From hand sanitizer and toilet paper to yeast and hair clippers: Here's how Americans' spending habits have changed after weeks staying at home
Hand sanitizer, aerosol disinfectants, and other cleaning products were among the first to see sales spikes.
Then, people started panic buying toilet paper.
Sales of toilet paper were up 212.7% for the week ending March 14, compared to the same week a year ago. Retailers included toilet paper among the essentials for which they would limit purchases.
Hand sanitizer was also still an incredibly popular buy, with sales up 207.5% over the same week a year prior. Shelf-stable food items like beans and powdered milk products also saw big spikes in sales.
Sales of baking yeast popped later in March.
Baking yeast saw a huge increase — 647.3% — in sales during the week ending March 21, compared to the same week in 2019. It's likely many Americans were looking to baking to fight boredom or to spend time with family. Manufacturers ramped up production to meet demand, Business Insider's Hayley Peterson reported.
Shoppers snapped up spiral hams as they prepared to celebrate the holidays at home and to cook more often than they might have otherwise.
Sales of spiral hams spiked 622.1% the week ending March 21 and 413.1% the week ending March 28, according to Nielsen. They were up 424.4% the week ending April 4.
Americans who had been home for weeks realized it was time for a haircut.
Sales of men's hair clippers surged 166.2% the week ending April 4 after rising 101.7% the week before, compared to the same weeks in 2019.
"You see more beard trimmers and hair color and things like that. It's interesting to watch the dynamic play out," Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said on the Today Show on April 10.
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