How Coronavirus Panic Buying Has Evolved

First went the hand sanitizer, disinfectants and toilet paper. Now hair clippers and hair dye are flying off shelves.

Americans’ shopping patterns are serving as a reflection of how the coronavirus pandemic continues to evolve and affect daily lives.

Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said, “People are starting to need a haircut. You see more beard trimmers and hair color and things like that. It’s interesting to watch the dynamic play out.”

Here’s a look at how buying patterns have shifted in the last few weeks:

Week 1: Hand sanitizers, soaps and disinfectants
During the week ending March 7, hand sanitizer sales skyrocketed 470% from the year before. Aerosol disinfectant product sales shot up 385%.

Week 2: Toilet paper
Bath tissue, facial tissue and paper towel products all saw triple-digit sales increases during the week that ended March 14. That same week, aerosol disinfectant sales spiked 519%.

Weeks 3 and 4: Spiral hams and baking yeast
As hunkering down at home transitioned to settling in, Americans turned to baking. In the weeks ending March 21 and March 28, baking yeast sales grew more than any other consumer packaged goods product, up 647% and 457%, respectively, over the same weeks in 2019. Spiral hams were also popular, with sales spiking 622% and 413%, in that same time period.

Week 5: Hair clippers and hair dye on the rise
Spiral ham was still king during the week ending April 4, but data also showed that consumers were starting to gravitate toward other products to maintain their hair. Americans have become do-it-yourself barbers and stylists as hair salons across the nation have temporarily closed to maintain social distancing measures. Sales of hair clippers increased 166% and hair coloring products rose 23%, from the same period a year earlier.

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