# Screw Coronovirus: what can we do about the current toilet paper crisis? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 22, 2020, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041 "2020-03-22T17:39:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041/41 "2020-03-23T15:39:37Z")
> [@Turble](#): > > RE: Corncobs – my understanding is that you use a white one first, then use a brown/red one to determine whether you need another white one. 🙂 Really? That’s exactly the opposite of how I learned it. Brown/red first, then white, to see if there’s residue. If so, repeat with brown/red. If your stool is white, and you haven’t been drinking barium recently, for OG’s sake check with your doctor; you may have a gall bladder/liver obstruction. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041/42 "2020-03-23T15:51:29Z")
I looked up this old thread from 2007: [Do you hoard anything?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=432835&highlight=toilet+paper) Even in that time of non-crisis, many people admitted to hoarding toilet paper. Why TP? Are these people who actually ran out once, and they found the experience so traumatic that they vowed “Never again”? Is it because, psychologically, people feel the most vulnerable when they’re sitting on the throne, needing to wipe? ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041/43 "2020-03-23T15:54:09Z")
I’m sure I have enough to last until sanity returns – i.e.- until all the hoarders have hoarded, and stores are able to maintain inventory. And I look forward to when TP is put on sale at very hefty discounts, because none of the hoarders will be buying any for many months! ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041/44 "2020-03-23T16:21:57Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > I’m sure I have enough to last until sanity returns – i.e.- until all the hoarders have hoarded, and stores are able to maintain inventory. And I look forward to when TP is put on sale at very hefty discounts, because none of the hoarders will be buying any for many months! Which will lead the market to pseudo-stabilize in a precarious position. No sales (because of the hoarding) = reduced inventories, so next spike in panic = faster depletion. ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5ac83/32.png) [@Doug\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_K)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041/45 "2020-03-23T17:56:02Z")
One thing that’s struck me about this mess is that the Facebook posts ridiculing those “other people” hoarding TP started _before_ it actually started disappearing from shelves. I think those posts are what triggered the panic, and are what perpetuates it now. When people are barraged with social media posts poking fun at people who clean out the shelves at stores complete with pictures of the empty shelves, the natural takeaway is going to be “If I see some on the shelf I better grab it while the grabbing’s good.” Heck, my wife is pressuring me to grab some if I see it even though we aren’t in danger of running out for at least a couple of months. So what can we do? \*\*Stop posting about it! \*\*You’re just telling people they should be hoarding TP. ---
**Author:** ![Asuka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@Asuka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asuka)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041/46 "2020-03-23T18:39:15Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > One thing that’s struck me about this mess is that the Facebook posts ridiculing those “other people” hoarding TP started _before_ it actually started disappearing from shelves. I think those posts are what triggered the panic, and are what perpetuates it now. When people are barraged with social media posts poking fun at people who clean out the shelves at stores complete with pictures of the empty shelves, the natural takeaway is going to be “If I see some on the shelf I better grab it while the grabbing’s good.” Heck, my wife is pressuring me to grab some if I see it even though we aren’t in danger of running out for at least a couple of months. > > So what can we do? \*\*Stop posting about it! \*\*You’re just telling people they should be hoarding TP. Reminds me of my town where the local CostCo had a giant line around it for a solid week but the nearby grocery stores had plenty of toilet paper and other staples. It wasn’t until they really started to do the COSTCO IS OUT OF EVERYTHING!?!? news stories that people seemed to get a clue and start going to other places. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2020, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041/47 "2020-03-23T23:50:41Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Seriously? Toilet paper? > > How do we fix this? > > The most obvious solutions include having the factories make more, which I assume is happening, and having the stores ration what they get. > > What are your thoughts? Can’t just make more, the production capacity is tuned to the market, which is fairly static. The local Georgia Pacific mill which makes Angel Soft and Costco brands, among others, already runs 24 hours per day 365 days per year. Competitors operate similarly. Adding production capacity as in a new paper machine and the converting plant to turn it into toilet paper would be a huge undertaking involving years and millions and millions of dollars. By the time they got it up and running it wouldn’t be needed. So as long as it keeps flying off the shelves the shortage will remain, how long is unknown. But for the most part the manufacturers can’t just make more. