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What Austinites bought online from grocery stores when the coronavirus pandemic hit

Unsurprisingly, toilet paper sales have surged, along with alcohol sales.

AUSTIN, Texas — There’s no doubt the coronavirus pandemic has changed our grocery-buying habits.

Ibotta – a cash-back shopping rewards app – provided some fascinating insights into the minds of Austin consumers recently.

Its data shows that in February, even before the impact of the virus hit hard, all-purpose cleaner sales jumped 90%, hand soap was up 54% and toilet paper demand was up, too.

“Toilet paper is up 55%, although it’s been difficult to find,” said Bryan Leach, founder and CEO of Ibotta. “But we believe the actual demand for toilet paper is far higher. The reason it’s not even more, it’s just not on the shelves.”

By late February, Austinites bought 39% more canned fruit and more beans, with sales up 20%.

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The week of March 9 saw new trends emerge. Ready-to-eat meals jumped 151% and popcorn sales were up 104%. By mid-March, we bought even more canned fruit, up another 97%.

But some items didn’t fare so well. Chocolate sales were down nearly 50%, and so were squash sales, with a 10% drop.

Nationally, Ibotta reported a big spike in alcohol sales, with vodka up 50%, followed by increases for beer (49%) and tequila (48%).

Also in mid-March, toilet paper sales suddenly dropped 55% in Austin. Leach said that’s likely because many stores simply ran out.

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