As people in various corners of the world rushed to stock up on essentials and toilet paper when restrictive measures prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic loomed on the horizon, it appears that those living in a New Zealand also sought to make sure that they have plenty of adult entertainment items on hand, The Guardian reports.
According to the newspaper, sales of sex toys tripled about two days ahead of a month-long lockdown that was imposed on 25 March, with New Zealand-based Adult Toy Megastore noting that people were buying "adult products that they might not have tried before".
"We’re selling a lot of beginner toys ... all our beginner ranges are very popular," company spokesperson Emily Writes said. “It definitely looks like people are saying: ‘I’ve got time, I might try something new.’"
Other items whose sales boomed after the lockdown was announced by the government included condoms, lubricant, and menstrual cups, as well as adult board games and sex toy cleaner, the newspaper adds.
Adult Toy Megastore also reportedly pointed out that their sales witnessed a significant increase on several occasions in the recent weeks, with all instances apparently coinciding with "major news announcements about the Covid-19 pandemic in New Zealand, Australia, and Britain".
"Looking at what people were buying at that point it was all sex toys," said Emily Writes. "It was like they were thinking, ‘We can’t go to bars, we can’t pick up, we can’t go on dates.’"
Last month, sex toy brand Womanizer also reported an over 50 percent increase in sales during the period from 1 January to 6 March, as compared to its original estimates.
