Coronavirus: The slightly curious but essential items you can buy in lockdown

Thursday, 2 April 2020

People can buy face masks online as they've been deemed an essential item during the lockdown.

Kiwis in need of essential heaters and blankets can down buy them online after the Government clarified the rules around essential goods.

The Warehouse, Briscoes, Noel Leeming, Mitre 10 and Smith City are able to sell essential goods online.

The vast majority of essential items listed online will benefit many Kiwi families, by keeping them warm, giving them a chance to top up their pantries, and making sure they're able to stay connected with family.

But among the many essential goods are some slightly curious, weird and wonderful ones too. Here's a snapshot of some of intriguing essential items Stuff found online:

**READ MORE:

* Coronavirus: Full coverage

* The Warehouse rejects claims essential clothing selling out

* Too much confusion for businesses about what's really 'essential'

This bamboo tea box has been listed as an essential item online.

* Govt's rules around essential businesses are a mess, get ready for more of that

* Mitre 10, Briscoes join Smiths City and The Warehouse in selling essentials during lockdown**

These nose strips are to help clear blocked pores. They're deemed as an essential product online.

The Warehouse has closed its stores but is now allowed to sell essential items online.

Kitchen accessories

Briscoes website lists a range of essential goods, from heaters to pillows, blankets and pots and pans.

But if you delve deeper into the kitchen section, you'll come across items like a bamboo tea box that can store your tea bags in. As well as apple and egg slicers, ice cream scoops, and apple corers.

Following a review on Friday morning, Briscoes decided to removed the tea box from its website.

These rubber seals that go in jar lids have also been listed as an essential item.

These rubber seals that go in jar lids have been listed as an essential item.

Beauty and decor

This canopy rangehood has been classed as an essential item.

The Warehouse has a range of key essential items of which include household cleaning equipment, bedding, pet food and more.

If you delve into its website, you can also find some slightly curious items that are included under the essential banner, such as this pomegranate and passionfruit face mask or this charcoal and manuka honey clay mask or these nose strips for your pores - which are listed under health and beauty.

There are a range of warm blankets people can now buy on The Warehouse website.

Alongside essential bedding items like flannel sheets, is this mink blanket that has a picture of horses running through a field.

If horses aren't your thing, there are variations of the blankets that might suit the feng shui of your home better; a wolf howling in front of a full moon, and a black panther in a jungle.

Appliances

At Noel Leeming, there's a big range of whiteware, household appliances and tech electronics that have been given the essential nod of approval.

If you're after TVs, phones, computers or audio equipment, it's all there. You can even buy a whole canopy rangehood for your kitchen for $599.

Or if you're in dire need of caffeine then there are a range of coffee machines available, from small Nespresso machines costing $200 to large Breville machines costing $2399.

The Government's Covid-19 website states that it is difficult to be prescriptive about what an essential product is.

'We expect that essential goods cover those products that keep people warm, replace key household appliances, and maintain people's health. They may include for example blankets, heaters, kitchenware and appliances, whiteware, computer equipment and mobile phones.'

The loosening of the rules around essential items was praised by many Kiwis who wanted to buy warm clothes for their growing kids, more bakeware and kitchen utensils, and access electronics needed to make working from home easier.

A spokesperson for The Warehouse Group said they were actively reviewing the list of items available to its customers in line with its intention to meet the government guidelines.

'We went live with the Noel Leeming website for essentials one Tuesday night and for The Warehouse essentials [on Wednesday] morning.'

So far the popular items for the Noel Leeming website have been home office consumables such as ink and paper; headphones, presumably for working from home and schooling from home; appliances; self-grooming devices; printers; computer devices and cables.

'Essentials proving popular on The Warehouse website are baby care items, appliances, personal hygiene essentials, home cleaning supplies, kitchen essentials and laundry detergent.'

In a statement, Briscoes said for its homeware, it had registered three categories of essential products with MBIE: bedroom, heating and kitchen essentials.

'Using the guidelines from MBIE and the feedback from our customers we review our product range to ensure it is appropriate.'

Following a review on Friday morning, Briscoes decided to removed the tea box from its site.

'We have received many customer requests for additional products which customers are deeming essential. However at this stage we are satisfied that our online range meets the criteria given by MBIE.'