Pandemics strange affect on shopping market shelves

First came the rush on toilet paper, pasta and rice as shoppers stocked up on key grocery items during the early days of the pandemic. Then came the jigsaw puzzle and gym equipment shortages, and a run on computer monitors and laptops to prepare for months of working from home. Since then, the changes in our shopping habits have continued behind the scenes, less pronounced than in the early days of the pandemic, but just as significant. For example, males may seem smellier than usual as they work from home as sales of men's deodorant are down 8.7 per cent since April. Similarly, spending on skincare is down, and the humble white cask wine is gathering dust on the back shelves of bottle shops. But sales of coffee machines have gone through the roof.

Demand for puppies, on the other hand, is skyrocketing as housebound families seek comfort in a pet. Coca-Cola drink machine sales have fallen off a cliff, yet overall soft drink consumption remains steady thanks to a spike in drink purchases with a takeaway pizza. Moving forward, experts predict lockdown baking from scratch is here to stay, driving flour and spice sales up.