Yahoo Lifestyle 
Surprise X-rated item quadrupled sales in coronavirus lockdown
Lockdown made strange shoppers of all of us it must be said.
Whether we became toilet paper obsessed, pasta prone or began obsessively stockpiling homewares, the global pandemic and stay at home orders had each of us reaching for something brand new to keep us company, and still does if you’re in Melbourne.
It turns out however, the boom in business was not confined to the toilet tissue for the bathroom or non-perishable pantry items for the kitchen, but extended int the bedroom.
Aussie lingerie and sex toy brand Honey Birdette have revealed the surprising jump in sales they saw during the months of lockdown, and have revealed that what Aussies were looking for during lockdown may have been more basic instinct than we first supposed.
In fact, founder of the luxury brand Eloise Monaghan said the lockdown spike was the highest sex toy sales she had seen in more than 15 years running the company.
“With so many people stuck at home for so long, we’re either headed for a baby boom or a spike in the divorce rate,” she joked.
“Let's be honest - there’s only so much Netflix you can watch.”
Eloise says she thinks the spike is down to people wanting an escape in a time when discovering new territory anywhere outside of the home is practically forbidden.
Proving her point is the item that topped the store’s biggest increase list during the pandemic which was, in fact, one for the men.
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Men’s sex toy jumps 435% in lockdown
The Easy Beats Egg which retails for $60 for a six-pack, jumped a staggering 435% during the peak of the lockdown according to the company’s figures.
It wasn’t just the eggs that got moving and shaking, however with sex toys in general spiking by 337%.
The saucy sale spike in sex toys may seem surprising given unemployment rising and the economic outlook seeming bleak, but it’s not the only industry that’s seen an unusual jump in sales.
Aussie businesses that are booming in coronavirus times
Beaty products were also in high demand during the lockdown period, with Aussie brand Sand & Sky reporting their clay face masks simply flew off the shelves once people were forced indoors.
The Victorian-born company recorded a staggering 600% jump in sales from the end of January, due they say to the coronavirus lockdown coming into effect in March.
In the UK, the sales jumped a staggering 400% as even stricter lockdown measures kept people locked indoors, and sales on Amazon in Italy, Spain, France and Germany have increased 1000% since January.
Another unusual area to see a hike in demand was plastic surgery.
The industry saw an increase in demand for surgical cosmetic procedures such as boob jobs, tummy tucks and ear pinning almost immediately after Australian surgeons were given the green light to recommence elective procedures in late July.
Dr Richard Hamilton, an Adelaide-based plastic surgeon of over 20 years, tells Yahoo Lifestyle that his practice saw a ‘significant’ jump of about 25 per cent in patient enquiries that proceeded to surgery across the board.
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