During the spring coronavirus pandemic, the Czechs learned to fill their basket more than they were used to during one visit to the store. And it has been doing so so far, although this is far from mass stockpiling, retail chains report. If interest in something is growing now, according to them, it is various disinfectants and school equipment.
During March and April this year, the size of the shopping basket increased by up to 40 percent compared to the same period last year. As early as the end of April, however, Nielsen found that the size of purchases was shrinking again. “In May, we paid ‘only’ a quarter more for the average purchase than a year ago,” the company said.
Nevertheless, some sellers confirm that the Czechs’ habit of buying during one purchase persists to this day. “It is still true that the shopping cart has increased and fewer people go shopping, but this is a trend that has been going on since March or April,” says Václav Koukolíček, a spokesman for Tesco stores, adding that otherwise to change customer behavior despite the current increase number of patients do not coronavirus.
The effort to pre-stock up for “worse times”, which could be observed in the spring, is now not registered by Penny Market, Albert or Kaufland. “By putting the shopping cart in September this year, it does not deviate in any way from the point of view of the long-term average.
In the spring, the Czechs bought large durable foods, such as rice, pasta or canned food, in bulk, which is not happening now. If there is a little more interest, it is disinfection. “We do not see a mass increase in purchases in our stores, so customers are not currently buying in stock. Now we see, for example, growing demand for hand gels and antibacterial wipes in our offer,” confirms Iveta Barabášová on behalf of Lidl stores.
Interest is growing, but it’s not panic, e-shops report
However, the Košík.cz and Rohlik.cz online stores have been registering increased interest in their services since the end of the holidays. According to them, higher demand could be expected at the beginning of the school year, but they do not deny that the tightening measures against coronavirus also play a role.
Specifically, Košík.cz, according to its executive director Tomáš Jeřábek, now has a tenth more shoppers and tracks about 20 percent more visitors.
“The number of purchases has been growing significantly since the end of the holidays, but has proven to grow faster after a press conference from the Minister of Health in the middle of last week. half a day in advance and more. However, from our point of view, this is definitely not a sharp increase in interest, “Jeřábek told ČTK.
According to Jeřábek, people will not only want to prevent possible coronavirus infections, but also any seasonal virosis.
According to its spokeswoman Zdeněk Svoboda Kuhnová, the competitor Rohlik.cz recorded a higher interest of 10 to 15 percent. “These are not some supply purchases. Only the greater interest of customers to buy from the safety and comfort of home,” she specified.
In the spring, according to her, the company was limited by storage capacity. It is now increasing in Prague and Brno. According to Svoboda Kuhnová, this is a long-term planned project, which was to ensure smooth operation at Christmas. According to her, it can bring an advantage already in the autumn, if customer demand continues to grow.
On Friday evening, however, visitors to the Rohlik.cz website and mobile application learned that couriers still have problems delivering some orders. “Dear customers, we are aware that our capacity and ability to deliver purchases within a few hours is suffering. The demand for our service is increasing dramatically due to the emergency situation and we are doing what we can to ensure enough staff. We all ask for your patience. and indulgence, “he says.
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