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041/48 "2020-03-24T00:06:11Z")
Walmart had toilet paper. Granted it was the lowest quality in house generic brand, and you were limited to one 4 pack per person. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041/49 "2020-03-24T00:35:57Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > Because we try to always have at least a month’s worth of supplies, I have a good idea how much TP we use a week. When this first started, I was surprised to hear that most of my friends and co-workers have no idea how much TP their family uses, so got scared and really over-bought. I’ve had a pretty good idea of how much we normally use, and now that we’re always home, we’re definitely using more on account of not using the facilities at work. I’ve had to move up my estimate of when we’ll run out, but even under current conditions, we have at least a month’s supply on hand. I’ll buy another 4-pack or two if I’m lucky to be at a store right when they have some, but I’m not going to go crazy looking for more. > [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > Can’t just make more, the production capacity is tuned to the market, which is fairly static. The local Georgia Pacific mill which makes Angel Soft and Costco brands, among others, already runs 24 hours per day 365 days per year. Competitors operate similarly. Could they just package it all in 4-packs, so that stores could enforce reasonable limits? One or two packs per person doesn’t help much to make sure everyone can get some if the packs have 16 or 24 or 36 rolls. TP is bulky stuff, and even a big Wal-Mart or Costco can only keep but so many of those mega-packs on their shelves at one time. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041/50 "2020-03-24T00:38:25Z")
For some reason, last time I open a package of TP, I put a post-it note on the package on when I opened it It was a 15 pack, opened on July 12 of 2019. I just put the 14th roll on the dispenser on Saturday. I figured I am good through mid April. Looks the my usage rate is about 1 roll per 3 weeks. Thought I used more. FWIW, I use the cheap generic brand. Single Ply. Live alone have few visitors I already replenished my supply in Feb (before the crisis) hit so there was no need for me to buy any more. We are up shit’s creek is there is still a TP shortage by the time I need to buy more TP. ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041/51 "2020-03-24T00:47:31Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > The toilet paper curve, at any rate. > > I did our once weekly shopping trip last night, at the end of the day, and there was still toilet paper in stock! Two different brands even, and I noticed one shopper examining the brands, deciding which to get, not just snagging a 36-pack like mannna from heaven. We’re turning the corner! Hey, everyone–there’s toilet paper in Saskatchewan! C’mon, who’s with me?!? _CONQUER AND PILLAGE!_ ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041/52 "2020-03-24T01:27:30Z")
> [@Doug\_K](#): > > One thing that’s struck me about this mess is that the Facebook posts ridiculing those “other people” hoarding TP started _before_ it actually started disappearing from shelves. I think those posts are what triggered the panic, and are what perpetuates it now. When people are barraged with social media posts poking fun at people who clean out the shelves at stores complete with pictures of the empty shelves, the natural takeaway is going to be “If I see some on the shelf I better grab it while the grabbing’s good.” Heck, my wife is pressuring me to grab some if I see it even though we aren’t in danger of running out for at least a couple of months. > > So what can we do? \*\*Stop posting about it! \*\*You’re just telling people they should be hoarding TP. Johnny Carson accidentally sparked a similar “crisis” in 1973. I remember it only because I discovered MAD magazine around this time, and they addressed it quite a bit. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/vFr-Uu8_P6E/hqdefault.jpg "Johnny Carson Once Caused a Toilet Paper Shortage") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFr-Uu8_P6E) ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041/53 "2020-03-24T01:29:28Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > I do think this is a large part of the issue. For most folks, TP is just something you buy when you need, or if its on sale. Because we try to always have at least a month’s worth of supplies, I have a good idea how much TP we use a week. When this first started, I was surprised to hear that most of my friends and co-workers have no idea how much TP their family uses, so got scared and really over-bought. > > At work, the restrooms are stocked with the same TP government workers suffer with. I don’t really like carrying a roll of my own toilet paper around, so carry individual packaged wet-ones in my pocket for when that thin, wax paper stuff doesn’t work. Several times (5 to be exact), boxes of Purell wipes have been bought by mistake. Purell wipes do not belong anywhere near anyone’s lady bits, so the boxes got shoved to the back of an upper shelf until a few days ago. I always carry a mini-pack of Kleenex (or similar generic) with me for these situations. Yeah, yeah, I know you’re not supposed to flush it, but an occasional one isn’t noticeable. Don’t forget that “flushable” wipes really aren’t. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2020, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041/54 "2020-03-24T01:34:20Z")
“Roll” isn’t a useful unit unless we know how many sheets are in each roll. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2020, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041/55 "2020-03-26T19:35:36Z")
