It’s no secret that during the coronavirus pandemic, a surge in sales have occurred across the board with grocery stores and big box department stores, like Walmart who carry a little bit of everything. But while food is hard to keep on the shelves these days, Walmart is noticing a massive spike in shirts and blouses, but not bottoms. However, there’s a perfectly good explanation for that: teleworking.
Now that workers are having to adjust to being quarantined to flatten the curve, many are still having to work and do so from their homes. With companies holding video meetings using software like Zoom and Skype, all anyone ever tends to see is from the waist up anyway, therefore top-half attire is flying off the shelves. Walmart’s executive of corporate affairs Dan Barlett explained that reasoning to Yahoo! Finance on Thursday.
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“We’re seeing increased sales in tops, but not bottoms. So, people who are concerned, obviously, from the waist up, “Barlett explained before adding, “These behaviors are going to continue to change and evolve as people get accustomed to this new lifestyle, if you will. And we’re able to accommodate that, both online and in our stores.”
As officials attempt to control the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of workers are left to do their profession from the comfort of their own home and while they may sit in comfortable clothes inside their house, usually they’re bound to a dress code of some kind while at work. So, while working and being seen via video by their colleagues, many do not want to present themselves in the sweats and hoodie they may be actually wearing most of the day.
Along with clothes and food, other items like DVDs and popsicle sticks have also seen a gain in sales, maybe for crafting since schools have been let out and parents are now entertaining and educating their children at home.
Since customers are still allowed to go out and about for essential items found in stores, ones like Target and Walmart are now taking precaution to keep their workers and customers safe through the pandemic by sanitizing cash register stations as regularly as possible. Some grocery stores like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s are only allowing a certain amount of people in the store at a time by adding in plexiglass at the registers to help minimize the spreading of germs. They’re also requiring that people stand at least six feet apart while waiting in line to get in.
