Page 11 - June Hernando 2020 Senior Voice

Senior Voice of Hernando County • JUNE 2020 • 11
2 0 2 0 Dis as t e r Geor ge Carlin
George Carlin

Humor
Pr e pa r e d ne s s Humor

S a le s Ta x Ho lid ay • One good reason to only maintain a small circle of

friends is that three out of four murders are committed
The 2020 Disaster Prepared- qualifying items. Additional- by people who know the victim.
ness Sales Tax Holiday was ly, the sales tax holiday does • Whenever you see the word “cuisine” used instead
passed by the Florida Legis- not apply to sales in a theme of the word “food,” be prepared to pay an additional

lature and signed into law by park, entertainment complex, eighty percent.
Governor Ron DeSantis. This public lodging establishment
year’s sales tax holiday begins or airport. • Why is the man who invests all your money called a
Friday, May 29, 2020, and ex- For more information and a broker?

tends through Thursday, June list of qualifying items, please • Why are hemorrhoids called “hemorrhoids” instead of
4, 2020. “assteroids”?
see Department of Revenue’s
During this sales tax holi- Taxpayer Information Publi- • Have you ever noticed that the lawyer always smiles
day period, qualifying items cation on the 2020 Disaster more than the client?

related to disaster prepared- Preparedness Sales Tax Hol- • Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower
ness are exempt from sales iday webpage: https://flor- than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you
tax. However, the sales tax idarevenue.com/DisasterPrep/ is a maniac?

holiday does not apply to the Pages/default.aspx
rental or repair of any of the

Eight Surprising Products That Are Booming During the Pandemic

Hand sanitizer and TP aren’t the only hot things seeing a surge in demand

by Andy Markowitz, AARP search data and other indicators. message that most of its products with Americans stockpiling
were sold out. spirits and stores accommodating
The coronavirus pandemic is 1. Bidets social-distancing customers with
wreaking havoc in many corners Bidet advocates view the de- delivery and curbside pickup.
of the economy, but amid the Long common across Europe, vices as more hygienic than

bust some products and indus- Asia and South America, bath- wiping, and more environmen- Retail alcohol sales in the eight
tries are reaping benefits from room fixtures that use water to tally friendly — producing toilet weeks ending April 25 were up
the massive swerve in how we clean the nether regions remain paper “is incredibly resource-in- 24.6 percent compared to the
live, work and shop. rare in the United States. But tensive,” Scheer says. “There’s a same period last year, data com-
with toilet paper scarce, bidets reason why 80 percent of homes pany Nielsen reports. Hard liquor
We all know it’s a good time to are having a major moment. in Japan have an electronic bidet (up 33.5 percent) and wine (29.4
be in, say, videoconferencing, Consumer interest shot up 300 toilet seat. The more people that percent) have been the main
disinfectants or grocery deliv- percent as people explored use them, they become lifelong drivers, although beer is also
ery — just ask Zoom, Clorox or alternatives to TP, according to users and advocates. There’s no seeing double-digit gains. And
Instacart how business has been Glimpse, a company that ana- going back to paper.” the longer the lockdowns last, it

lately. But beyond the brands lyzes search and other online seems, the thirstier we get: Sales
that have become nearly synon- signals to track product trends. 2. Booze have continued to rise on a week-
ymous with lockdown life, many by-week basis, Nielsen found.
specialized products are seeing Brondell, which makes bidet Contagion mixed with isolation
mini-booms of their own, meet- attachments and accessories for can produce a potent cocktail of 3. Bread machines
ing newly urgent needs from the toilets, expects to see a 40 per- anxiety and boredom, and while
bathroom to the backyard. cent jump in sales this year, dou- it may not be the best thing for Baking bread has emerged as
ble its typical growth, company the immune system, many of us another salve for a stressed-out
Here are some of the goods hun- President Steven Scheer says. are responding with cocktails of nation (at least that part of it that

kered-down consumers are turn- Hygiene For Health, an online our own. Liquor retailers have can still get its hands on yeast),
ing to as they wait out the out- seller, was greeting visitors to seen a sales boom since the but one that can demand a good
break, according to sales figures, its website in mid-May with a outbreak began and bars closed, Continued on page 20