Not Just Toilet Paper: What Canadians Have Been Buying Since COVID Started

With the (temporary) closures of eat-in cafes, it should come as no surprise that people have had to make due with prepping their morning cuppas from home more frequently. According to the CBC and Statistics Canada, sales of coffee filters, in particular, jumped by a whopping 80 per cent compared to the same time last year. And if you happen to be getting restless, there are plenty of creative ways to stay active and healthy at home.

The timing of all these massive global changes coincided with the time of year when green thumbs break out their gardening tools and start puttering around in the garden. Due to the pandemic, the sale of seeds – veggies, herbs, flowers – have skyrocketed by an astonishing 300 per cent across the country. On the flip side, sales in cut flowers (think: bouquets for Easter and Mother’s Day) saw a dip of 47 per cent. Find out how to set up a hydroponic garden in your home or learn how to grow a container garden like a pro.

One of the biggest surprises to come out of the pandemic is the astronomical surge in demand for that classic baking staple: flour. There was a certain period when a trip to the grocery store yielded little by way of basic ingredients as many turned to baking therapy to cope with the global situation. According to Stats Canada, flour sales had increased by more than 200 per cent by mid-March alone. For more inspiration, check out our favourite foods trends to come out of quarantine or more of our homemade bread recipes you’ll want to make on repeat.

One of the earliest narratives to emerge from the pandemic was the mass purchases of hand sanitizer. According to Stats Canada, by April 11, sales had exploded by 345 per cent compared to the same week in 2019. If the store is still sold out, you can make your own DIY hand sanitizer from the comfort of your own kitchen. There’s also a relatively simple hack for making your own reusable disinfectant cleaning wipes.

Alongside the advent of all those clever handwashing songs and memes came an increase in soap sales, both liquid and solid, as Canadians scrubbed their hands for at least 20 seconds every time they touched an unfamiliar surface. As a result, soap sales shot up 68 per cent by April 11 compared to the same period last year.

Related: Do You Really Have to Disinfect Groceries? (And Other Burning Questions)

There’s nothing better than curling up with a good book when you’re in need of a little R&R, so it should come as no surprise that we’ve turned to our favourite book stores to ship some reading material. But how’s this for interesting: according to a UK-based report, Penguin Classics has seen a 1,393 per cent surge in… plague-themed literature. So if you’ve had Stephen King’s The Stand on your must-read list for years, maybe now is the time?

As more experts urge the public to wear face masks in public to protect others and help flatten the curve, the general sales of medical and non-medical masks and gloves were up by 114 per cent as of April 11. Don’t expect that number to go down anytime soon, either. If your store is out of stock, consider making your DIY cloth face masks at home.

In lieu of salons and hairdressers, many have turned to new at-home beauty regimens that has resulted in an influx of makeup and wellness product sales. Whether you’re on the hunt for essential oils to complement your new diffuser or new beauty products so you can test out a different look, sales have continued to increase. On the contrary, hair styling supplies have gone down 33 per cent. What? We’re just embracing our messy buns. Find out your ideal home scent according to your zodiac sign or learn how to make these DIY beauty products at home.

Although tracking down paper towels at the start of the pandemic would find you aimlessly wandering down aisle after aisle of empty shelves, it’s a little easier to track down the essentials now that we are a couple months into quarantine. According to Stats Canada, while sales remain in an upward trajectory after its initial 227 per cent increase in March, things have settled down a bit – a mere one month later, paper towel sales are only up by 49 per cent from this time last year. Speaking of cleaning products, have you ever wondered how many calories we burn doing household chores? We’ve got the answers.

Ah, yes, TP: the holy grail of the pandemic. Although toilet paper sales have slowed (kinda) since the initial low supply (and hoarding) in March, the bathroom product was still sitting at an 81 per cent increase during the week of April 11 than the same time last year. So while that is certainly a significant dip from the jaw-dropping 288 per cent surge that occurred at the pandemic’s outset, it’s still an in-demand item. Getting a little restless? Try one of these activities to do while spending more time at home.