The fear of the 2019-nCoV virus has caused some people to do absurd things. For example, buying things that they would just pass by in a relaxed mood. No, this is not about buckwheat, toilet paper or disinfectants. Everything is much weirder.
We present to you the top 10 strangest things bought in the midst of the coronavirus epidemic.
10. Elastic bands
Due to the situation with the coronavirus, medical masks have rapidly disappeared from the shelves of pharmacies and stores. It got to the point that they were not allowed to enter the pharmacy without a mask, but there was nowhere to buy it, and Runet users joked that they needed to get their first mask in a street fight.
Many craftsmen began to make masks by hand, bandanas, scarves, T-shirts, and even panties, socks and bras were used. A DIY mask requires elasticity so that the ears do not “curl up into a tube” from prolonged wearing.
This is where elastic bands come to the rescue. They are still # 1 in the Arts, Crafts & Sewing section of Amazon.
9. Amulet from coronavirus
Amulets from the evil eye, amulets for the car and even amulets for pets are no longer surprising. What about a coronavirus amulet? It was one of the strangest purchases made during the Covid-19 panic in Russia.
For only 1100 rubles on Avito, you could find miraculous protection, which created an invisible aura around the owner (and, possibly, bestowed the power of the earth, but this is not certain), killing the Chinese virus on arrival. And so that the amulet did not protect anyone else, the seller indicated the name of the buyer on the label. The power of magic and imagination works wonders.
8. Yeast
Consulting firm SSA & Company estimates that quarantines have resulted in 35 to 40 percent of U.S. consumers eating homemade meals for the first time. And sales of baker's yeast in the second half of March rose 647 percent in America.
Well, even in the worst situation, you need to look for something good. At least someone has learned how to make homemade cakes.
7. Kitchen scales
As people cook more often at home, they have discovered equipment and utensils that make cooking easier and faster.
In addition to kitchen scales, the bestsellers of sales during the rampant coronavirus infection also included bread makers, deep fat fryers, waffle makers and multicooker.
6. Portable ice makers
In the first months of the spread of the Wuhan coronavirus across the planet, refrigerators and freezers reigned in the home appliance market. This was in response to initial fears that supermarkets would not have enough food (especially meat).
But when the demand for freezers was met, portable ice makers took their place at the top. While cafes, bars and restaurants are closed, consumers prefer to make their own cold drinks at home.
5. Eyebrow shavers
Even working remotely, women tend to look stunning. This is why women's eyebrow shavers are currently ranked among the top 5 products in the cosmetics and personal care category on Amazon.Sales of men's nose and ear trimmers, however, have peaked and are now declining.
4. Virus blocker
Such accessories, the price of which varies from 700 to 2000 rubles, were in demand not only among ordinary Russians, but also among those in power. For example, presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov was seen with a virus blocker.
Such miracle products are produced not only by Russian manufacturers, but also by Japanese ones, however, the principle of action for all blockers is the same. Inside each of them is zeolite, a porous mineral sorbent that releases chlorine dioxide. This gaseous substance, as conceived by the creators of the virus blocker, should create a kind of protective dome around the wearer and protect it from the infection contained in the air.
The problem is that such an effect can be created by placing a person in a glass cube with no windows or doors, or another hermetically sealed space. In addition, there are no clinical studies proving that a virus blocker helps prevent SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection. It only reduces the activity of the influenza A and adenovirus strain. But at the same time, according to the Pasteur Research Institute, where the tests were carried out, "such antiviral activity is not significant from the point of view of the prospects for using this agent as a reliable means of personal protection."
3. Sets for ping pong
After urgently addressing nutrition and hygiene issues, consumers were looking for ways to brighten up the hours spent at home due to coronavirus self-isolation. And they began to massively buy up puzzles (which were in trend before Covid-19), colored pencils and board games.
But one of the strangest purchases made due to the coronavirus were table tennis sets. Their Amazon sales are up 89 percent.
2. Pillows to reduce back pain
Fortunate for those who, during the coronavirus pandemic and the related pandemic of layoffs, kept their jobs and can work remotely. It was they who became the main consumers of pillows that relieve pain in the lower back and tailbone during prolonged sedentary work.
1. Bags for dog feces
There is a positive side to the situation with the coronavirus. People began to take dogs and cats from shelters more often.
In March, pet clippers, flea and tick repellents, trimmers and dog feces collection bags topped the list of best-selling items on Amazon. Sales of these items declined in April as consumers spent their finances on panicky purchases, but are still high. Let's hope the new owners don't give up their pets once the coronavirus threat has passed.