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The Sales of These 6 Items Soared During the Pandemic

Quarantine was an unprecedented time for all of us, so naturally, almost every aspect of life saw some turns and changes and that includes consumerism. According to Forbes, "jigsaw puzzles for adults" was the top search on Amazon, for the first time in the website’s history. It makes perfect sense to stock up on utilities such as hand sanitizer or basic food products, and it’s also natural to want to make sure you have enough entertainment to go through the pandemic.
Books, games, arts and crafts supplies, each to their own. But there were also a few quite unexpected items which spiked in sales during this time. The following are the weirdest items people have been buying throughout the pandemic.

1. RVs

Sales of These 6 Items SOARED During the Pandemic RV

As the pandemic continued into summer, it meddled with the travel plans of many. Those who did not want to cancel their vacation plans had to come up with original solutions to travel while social distancing and RVs are a great way to do so. Dealers of the recreational vehicles saw a 170% increase in sales for the month of May compared with the same time last year, according to the RV Industry Association.

Of course, purchasing an RV is not a viable option for everyone, and many travelers chose to rent a vehicle making rental numbers surge as well. If you’re inspired to plan an RV trip and aren’t sure where to start check out our previous article titled 10 RV Campgrounds in the US Every Camper Should Know.

2. Roller Skates

Sales of These 6 Items SOARED During the Pandemic roller skates
Many quarantined Americans were in dire need of a new hobby to fill up the hours and unexpectedly, many turned to roller skating. Google searches for roller skates spiked during May and many retailers struggled to keep up with the sudden demand, according to The Washington Post. Moxi Roller Skates, a California based brand faced a spike of 12 times the usual sales and even had to open up a second factory to keep up with customers’ needs, according to founder Michelle Steilen.

3. Yeast

Sales of These 6 Items SOARED During the Pandemic yeast

If you feel like every person you know has been baking bread during quarantine, you may not be wrong. Baking saw a wave of popularity in the pandemic. It’s partially due to the fact many people preferred to refrain from visiting the grocery store too often and opted for self-sustaining through baking. For others, baking served as more of a hobby or pastime, and quarantine was a good opportunity to try their hand at more elaborate artisan bread

Consequently, sales of baking supplies have soared, but yeast was particularly hard to come by. Yeast sales were up by a whopping 647% at the end of March, compared with the same week last year. In fact, yeast experienced the fastest sales growth over a seven-day period than any other grocery product. 

4. Bidets

Sales of These 6 Items SOARED During the Pandemic bidet

We all remember the toilet paper craze in the early days, as the fact we are in a worldwide pandemic started dawning on people. The toilet paper shortage caused many people to consider installing a bidet, a commonplace object in homes in Asia and some parts of Europe, but less so in the US.

Google searches for bidets spiked in mid-March, while companies that sell bidets experienced a boom. According to Yahoo, bidet sales became 10 times higher than they were pre-pandemic.

5. Sweatpants

Sales of These 6 Items SOARED During the Pandemic sweatpants

Even as lockdown measures eased and cities were opening up, many continued to work from home, and it is generally still recommended to avoid crowded places. With so much time spent at home, it isn’t surprising that sweatpants are one of the items that soared in sales at this time. 

While clothing sales dropped by 79% in April, sweatpants purchases rose by 80% compared to the same period last year, according to the New York Times.

6. Scented Candles

Sales of These 6 Items SOARED During the Pandemic scented candles

Not exactly a necessity, but if you’re going to stay at home, you may as well make the experience as pleasant as possible, especially with the extra cooking going on. Scented candle sales soared, too, during the pandemic, with some retailers reporting an increase of 130% compared to last year. 

Popular candle scents during March include Cherry Blossom, Rhubarb, and Rose. Candles infused with blends of essential oils were also popular, especially oils that are renowned for boosting the mood or calming like Sandalwood and Lavender.

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