Grocery shopping in the age of Coronavirus is, to put it bluntly, sheer chaos. We’re buying food that we hope will sustain us and last through the foreseeable future. People are making panic purchases and stockpiling nonperishables. But, according to our data, the most popular food items sold via Walmart ($WMT) and Amazon ($AMZN) aren’t exactly practical.

Some of Amazon’s top best-selling products of the last month include Ring Pops, yeast (you people are taking this bread-baking trend very seriously), and chocolate Easter eggs.

Food Product

Average Sales Rank

Days Ranked

Nabisco Cookies Variety Pack (Oreo, Chips Ahoy, & Golden Oreo)

1

5

Saf Instant Yeast, 1 Pound Pouch

 1

4

Ring Pop Individually Wrapped Variety Party Pack

 1

4

Pringles Snack Stacks

 1

3

Mars Chocolate Easter Candy

1

 2

Progresso Chicken Noodle Soup

1

 1

Silk Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk

2

 1

Mott's Fruit Snacks

2

 1

Velveeta Original Microwavable Shells & Cheese Cups

 2 1

Airheads Candy Bars

 3 2


Walmart's best-sellers list includes several varieties of M&M, discounted Halloween and holiday candies, and a “Jim Beam Deluxe BBQ Gift Set.”

Food Product

Average Sales Rank

Days Ranked

Peanut M&Ms

1

29

Elmer Chocolate heart-shaped box of chocolates

 2

23

3 Musketeers Chocolate Candy Bar

 2

6

M&M'S Valentine's Milk Chocolate Candy Heart 3-Ounce Cane

 5

23

Mars M&M's Halloween Candy Corn White Chocolate Candies

7

 23

Reese's Holiday Peanut Butter Cups Candy Filled Cane

 8 23

Great Value Original Powder Coffee Creamer

10

 23

Jim Beam Deluxe BBQ Gift Set

11

 23

Reese's Easter Eggs

 13 23

Augason Farms Buttermilk Pancake Mix

 14 29

Either people are doubling down on the Easter treats this year or quarantine has driven them to believe Ring Pops are a sensible meal.

About the Data:

Thinknum tracks companies using the information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales. 

Further Reading: 

Ad placeholder