In a time of pandemic, every purchase feels fraught with purpose. Is a trip to Market Basket worth the risk? Does an online order put delivery drivers in danger? We are thinking more than ever of what we don’t have enough of — toilet paper, anyone? — and how much we really need.
As we all look ahead to the still-distant day when we can indulge in simple pleasures like grabbing coffee in Harvard Square, browsing Back Bay boutiques, or ordering drinks with friends at a favorite neighborhood haunt, we wonder: What will the new normal feel like? How will coronavirus remake us as consumers, changing what we buy, where we buy it, and why?
“There’s an old phrase, it takes 30 days to make a habit,” said Erik Rosenstrauch, the founder of Fuel Partnerships, a retail marketing firm. “Now we’ve all had 30 days stuck at home to begin developing new habits.”