Today, I received emails from two different major retailers pitching back-to-school clothing and supplies. Of course, they both mention that whatever school will look like, you can still use some new clothes and accessories.
Neither shows a kid inside a classroom. The closest to an in-person school scenario is an exterior shot that looks like a school building in the background. One shows a kid with a tablet sitting on the kitchen counter. There’s also a photo with a backpack-wearing kid riding a skateboard. It was this photo that made me pause and wonder if backpack sales will be lower this summer or will they be higher as outdoor backpacking and camping is a relatively safe covid-times activity?
Perhaps it will be the same situation as toilet paper was in early April. Household-use toilet paper had soaring sales and was very hard to find but commercial toilet paper sales had plummeted- as it wasn’t being used in offices or restaurants at all.
I never thought I’d experience this type of a history-making time. On the one hand, as an intellectual exercise, it’s interesting to see how things are playing out for different businesses, products and services. On the other hand, it can be slightly terrifying from both a health and a business perspective.
Human resilience and creativity really are on display though as we navigate through this pandemic.