Spending habits during pandemic range from stockpiling to motorcycling

It has been a year since the pandemic hit Saskatchewan and the implementation of measures that have made us all change how we go about our daily lives.

It has also meant a change in our spending habits.

Being in lockdown and isolating was a chance for many to find new hobbies and other ways of keeping entertained.

But according to Marta Rzeszowska, the director of product, payments and retail solutions at Moneris, the early days of the pandemic were all about what they call a “stockpile” effect.

“Consumers were still shopping during the lockdown but they were shopping differently — we did see a shift to digital payments (and) online shopping,” said Rzeszowska.

“For those who were actually leaving their house to make purchases, they were doing it in larger bulk. We saw a 12 per cent increase in purchase sizes. You’re being extra-cautious when leaving the house, and probably don’t want to make too many trips and to just one or two stores, but you do your shopping for the week and even the month.”

As the pandemic wore on, people went from stockpiling to finding ways to fill the days, the data shows.

Rzeszowska said it is interesting to look at the different data across the country and see what consumers are spending their money on.

“What’s really interesting about Saskatchewan is there are a lot of people spending money on sewing and needlework,” said Rzeszowska. “There was almost a 60 per cent increase from January 2020 to January 2021, the highest in Canada.

“I’m also going to call out another one we noticed — motorcycle dealerships saw a more than 70 per cent increase just in Saskatchewan.”

Rzeszowska said the trend they’re seeing now is moving towards spending on outdoor activities.

“We’re noticing and talking about January numbers here, people spending money on recreational items. Items like recreational vehicles and utility trailers are an over 35 per cent increase and lawn and garden stores (are reporting) a more than 32 per cent increase as people prepare for summertime,” said Rzeszowska.

“They’re starting to reserve things across the country like golf courses and bicycle shops, swimming pools, boat dealerships — anything that allows people to get outdoors and do something healthy. We’re already starting to see pre-selling and pre-ordering in time for this coming summer.”

Rzeszowska said swimming pool sales are up 80 per cent across the country.

She said people also seem to be spending money on their homes.

“Saskatchewan, in particular, is definitely investing in the home,” said Rzeszowska. “Lumber and building materials have a 60 per cent increase and furniture and home furnishings an almost 50 per cent increase. Appliances are (up) 45 per cent.”

The busiest shopping day this past year?

“We definitely did see a peak on Black Friday and I’m happy to say that was big business and small business as well, where we saw a peak of 550 (debit and credit) transactions per second,” said Rzeszowska.