The corona economy:
from flour to face masks, here’s what we’ve been buying in the last 100 days...
SHUTDOWNS, DAILY briefings, political scandals – but through all the confusion of the last few months, we’ve somehow kept on shopping, whether for supermarket essentials (remember the row when we were told Easter eggs didn’t count?) or for the notso essentials (got to keep up morale). As the restrictions now begin to ease, the peculiar dynamics of the coronavirus economy offer a revealing – and sometimes touching – insight into what on earth we’ve all just been through.
1 FLOUR
It was the great British bake-off as the nation bedded down for an enforced pause... and decided to make banana bread, pushing flour sales up 2,000% in March. Meanwhile, a mass pop to the shops ‘to get a few bits’ had us down to our last loo roll.
2 FITNESS KIT
As we embarked on the Couch to 5k challenge and signed up for Instagram yoga classes galore, the ‘Joe Wicks effect’ led to a 496% uplift in gym equipment sales at John Lewis in the first weeks of lockdown. Whether we’re still using it is another matter...
3 FOOD DELIVERY BOXES
Spending on easy-to-assemble meal kits more than doubled in April; the grind of making three meals a day at home was starting to take its toll.
4 LOUNGEWEAR
Sales of leggings and hoodies soared as our jeans started to feel constraining, never mind a bra. Yet even as we put the leisure into athleisure, searches for belts grew 17% as #pillowchallenge – to turn bed linen into a dress – took hold. Not the first lockdown style low point...
5 TIE-DYE
Maybe it was the low risk of anyone seeing us that had us embracing a tricky trend with new enthusiasm. Tracksuits, T-shirts, scrunchies, you name it – if it looked like we’d dunked it in a bucket in a craft session, we’ve been wearing it.
6 CHAINS
Connell’s in Normal People, of course. Within 24 hours of the BBC launch of the show at the end of April, ‘silver’ and ‘chain necklace’ became the most commonly used search terms for men’s jewellery on Lyst.
7 HAIR DYE
With hairdressers still closed and the weeks crawling on, it fell to us at home to tackle our roots, top up highlights or just say f*** it and dye it all pink, the surprising shade du lockdown.
8 FACE MASKS
Specifically, upcycled Liberty-print ones please (five for £40). After we were finally told to start wearing protection on public transport, why not pick some that match our aesthetic? Stay calm and accessorise.
9 HOT TUBS
As the weather’s improved, sales have risen 490% on ebay. Impractical in our climate, possibly wasteful of energy and – ooh hang on, Lidl’s doing a four-person one for £299.99…
10 BOOZE
With pubs shut, sales of alcohol were 50% higher this May than last year. In June, the day after separated couples learned they could spend the night together, Waitrose saw a 60% rise in searches for champagne glasses. Cheers!