The situation, in brief
As COVID-19 infections begin to climb, pandemic-era shopping habits are making a comeback, with people once again reaching for masks and self-test kits. All three major convenience store chains — 7-Eleven, GS25 and CU — have seen a sharp rise in sales of related products over the past month…
As COVID-19 infections begin to climb, pandemic-era shopping habits are making a comeback, with people once again reaching for masks and self-test kits.
All three major convenience store chains — 7-Eleven, GS25 and CU — have seen a sharp rise in sales of related products over the past month, according to news reports Friday.
Sales of COVID-19 self-test kits at 7-Eleven, for example, recorded a 62 percent on-month rise from Aug. 1-26, while those of masks, cold medicine and fever and pain relievers rose 17 percent, 15 percent and 14 percent, respectively, data showed.
GS25 also reported a 30.3 percent increase in test kits and a 10.3 percent gain in cold medicine over the same period. Demand was particularly strong for masks for children and infants, with sales more than quadrupling from the previous month, up 341 percent, officials said.
CU saw a similar trend from Aug. 1-23, with sales of test kits and cold medicine up 45.7 percent and 12.2 percent, respectively, from the same period a month earlier.
“Since mid-August, we’ve been asking parents to send their children to day care with masks after a series of cold-like illnesses accompanied by high fevers among 1- and 2-year-olds,” Hwang Ji-mi, a teacher at a day care center in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, told The Korea Herald.
Industry sources say the recent uptick in COVID-19 infections is bringing back the shopping habits that became commonplace during the pandemic.
The country’s COVID-19 detection rate reached 9.1 percent for Aug. 9-15, roughly 2.8 times the 3.2 percent recorded three weeks earlier, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency.
The number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 at general hospitals also rose 2.4-fold over the same period.
Cases are also on the rise in China, with about 522,000 new COVID-19 cases reported in July, including 487 severe cases and one death, according to local media reports.
“With schools back in session, we expect demand for test kits, masks and cold medicine to remain strong for a while. The change of seasons is also likely to give sales a further boost,” a GS25 official said. — The Korea Herald/Asia News Network; Photo from Yonhap
