The Charmins, Cottonelles and Quilted Northerns of the world are cranking out rolls as fast as possible, yet paper product aisles are still looking sparse in many parts of the country. Not to mention, nearly every online retailer is sold out, which has many Americans asking, “Why—and where—has all the toilet paper gone?”
Toilet paper purchases jumped 213% year over year in the week of March 14, according toNielsen data, as Americans stocked up to stay at home during the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, many fascinating psychological theories have been proposed as to why toilet paper became such a hot commodity, including:
As we begin to unroll more of the data, though, a fascinating answer arises about the shortage. Most people are not, in fact, panic buying. It all boils down to the fact that we’re all spending more time at home,Will Oremus fromMediumreportedafter discussions with several paper industry pros.
Getty / Anna Elias
Perhaps you noticed the difference between the thin, scratchier paper at work and the thicker, plusher rolls at home? Businesses, schools and other public buildings receive commercial bulk toilet paper, and there’s an entirely different market for consumers.
Since we’re all spending way more time at home and more than90 percent of Americansare hunkering down due to stay at home or shelter in place mandates, we actually need more rolls per day to cover our butts (sorry).
While it sounds easy to allocate commercial rolls for consumer purposes, it’s actually quite complicated to build those new relationships and switch supply chain processes. While there will still be enough toilet paper for all, there’s not likely to be a solution to this two-market TP challenge—or fully-stocked shelves—any time soon.
So our solution for those seeking to restock? Shop early, as supermarkets often restock overnight. And keep your eyes peeled for local restaurants or other outlets who areoffering bulk sales(orfree rolls with your to-go order!) from their suppliers.
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