Sales of paper and food products and other consumables soared in late February, fueled by news and rumors amid the spread of coronavirus infections, it has been learned.
The spike in sales apparently stemmed chiefly from false rumors circulated about the supply of toilet paper and from the impact of the government's extraordinary request for schools across the country to cancel their classes.
The findings came from an analysis of point of sale (POS) data by the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry.
Through POS analyses, preliminary trends such as what sorts of products are purchased and when can be grasped by category of businesses, particularly supermarkets and convenience stores.
The fluctuation for sales of paper products year-on-year is normally within a single digit. But in the fourth week of February (from Feb. 24 through March 1), sales of these products at supermarkets jumped 150% from the corresponding period last year, while those at home centers and do-it-yourself stores soared a whopping 254%.
The period when the sales of these products spiked corresponded to when throngs of consumers became uneasy after hearing about possible shortages linked to the epidemic -- a false rumor that spread chiefly via social media -- and began panic stockpiling.
Also conspicuous are increases in the sales of health care-related products, especially flu masks. During the 5th week of January (from Jan. 27 through Feb. 2), the sales of these products at supermarkets were up 278% year-on-year, and at drugstores up 166%. This period corresponded to that of the Lunar New Year in China, with the purchases made by Chinese tourists apparently having pushed up the sales. In the weeks that followed, however, sales of these products slowed down, due to widespread shortages.
Since the government on Feb. 27 called on elementary, junior and senior high schools across the country to temporarily cancel their classes, sales of food products also rose sharply. At supermarkets, the sales of staple foods like rice and pasta rose 36% year-on-year in the 4th week of February, while those of processed foods, including frozen foods, were up 24% from a year earlier. Compared with the period shortly after Typhoon No. 19 last October, the year-on-year increases were nearly double.
According to food companies, sales of preserved foods, including bagged noodles, packaged rice and retort foods have been brisk. Kewpie Corp. has seen sales of its pasta sauce products rise by 60% since the start of this month.
At the Okkasan Shokuhin-kan Kitasenju supermarket in Adachi Ward, Tokyo, when certain goods were sold out, those placed next to them also sold fast, apparently because customers would feel unease about running out. The store manager, said, "We are striving not to have any products run out, but we also hope that our customers would do their shopping in a considerate, level-headed way."
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