How Much People Are Spending On Emergency Coronavirus Supplies

Americans are spending about $178 to stockpile supplies for what they expect will be a long social-distancing stretch due to the coronavirus pandemic. Shoppers are spending that money on cleaning supplies, food, water and paper products like toilet tissue

Thursday, March 19th 2020, 5:19 am

By: CBS News

How Much People Are Spending On Emergency Coronavirus Supplies

People are also buying medications, alcohol and entertainment items like movies, a LendingTree survey of 1,000 Americans found.

The spread of COVID-19 has forced some parts of the U.S. to implement so-called shelter-in-place orders. The World Health Organization is encouraging people to practice "social distancing," which means not gathering in larger groups.

About 63% of Americans have visited a grocery store to purchase goods for their indoor stint, LendingTree said. Millennials, or shoppers between the ages of 24 and 39, spent an average of $195 per trip, while baby boomers spent $151. People with children spent an average of $190, and those with no children spent an $181, the survey found.

High income earners spent the most to prepare for the virus. Households that bring in $100,000 or more spent $220 on average, while families earning less than $25,000 spent $153.

Baby boomers may be to blame for supermarkets experiencing a toilet paper shortage, LendingTree said, because eight out of 10 of them admitted to buying paper products during their shopping trips. Toilet paper makers Georgia Pacific and Procter & Gamble said they have plenty of product in stock.

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