Hallelujah! Restocked! Our local supermarket has initiated senior-only shopping from 7 to 8 am, so I got up early yesterday to check it out, and they were letting everyone buy up to two packages of TP. I decided to take only one 12-pack, since as I mentioned above, we already have 37 rolls at home, and I wanted to exercise (and model) moderation. I’ve also been monitoring our usage, and so far we’ve only replaced two partial rolls since I posted the OP four days ago. My wife and I have counted the number of sheets we use per visit, and I came up with a rough estimate of household use rate of 130 sheets per day. We now have a six-pack and 12-pack of two-ply with 284 SPR, and an 18-pack with 1,000 single-ply sheets per roll. And there are 12 fresh double-ply rolls spread out among our 4 bathrooms, not counting the ones on the dispensers. Assuming that we’ll have to use twice as much of the single-ply as the double ply (perhaps a pessimistic assumption), we should have enough TP for 135 days, getting us through early August! I have begun to hope that this will not be the end of the world! How’s availability in your neck of the woods? (And please! If “Location” in the upper right of your posts doesn’t show your actual location, please don’t just say “here.” Tell us where “here” is. Thank you.) (Yes, that is one of my pet peeves here at SDMB.) ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2020, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041/56 "2020-03-28T06:07:30Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I looked up this old thread from 2007: [Do you hoard anything?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=432835&highlight=toilet+paper) > > Even in that time of non-crisis, many people admitted to hoarding toilet paper. > > Why TP? > > Are these people who actually ran out once, and they found the experience so traumatic that they vowed “Never again”? > > Is it because, psychologically, people feel the most vulnerable when they’re sitting on the throne, needing to wipe? Nah. It’s because you never know when the urge will hit to relive your high-school days and wrap someone’s house. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2020, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041/57 "2020-03-28T06:29:17Z")
> [@commasense](#): > > Hallelujah! Restocked! > > Our local supermarket has initiated senior-only shopping from 7 to 8 am, so I got up early yesterday to check it out, and they were letting everyone buy up to two packages of TP… I don’t qualify as a senior (not yet, anyway), but my local supermarket has the same seniors’ hours. So I arrived at my local supermarket at 8:01 one morning last week. There was no TP. Later that day, I had to get out, just to get out, and thought I’d check again, on a lark. Whaddaya know, they had some! They must have restocked sometime that day. One package per customer, so I got a pack of thirty rolls. ---
**Author:** ![GreenWyvern](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/greenwyvern/32/2834_2.png) [@GreenWyvern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreenWyvern)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2020, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041/58 "2020-03-28T08:00:21Z")
Strange thing, but there has been no problem with toilet paper here in Cape Town. We are in lockdown, and in the couple of days before we went into lockdown some staple foods were being cleared out in supermarkets, but restocked fairly quickly. Hand sanitizers were sold out. People seemed to be buying more toilet paper than usual, but there was still plenty on the shelves. In fact, my very busy local supermarket was offering a _sale_ on toilet paper the day before lockdown! I think the major supermarkets had a couple of weeks to anticipate the situation and see what what happening in other countries and they ramped up their ordering accordingly. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2020, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041/59 "2020-03-28T19:38:38Z")
> [@MEBuckner](#): > > Hey, everyone–there’s toilet paper in Saskatchewan! > > C’mon, who’s with me?!? _CONQUER AND PILLAGE!_ You do realize how far we are from Georgia, right? A few days, at least. And while the Georgian hordes are marching north, they’re going to have the normal bodily functions and require … I think our northern stock of toilet paper is safe from the Georgians. I am a bit worried about our neighbours, however. **Piper** eyes **Spoons** warily … ---
**Author:** ![MEBuckner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mebuckner/32/2896_2.png) [@MEBuckner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MEBuckner)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2020, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041/60 "2020-03-28T19:50:27Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > You do realize how far we are from Georgia, right? > > A few days, at least. > > And while the Georgian hordes are marching north, they’re going to have the normal bodily functions and require … Hm, that does pose a bit of a problem for the mighty hordes of Toilet Paper Vikings\*, ceaselessly wandering to the ends of the Earth in search of new sources of toilet paper to plunder. We’re going to leave even more of a mess in our path than the typical Barbarian Horde. \*I realize “hordes” and “vikings” is kind of mixing my historical metaphors a bit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/screw-coronovirus-what-can-we-do-about-the-current-toilet-paper-crisis/850041.md?page=4)