Statistics Canada says that in May, retail sales decreased 20 per cent across the country compared to the same month a year ago. In the first quarter of the year, retail sales within the electronic shopping and mail-order houses industry rose about 31 per cent from the same quarter in 2019.

As consumers continued to stay home and eat out less, the categories of food and beverages posted the largest monthly increases at 11 per cent and 7 per cent respectively.

As Canadians were force to stay home, attention was turned to indoor and outdoor living spaces. Higher sales were reported in live plants, seeds and other home and garden supplies, up overall about 11.5 per cent. Sales of sports and leisure products increased 18.6 per cent. Oh, and sales of cannabis products, rose 116 per cent in May compared to the same month a year ago.