Irish people became slightly smellier, hairier and, perhaps, more natural versions of themselves over the course of the year as Covid-19 and all its trappings led to dramatic shifts in our buying habits.
Sales of fancy dresses and sharp suits took a big hit with many people feeling disinclined to dress up in anything more elaborate than a tracksuit for their daily commute from the bed to the couch.
Meanwhile, sales of hand sanitiser, face masks and Vitamin D went through the roof as people sought to do whatever they could to keep themselves virus-free.
Sales of shampoo and razors declined across the market said Aldi's group buying director John Curtin, although soap sales jumped by 55 per cent as people took to washing their hands with the vigour of Howard Hughes or a heart surgeon heading into the operating theatre.
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“Purchases of hand sanitiser exploded by 850 per cent,” Curtin added.
With eating out no longer an easy option, many people started taking advantage of their kitchens.
Curtin said sales of flour climbed by 136 per cent, baking ingredient sales rising by 51 per cent and a 20 per cent increase in fresh meat sales.
“Over half of what we sell is Irish sourced and we saw big increases across the majority of our Irish products,” he added. “During the early weeks of the first lockdown, 80 per cent of our top 20 selling products were Irish sourced.”
With confinement to the fore, Aldi shoppers appeared more inclined to indulge themselves than they might have in times past.
“Spikes in seasonal sales such as chocolate at Easter and Christmas came a lot earlier than other years,” Curtin said.
Sales of crisps climbed by 60 per cent, snacks and nuts by 25 per cent and microwave popcorn by 35 per cent as people stayed home watching TV or streaming services.
Some of the most searched for items on the Boots website during lockdown periods were hand sanitiser, handwash, hair clippers, thermometers and hair dye.
"There has been a renewed interest in health and wellness with customers stocking up more on immunity vitamins, particularly Vitamin C and D," Boots spokeswoman Claire Moran said.
“We have also seen a great interest in natural remedies which began to emerge pre-Covid and still continues.”
She said that with offices, pubs, nightclubs, entertainment venues and gyms all closed – for at least of some of the year – there was “a dip” in sales of men’s razors and grooming products. Interest in respray and certain cosmetics also slowed, she said.
A spokeswoman for Supervalu said that grocery shopping had "fundamentally changed" since the beginning of March, "with lower footfall, bigger trolley shops and what people buy changing". She noted a marked switch to food with a long shelf life such as pasta with and away from pre-prepared salads and the like.
Sales across the home baking category in SuperValu were up by around 63 per cent with flour sales alone rising by 200 per cent and related products such as toppings, mini marshmallows and core baking ingredients like raising agents, flavourings and food colourings all selling strongly.
With the huge rise in people cooking meals from scratch, SuperValu saw its olive oil sales increase by 80 per cent with its fresh fruit and vegetables, and meat, poultry and fish proving “an absolute hit”.
She also said that people appeared to be more conscious of the importance of eating healthy, with banana sales running at an average of one “every second in recent months”.
With people spending more time at home, there sales of cleaning and washing products soared with dishwasher tablets climbing by an impressive 60 per cent but still dwarfed by the surge in soap purchases - up a whopping 400 per cent.
Lidl has also experienced some interesting sales trends as a result of the pandemic with its bananas and flours having among the product lines to have "significant uplifts".
When the stay-at-home summer came round its customers set out to have barbecues at home. Over the June Bank Holiday weekend alone, it saw a sales increase by 78 per cent with almost half a million items sold across its barbecue meats range. it said some 80,000 bottles of its own-brand sun creams sold that same weekend, though few remember sunny weather at this stage.
Amongst the most popular items in Currys PC World were Apple AirPods reflecting the massive change in our work, living and social habits.
“With everyone working from home, a good set of headphones has become non-negotiable for many,” said Jamie Cantwell, head of electricals at Currys PC World.
“The Airpods were followed closely by a JVC 40” TV. With people seeking out second screen options while working from home, many opted for a TV instead of a monitor,” he said.
Home office equipment sales inevitably increased massively throughout the year with printers and scanner sales climbing 50 per cent above last year’s volume.
It also appears that people were missing their takeaway coffees with an almost 100 per cent increase in the sale of coffee machines, with bean to cup machines seeing the fastest growth.
Sales of gaming consoles were by up more than 300 per cent, reflecting the desire for home entertainment while sales of virtual reality equipment, albeit from a low base, climbed by 500 per cent, no doubt as people sought to escape their actual reality for a spell.
