- There’s nothing to drive impulse buying like a good old global crisis.
It has been long enough since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic that we can start looking at it from a historical perspective. And if there’s anything that marked the start of the pandemic era, it was panic buying.
More specifically, people started hoarding toilet paper. Supplies of butt wipes ran out worldwide, and in some places continue to this day.
But toilet paper wasn’t the only people bought in spades. Plenty of other things became targets of panic buying. Some of them were really bizarre.
Here are people’s weirdest panic purchases from the start of the pandemic — and why they bought them.
1. Scented Candles
As we shut ourselves in our homes, a lot of people realized something that may have eluded them. Indoor air gets stale pretty quickly.
Add to that aroma of all the people marinating inside for days on end and you have one pungent home. It’s no wonder then that scented candles began selling like hotcakes.
Net-a-Porter, for example, saw 130% sales growth year-on-year in March 2020 alone. People went absolutely nuts for scented candles.
We suppose they were an easy way to mask the quarantine scents. Or maybe they reminded people of places they could no longer go.
2. Animals
It gets lonely being stuck inside four walls for days or weeks on end. People starved for company flocked to pet stores and shelters, looking for four-legged friends.
It wasn’t just dogs and cats that disappeared. More exotic pets, like lizards and birds, also became very popular all of a sudden.
Unfortunately, people’s understandable desire for companionship produced an unfortunate side effect. As they began returning to work, they realized they no longer had the time to care for their new pets.
Now, shelters are bogged down with animals that people are returning in droves. If only they’d remember that it’s a living being, not a toy.
3. Sweatpants
If you’re in your home 24/7, what’s the point of looking fancy? A lot of people thought that and opted for maximum comfort instead.
And what could be more comfortable than sweatpants? They disappeared off the shelves nationwide, leaving folks fighting over the remaining ill-fitting pairs.
They got so popular that some experts thought sweatpants might become the new fashion standard. they didn’t, though — once the quarantines ended, people chose to wear jeans again.
4. Ukuleles
Pianos and guitars saw massive a sales boom during the early pandemic era. But it wasn’t just conventional instruments that people bought.
Ukuleles also became ridiculously popular all of a sudden. Music store shelves stood empty as ukulele sales skyrocketed 300% during 2020.
We suppose it was a fun, quirky instrument to learn while stuck at home. But at the same time, the boom was probably responsible for the endless social media videos of teenage girls playing extremely ill-fitting ukulele renditions of pop songs.
5. Marijuana
If there was one industry that absolutely loved the pandemic, it was medical and legal marijuana. Weed sales went through the roof during 2020.
It makes sense, really. The pandemic made people nervous and anxious, and a nice spliff reduces that stress very effectively.
In fact, the cannabis industry probably is probably one of the few industries that came out of the pandemic stronger than ever.
6. Sex Toys
But what are you supposed to do for fun if you don’t like weed? Well, you could always play with… Yourself.
The quarantine kind of put a damper on the dating scene. But people are people and still wanted to get their rocks off.
So, they started buying sex toys. Lots and lots of sex toys.
And it wasn’t just solo stuff, either. Toys aimed at couples, like harnesses and strap-ons, sold incredibly well.
Hey, you have to pass the time somehow.
7. Guns and Ammo
The start of the pandemic was a time of uncertainty in many ways. It seemed that society as we know it was suddenly about to collapse.
A lot of people felt unsafe. And few things can lull you into a sense of security than a hefty gun in your hand.
Gun sellers noted that firearms disappeared off the shelves as people sought to protect their homes from (mostly imagined) threats. There was just one issue — ammo sold out much faster, so a lot of new gun owners couldn’t find anything to load their hand cannons with.
8. Bear Repellent
With people-oriented activities on hold, plenty of people got a bright idea. Why not go as far away from civilization as possible where the virus hasn’t reached?
Hiking and camping gear sold out quickly as the pandemic began. And so did bear repellent.
Sprays, bear canisters, and every other imaginable anti-bear gadget ran out in stores nationwide. You can’t help but wonder how many of the people buying that stuff actually visited areas where bears might be a problem.
Hits: 0
