- Sam's Club customers bought comfort foods like chips and pizza during pandemic, said CEO Kathryn McLay.
- McLay referred to the shopping habits as "carbs and calories," according to The New York Times.
- People also invested in home and yard improvement as well as outdoor entertainment over the past year, she added.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Sam's Club customers went through phases of buying up pizza, ice cream, and potato chips during the pandemic, the company's CEO Kathryn McLay told The New York Times in an interview published Friday.
McLay said that the company called those periods "carbs and calories," as people went searching for experiences they couldn't get outside their homes during lockdowns.
Sam's Club customers also invested in home and yard improvement and outdoor entertainment over the past year, McLay told the Times. "People are like, 'How do I make my home my castle?'" McLay said to the newspaper.
People have been stress eating and resorting to snacks and comfort foods more often, according to Consumer Reports. A survey in October 2020 found that 32% of respondents- out of 2,669 Americans polled- say that they gained weight during the pandemic, while 15% said they lost some weight.
In July, Insider reported that General Mills saw a rise in demand for its products as people bought more cereal during the pandemic. To meet demand, the company said it would add a new supply chain.
Quaker Foods, widely known for its oatmeal, ended 2020 as one of the fastest-growing components of PepsiCo's empire. It was given a boost by people eating more meals at home during the pandemic.