Mexican retailers have witnessed a sales surge as President Felipe Calderón ordered all 103 million Mexicans to stay at home in a bid to contain swine flu. The five-day quarantine led to shoppers stocking up on food, DVDs and video games.

In the northern city of San Luis Potosí, Blockbuster store manager Alfredo Zapata said rentals were going through the roof. “It’s doubled or tripled… even more in video games,” he added.