Convenience Stores See Boost in Tylenol Sales as Vaccination Ramps Up

Boxes of pain and fever relief medication are displayed at a pharmacy in Seoul on May 30, 2021. Health authorities advise people who get fever after vaccinations to take pain and fever reducers, such as Tylenol. (Yonhap)

SEOUL, June 3 (Korea Bizwire) — With more South Koreans getting vaccinated for COVID-19, convenience store chains are seeing a boost in Tylenol sales.

7-Eleven reported a 23.3 percent increase in Tylenol sales last month compared to the previous month.

Tylenol sales between May 27 and 30, soon after the introduction of the reservation service for ‘no-show’ vaccines, jumped by 99.6 percent compared to the same period in April.

CU also reported a 125.5 percent increase in Tylenol sales between May 27 and 31 compared to the same month last year, and a 89.9 percent increase compared to the same period in the previous month.

GS25 reported a 41.9 percent increase in Tylenol sales last month compared to the same month last year, and a 38.8 percent increase compared to April.

Demand jumped after rumors spread that Tylenol helps with the fever, headache, and muscle pain that are common side effects of the vaccine. As Tylenol is increasingly sold out at pharmacies, consumers are heading to convenience stores to buy it.

Industry sources suggest that, just like what happened with protective masks and hand sanitizer during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, some consumers are hoarding Tylenol in preparation for a possible supply crisis.

In response, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety explained that there are many kinds of acetaminophen-based pain and fever reducers, including Tylenol, offering information on some 70 similar drugs readily available in the country.

H. M. Kang (hmkang@koreabizwire.com)