Amazon Mothership's Inventory Dictates Leave Whole Foods Store Shelves Bare

Customers and employees alike are troubled by food shortages at the organic grocer, caused primarily by cost-saving stocking procedures to which managers are strictly adhering, Business Insider reported this week.

The system is called "order-to-shelf," or OTS, and involves taking products straight from delivery trucks to the aisles, Business Insider says. The intent of OTS is to cut costs and reduce wasted product, but the result is that stock runs out and is not quickly replaced, angering some customers.

A review of Whole Foods Market Inc. internal documents obtained by Business Insider also found rules preventing employees from covering up gaps with other inventory, keeping those shelves looking especially empty -- and store managers can be penalized if they break this rule.