Here we go again: Some shoppers are panic-buying toilet tissue

How coronavirus and panic buying are impacting supply chainsPanic buying is not the only factor to the shortage of toilet paper as the supply chain gets stressed from the increase of demand.Just the FAQs, USA TODAYPlease don’t run straight to the supermarket, but some shoppers are buying up all the toilet paper – again.Of course, this brings back distressing memories of spring 2020 and the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Demand for toilet paper skyrocketed as Americans were faced with a possibly lengthy stay-at-home future.Even though manufacturers eventually caught up with demand, there were occasional local and national shortages with shoppers again finding empty shelves where T.P. used to be. This latest rebound in toilet paper demand comes as the delta variant drives COVID-19 cases and deaths up across the U.S., with some folks foreseeing another lockdown. Many Americans have used up their stockpiles and some have begun buying again in bulk, The Wall Street Journal reports. ►Gas flowing again: Colonial Pipeline resumes operations after shutdown for Hurricane Ida►California’s Caldor Fire: Before and after photos reveal the horror of devastation near Lake TahoeToilet paper demand has risen at retailers such as Massachusetts-based grocery chain Roche Bros. and Food City, headquartered in Abingdon, Va., with more than 130 retail outlets in southern states. “I don’t think we fully recovered from when the supply chain got a massive hit,” Arthur Ackles, Roche Bros.’s vice president of merchandising and buying, told the Journal.Manufacturers of toilet tissue say they are responding to the latest increase in demand. Kimberly-Clark, which makes Cottonelle and Scott toilet tissue, and Kleenex, “is monitoring the situation closely, and working hard to produce more toilet paper and other essential paper products to best meet consumer needs,” the company said in a statement to USA TODAY. “We remain vigilant with consumer demand and will continue to produce and ship as much product out to retailers as possible.”Georgia-Pacific, which makes Angel Soft and Quilted Northern toilet paper as well as Brawny and Sparkle paper towels, “continues to produce toilet paper and towels 24/7 across our system,” the company said in a statement to USA TODAY. “Our customers may be experiencing small demand surges locally and we are responding. Like other manufacturers, we continue to face a variety of challenges across the supply chain including shipping, transportation, logistics and labor.”Shoppers who find empty shelves can ask their store when shipments are expected, the Georgia-Pacific statement said. “Our advice to consumers should they run into limited supplies at one location is not to panic, check other retail outlets … and only purchase what you need.”  Meanwhile, people online are dreading the potential of another toilet paper shortage. “Please don’t tell me that we are doing this again,” read one tweet with a picture of empty store shelves.An Instagram photo showed a home toilet tissue stockpile. “If you can’t find #toiletpaper in Eastern Iowa, blame my mother,” it read.Follow Mike Snider on Twitter: @MikeSnider.


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