Isolated and Alone, We’re Doing More Comfort Shopping, Survey Shows

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People may be staying at home, and away from each other, but they’re spending more money while doing it, according to WalletHub’s Coronavirus Shopping Survey, released today.

“During social distancing, about 58 million Americans are spending more than normal, which is concerning considering the dire state the economy is in at the moment,” said Jill Gonzalez, WalletHub analyst. “While some overspending may be attributed to stockpiling essentials, other Americans may be spending beyond their means due to stress or simply boredom.”

The survey showed that 43 percent of us are “comfort buying” to ease social isolation.

At the same time, 57 percent of us are concerned about package safety while comfort buying and 60 percent are concerned about the safety of food delivered during the pandemic.

Americans are spending the most “non-essential” money on entertainment (29 percent) and alcohol (23 percent).

A majority (63 percent) are keeping their purchases below the $150 mark.

And despite social distancing protocols, the surge in video conferencing has led people to keep up with their physical appearance. Some of the most popular spending categories are clothing and beauty products.

Still, only three percent are buying exercise equipment.

The complete survey results can be found here.

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