COVID-19 is worrying U.S. consumers less, according to ICSC’s latest Coronavirus Consumer Survey of 1,019 consumers conducted Oct. 22 to 24. Sixty-six percent engage in a normal level of out-of-home activity, up from 60% two weeks earlier.
More are venturing back inside to buy gifts, see movies, work out and get haircuts, massages and manicures. Fifty-three percent shop inside malls, up from 50% two weeks earlier. And 71% shop or browse inside physical stores for nonessential goods like clothes, electronics and home decor, up from 65%. Forty-four percent visit personal services establishments like spas, massage parlors and hair, nail and tanning salons, up from 38%.
Meanwhile, 31% visit movie theaters, up from 28% two weeks earlier; 26% work out inside gyms, up from 23%. And 38% visit leisure/entertainment complexes like casinos, arcades, bowling alleys, golf courses and tennis courts, up from 33%.
Supply chain slowdowns continue to impact shoppers. 63% say merchandise has been unavailable in store and/or online, up from 56% two weeks earlier. Forty-seven percent have experienced shipping/delivery issues with merchandise they had ordered in the past couple weeks, up from 45%.