Walmart (WMT) has seen a rise in a particular product category that may be due to the increase in video chats from home during the coronavirus pandemic. As more Americans are forced to work remotely, video-conferencing is becoming the norm, allowing many workers to opt-out of wearing their normal business attire – on the bottom, at least.

Dan Bartlett, Walmart’s executive vice president, told Yahoo Finance in a live interview that the retail giant is seeing a surge in tops.

“In one of your previous segments you were talking about people with Zoom, and doing those types of conferencing: We’re seeing increased sales in tops, but not bottoms,” Bartlett said.

“So, people who are concerned, obviously, from the waist up. These behaviors are going to continue to change and evolve as people get accustomed to this new lifestyle, if you will. And we’re able to accommodate that, both online and in our stores.”

According to Bartlett, Walmart is experiencing “massive volume” both in online orders and in-store sales, in some states beyond just tops, including cleaning products, home entertainment items, and crafting supplies.

“I think we’ve sold over 30 million popsicle sticks,” Bartlett said.

Walmart continues to remain open during the coronavirus pandemic, reducing its store hours to allow for time to restock and sanitize. The company has added dedicated senior shopping hours and plans to hire 150,000 new hourly employees to accommodate the new consumer demand.

Shares of Walmart stock were down 0.33% as of 11:41 a.m. EDT on Friday.

Walmart has so far not included the impact of the new coronavirus epidemic in China in its financial results
Walmart has so far not included the impact of the new coronavirus epidemic in China in its financial results AFP / NICHOLAS KAMM
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