer to identify alternates. While gaps may persist, KeepStock items are receiving high priority.
To assist with the health and safety of our team members and customers, Grainger provides gloves, masks, hand sanitizer and wipes to our team members who focus on inventory management at a customer location.
Inventory positions remain strong in categories not directly impacted by the pandemic.
Please reference Grainger.com to check stock on items in question. Please understand we must prioritize orders to ensure customers such as the government, first responders and hospitals have appropriate resources to assist those impacted by this virus. Day in and day out, we are prioritizing Grainger’s inventory management commitments; all other orders are arranged based on Grainger contract obligations and order timing.
No. The global shortage of products like N95 masks has created opportunity for dishonest parties to attempt to capitalize on this global crisis. To that end, we were recently alerted to an attempted communication from an unauthorized outside party to a small number of Grainger customers. In this message, the sender fraudulently claims to have Grainger product available for purchase.
Know that we will always communicate directly with you about product availability. Grainger does not authorize outside parties to communicate about this topic. If you receive such a message, please alert your Grainger representative immediately. Given the nature of the message, we’ve also alerted law enforcement authorities regarding this matter.
Place your orders normally through the branch, phone, or online. When you arrive at the branch, just drive up and we’ll serve you. All Grainger branches are open Monday through Friday, and hours vary by market. Please check Grainger.com for current branch hours in your market. After-hours emergency call services are currently available at all Grainger branches. Due to COVID-19, we will not be accepting cash payments at this time.
As North America's leading broadline supplier of maintenance, repair and operating (MRO) products, Grainger has built strong relationships with the supplier community. Our leadership team has been working diligently with our supplier partners to prioritize Grainger and the end users that we support.
At Grainger, we have a responsibility to do our part to minimize exposure and slow down the rate of infection. We have established a mandatory work remote policy for all team members who are able to do so.
For team members who must be on-site to serve our customers, we have done the following:
- Augmented cleaning procedures
- Implemented CDC and WHO guidelines
- Instituted social distancing practices
- Provided gloves and masks to branch and DC team members
- Given gloves, masks, hand sanitizers and wipes to those KeepStock team members visiting our customer facilities
Additionally, we are implementing temperature screening at key Grainger locations nationwide.
Grainger also provides premium pay to recognize team members who need to perform their work activity at a Grainger facility or customer location. This includes our hourly team members and select leaders who are unable to work remotely.
Grainger provides a number of other benefits to support our team members during this time as well, including pandemic pay, telemedicine services and emotional wellbeing/care solutions. We’ve also updated our travel policies for associates, following the U.S. Department of State and CDC’s guidance on international and domestic travel.
If a team member is diagnosed with COVID-19 or advised by health or government officials to self-quarantine due to direct COVID-19 exposure, they’ll continue to be paid during that time. And as always, we’re encouraging team members who are sick to stay home.
Grainger is providing premium pay to recognize team members who need to perform their work activity at a Grainger facility or customer location. This includes our hourly team members and select leaders who are unable to work remotely.
Grainger has been a longtime partner of the American Red Cross and currently serves as a $500K member of the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program. This program allows the Red Cross to prepare for, and immediately respond to, disasters and emergency situations. The Red Cross is closely monitoring the outbreak of COVID-19 and preparing to support public health agencies in communities across the U.S. Grainger is continuing to work with the Red Cross to assess their needs at this time and offer as much support as possible.
Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we are seeing extraordinary demand on thousands of items. The entire Grainger team is working with customers and suppliers to find ways to meet this increased demand. Grainger needs to manage the challenges associated with providing extraordinary volume of product for our customers.
As a result, effective March 23, we modified Grainger’s return policy in the U.S. to only allow returns for up to 30 days from the date of purchase until further notice on all items. (Orders placed prior to March 23 will not be subject to this new returns policy.) The only exceptions are customers with alternate return specifications in their contract. Please note that this does not supersede any items bought as "Final Sale;" these items will still be final sale and non-returnable.
For product or account needs, please reach out to your sales representative or call 1-800-Grainger. For media or investor questions, please contact 847-535-5678.