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'Is an inflatable hot tub non-essential?' - The pandemic purchases we regret

The survey of 4,000 adults found that nine in 10 people indulged themselves
Jack Quann
Jack Quann

15.31 10 Nov 2021


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'Is an inflatable hot tub non-...

'Is an inflatable hot tub non-essential?' - The pandemic purchases we regret

Jack Quann
Jack Quann

15.31 10 Nov 2021


Share this article


A lot of people got purchase-happy during lockdown and some are now having buyers remorse, according to a new survey.

The study of 4,000 adults in Britain found that nine in 10 people indulged themselves in non-essential lockdown treats.

According to the report from Aviva, the most commonly regretted purchases were gaming equipment (45%), tools and carpentry equipment (43%) and home gym equipment (39%).

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Additional items found to be going to waste included pizza ovens, hot tubs and garden furniture.

But features reporter for the Irish Times, Jennifer O'Connell, told The Pat Kenny Show plenty of people are happy with what they got.

"Do you think a giant inflatable hot tub is actually non-essential during the pandemic? I don't know about that.

"I kind of think 'Yeah why not, go for it'.

"But people were most likely to regret buying gaming equipment, tools, clothes and home gym equipment."

Asked why people would regret buying tools, she suggested: "Probably because they then decided that they had to do something with the tools.

"And they had to go out and build a new shed in the garden or a patio".

Jennifer says she also conducted her own mini-poll on Twitter, and got more than 250 replies.

"We've all done it; the ones that I think people seem to be smuggest about - and I include myself in that - are the household appliances.

"So things like air fryers and heated clothes horses".

Clothes horses and coffee machines

But she says her air fryer was the ultimate game-changer.

"It's not really a fryer, that's a little bit of misnomer - it's more like a small, fast, very efficient, very clean mini-oven that anybody in the family can use.

"And we use it I'd say several times a week: we roast meat in it, we make chips, we make French bread pizza.

"And I would say I would sooner go without my traditional oven now than my air fryer.

"I think only two few people came forward and said they actually regret their air fryer, and they're not using it.

"So I think air fryer's are up there, the heated clothes horses - which I didn't buy but now plan to - and decent coffee machines.

"People who dickied up their gardens... with a hammock or a pizza oven, they also seem to be absolutely delighted with themselves".

And she says the big winners seem to be comfort items.

"People were very happy with their Sweaty Betty leggings or their comfortable shoes, or their big kimono for around the house, or their dryrobes.

"Nobody seems to be regretting their dryrobe purchase.

"Some people bought - I never even heard of this before - heated, padded jackets which they absolutely love and swear by".

Main image: File photo shows a man enjoying a soak in an inflatable hot tub. Picture by: Samantha Brown / Stockimo / Alamy Stock Photo

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Air Fryer Aviva Buyers Remorse Dryrobes Gaming Equipment Garden Furniture Heated Clothes Horse Heated Jackets Home Gym Equipment Hot Tubs Jennifer O'Connell Lockdown Purchases Lockdown Treats Pizza Ovens The Pat Kenny Show

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