Is There Joy in Consumerville? (Craig Douglass On Consumers)

The mighty Casey. He was the hope of Mudville in Ernest Thayer’s 1888 poem “Casey at the Bat.” But as you may recall, “Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright; the band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light, and somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout; but there is no joy in Mudville — mighty Casey has struck out.”

In the last inning of a 2-to-4 game, with two men on, Casey, Mudville’s most celebrated player, was sure to blast a homer and win the game. But, nope, only orphaned expectation was left in the air.

How do we strike out yet keep some sense of hope and even joy? Some would say it’s the idea of simply choosing to play the game. Others would encourage us to step up to the plate. The former, while a good first step, is passive; the latter, active.

As Teddy Roosevelt reminded us, “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena … .”

While most states still have stay-at-home orders in place, online retail spending has surged. In fact, various market research statistics show a 30% increase in e-commerce just since the beginning of March (annual growth in online purchases has been tracking at 20% during the past several years).

Are shoppers looking for essentials or a distraction, or are they shopping for items to fit a changing lifestyle, both while at home as well as after the crisis has passed (whenever that may be)? The answer appears to be yes, yes and yes.

Of course, not all Americans can be classified as shoppers in our examples. More than 26 million have filed for unemployment and are stretching every dime until they can get back to work, someday, somewhere.

But those who still have discretionary means have shifted their purchases during the last 30-45 days. What they are buying online has evolved from seeking — and in many instances stockpiling — “survival goods” to looking for diversions, distractions and joy.

Here’s what a mid-April report on CNBC, citing Rakuten Intelligence Data, tells us:

More than half of all the items ordered online between March 2 and March 15 were in the grocery category, including food, paper products and sanitation- and safety-related items. And many of these items were stockpiled, a situation that led to the much-publicized run on toilet paper. Pet supplies were also among the items bought in volume.

Beginning in late March, though, categories of online purchases, not including Amazon, started shifting. The largest year-over-year increase in online sales has occurred in books at 295%, with sports and outdoors (122%) and toys and games (119%) following. The addition of Amazon sales would no doubt expand the dramatic increases in these categories, increases that have continued through mid-April.

Reading, recreating and rollicking are occupying the time of many individuals and families as we stay at home, work from home and care for others in the home — and as we stay safe not only for our families and ourselves, but also for others. We could surmise that once the at-home routines became more like habit, households started finding alternate ways to consume time, all the while imbuing that time with enjoyment rather than the ticking of monotonous endurance.

Consumers have chosen to not only play the game, but to get into the batter’s box. To be fair, as well as precise, not all consumers are participating. The eroded economy is certainly proof of that. However, there are measurable instances of joy-seeking through unique and repeat online purchases of books, products enhancing outdoor activities and games.

Casey may have struck out, but like some engaged consumers, he at least took a swing at it.

Craig Douglass is executive director of the Regional Recycling & Waste Reduction District in Pulaski County.