We’re gearing up for a long staycation. We’re filling our fridges with a quintessential quarantine food. And the kids are still driving parents bonkers at home.
Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer in the US — even though it might not quite feel like it this year.
Here’s one way we know today does still count as the kickoff to summer: Our shopping habits show we’ve been preparing for it in a big way — for one thing, RV rentals and sales are spiking.
Here are a few ways life in quarantine scrambled our summertime habits:
🌭 Hot dog sales are hotter than ever. An Insider column called them “the best quarantine food,” and it’s hard to disagree. They’re cheap, they have a long shelf life (helpful when beef is harder to come by), and kids love ‘em. Since early March, sales have been at least 29% higher every week compared to last year.
👙 Everybody wants a swimming pool. Backyard builders are seeing a wave of interest, and you don’t need to sink your budget: Minnidip, the makers of chic adult kiddie pools (yes, they exist), saw record-breaking sales in April, according to the LA Times. People are chilling out on their patios… and in parking lots.
⛱ A true backyard oasis needs more decor. Overstock.com says it’s seen an even higher than usual spike in sales of outdoor furniture — especially small sets that can be wedged onto the balcony of a city apartment.
☀️ Sunscreen brands are feeling the burn. Sunscreen sales dipped by 17% in mid-March. So SPF-ficionados pivoted hard: Glossy said Sun Bum had planned to repeat a skin-cancer awareness challenge encouraging its followers to wear a banana costume — but scrapped it because the messaging felt off. Its best-selling products? Hand sanitizer and hair care.
⛺️ Summer camp won’t be the same. Axios reported that camps nationwide are retooling — CDC guidelines say they shouldn’t open unless they can screen everyone for symptoms when they arrive. Camps are delaying openings, installing hand-washing stations, canceling high-touch activities, and going virtual. Ghost stories by Zoom, anyone?