3rd April, 2020
Spaniards have cleared out shelves of beer, wine, chocolates, olives, and potato chips amid the nationwide coronavirus lockdown.
According to market data, Spaniards are consuming more than usual of these staples.
They seem not to care about toilet paper as they bought 80 percent more beer and 60 percent more wine last week than in the previous seven days.
Olives were even more popular, with sales up by 94 percent.
Potato chips, chocolate, ice cream, and anchovies are also booming, all seeing increases of between 76 and 87 percent.
Spaniards, who normally socialise in public populating cafes, bars, and outdoor spaces, have now “built their own bar at home,” the Spanish daily newspaper El Pais commented.
Psychologist Olga Castanyer traces her countrymen’s’ changed buying behaviour to the anxiety caused by the virus and the strict curfew.
“You don’t eat steaks when you have a lot of stress. In such a situation, the body craves sugar and fat. I am going to meet my friends on Skype now to have a few beers,” she conceded.