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During the coronavirus pandemic, what's selling at Walmart? Not pants

The increase in teleconferencing has led to a decrease in sales of bottoms, according to the retailer.
Credit: AP Photo/Alan Diaz, File
This June 1, 2017, file photo, shows a Walmart sign at a store in Hialeah Gardens, Fla.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — People have been more concerned lately about what they look like from the waist up, not down.

That's according to Walmart's EVP of corporate affairs Dan Bartlett, speaking with Yahoo Finance this week. As COVID-19 coronavirus has forced companies across the U.S. to push its workforce to use remote applications like Slack and Zoom, Walmart said it has seen an increase in clothing sales.

We're talking tops, not bottoms, Bartlett said.

"These behaviors are going to continue to change and evolve as people get accustomed to this new lifestyle, if you will," he said. "And we’re able to accommodate that, both online and in our stores."

The retail giant also reports an increase in cleaning products, home entertainment items like DVDs and crafting items -- likely for kids -- to the tune of 30 million popsicle sticks, Bartlett told Yahoo.

Fellow big-box retailer Target also reported increased sales so far in March, especially of grocery goods and essentials, according to CNBC. Sales of higher-margin items, like apparel and accessories, have gone the other way.

This could translate to lower-than-expected profits, the Wall Street Journal notes, as more people shy away from those margin-boosting items. Sales overall at Target are up 20 percent so far in March compared to the same period last year.

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