STUCK AT HOME, AMERICANS ARE STOCKING UP ON PUZZLES

As the reality started sinking in across the country that Americans would be urged to stay home for an indefinite period of time during the COVID-19 crisis, people have been buying large volumes of beans and rice and soap. And puzzles. Puzzle Warehouse, a family-owned shop in St. Louis with a huge selection of puzzles, suddenly found itself overwhelmed with business last week.

On a normal day, the store sells 1,000 puzzles. In the past week or so, it’s selling as many as 10,000 a day.

Big retailers such as Amazon are selling out of puzzles, as are local toy stores, many of which have closed because of the outbreak.