# Why is it still difficult to find toilet paper? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 1, 2020, 12:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983 "2020-08-01T12:57:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2020, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983/21 "2020-08-01T23:20:02Z")
From what I read, demand is so steady that most TP & Paper Towel makers run 24 hrs a day anyway. Marcal is in NJ and just recently got their plant reopened after a massive fire. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2020, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983/22 "2020-08-01T23:34:44Z")
The tp aisle here is back to looking more normal, though still emptier than usual sometimes, and there are unfamiliar brands. Also, we normally buy giant packs of Charmin, and got one when they first started showing up regularly again. Only, it turned out to be a new kind – Charmin “Strong.” Which is marketing speak for, we are repackaging and rebranding thin harsh commercial TP to sell to home users. We relegated it to the downstairs bathroom, and are more careful about which one we pick up now. I heard early on, on a podcast, about the two separate supply lines of toilet paper, and they pointed out that they aren’t very interchangeable, and demand for the home stuff had just gone way up. Demand for the commercial stuff went down, but it took time to shift it into retail stores (and only the non giant roll stuff could even do that). In addition, they pointed out that, aside from the pandemic, tp demand is extremely steady, and it’s a cheap but bulky item. No one was warehousing big supplies, and there was no real excess manufacturing capacity. So, we get Charmin “Strong” because no one wants to build a bunch of extra tp making capacity for this temporary (we hope) problem. ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2020, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983/23 "2020-08-01T23:39:18Z")
Well that’s kind of weird. Maybe the poulation density near your small stores is the culprit. Hop on out to the burbs for a visit, take the electric line south to, say, Homewood and catch an Uber to the Walt’s grocery store there. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983/24 "2020-08-02T02:15:10Z")
I did not know about the fire! Never a worse time for one, either. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983/25 "2020-08-02T02:21:34Z")
The fire was 2019, it took about a year to restart the plant. I think it reopened in February. I not sure why I even remembered this, I guess it was because of the TP shortage. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983/26 "2020-08-02T12:58:32Z")
Lysol Concentrate, on the other hand… ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983/27 "2020-08-02T13:48:13Z")
We have TP with spanish labels so I assume it came from Mexico. Still lots of gaps in the shelves. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2020, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983/28 "2020-08-02T14:36:31Z")
Far away from most of you, but still have odd brands of TP showing up on the shelf. Perhaps it’s a similar situation, that the commercial lines are rebranding for home use. I can get my brand, so I’m not worried about. Since there are whispers of locking down again (I’m convinced these whispers will continue until there is a vaccine), I’m making sure we have enough. Due to some small panic buying, we have enough shower soap and laundry detergent to last us until the end of the year. And I know how to get more things on-line. We are stockpiling (a little bit) coffee beans, because we couldn’t buy the varieties we wanted on-line. Masks, both reusable and single use, and disinfectant are plentiful. ---
**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:** [August 2, 2020, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983/29 "2020-08-02T15:11:59Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > The toilet paper market is essentially split into two types, commercial and residential. With fewer people traveling and staying in hotels, or visiting other attractions, the commercial use is way down and the residential market is up by an estimated 40%. No schools or universities open, restaurants and bars curtailed, etc. > > And more people working from home means more people pooping on the residential stuff. > > And since this is in GQ, here is a link. > > [What Everyone’s Getting Wrong About the Toilet Paper Shortage | by Will Oremus | Marker](https://marker.medium.com/what-everyones-getting-wrong-about-the-toilet-paper-shortage-c812e1358fe0) I don’t know if I agree strictly with that article based on my personal experiences. I was in Iowa when the virus really started to pick up. I recall going to the grocery store and the TP aisle was full (I didn’t need any, I was just walking through the aisle at the time). I think this was early march? Anyway, I went back to the grocery store a week later and I recall hearing a lot of stories about TP shortages. When I went back all the TP was gone. This was not a huge city, and demand shouldn’t have skyrocketed because we weren’t on lockdown orders yet. So demand for residential TP hadn’t gone up yet, it was just hoarding. So for about a month TP was hard to find. But by late april it was more or less back to normal. You could get the good stuff like charmin or cottonelle again. Its been like that for several months, every time I go to the grocery there is ample toilet paper. So if the issue was that consumer demand for residential TP was the issue, it doesn’t explain why the shelves became bare before the lockdowns even started, or why after a month of being barren the shelves went back to normal. We were still in lockdown in may and the TP had come back by then. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983/30 "2020-08-03T00:58:05Z")
At least some people are buying commercial stuff for home use – that is part of what has shown up on the shelves, both as unfamiliar brands, and as adapted into familiar home brands. (I inadvertently purchased one of those). ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983/31 "2020-08-03T02:33:30Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > I’m looking at a can of Clorox Disinfecting Wipes right now and it has a banner at the top reading “Kills 99.9% of viruses and bacteria.” > > The label also specifies that it is for use on hard surfaces only, and actually advises you should wash your hands after using them. For the VIRUS washing your hands is far more effective than using a disinfecting wipe. Funny they tell you to wash your hands after using their wipes since that is what will work better versus COVID-19 than their wipes do. Viruses and bacteria are different things. Disinfecting wipes are not great against viruses. Not nothing but not great. If you have no other choice using a disinfecting wipe is worthwhile. But when it comes to COVID-19 washing your hands with soap (and doing a proper wash) is the better move. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983/32 "2020-08-03T02:38:03Z")
It’s much easier to run a wipe over your desktop than to wash it with soap and then dry it enough to put your laptop and a pad of paper on it. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983/33 "2020-08-03T02:41:00Z")
I intentionally bought some commercial stuff. I wanted to maintain a supply, and I found a case of “no tube” toilet paper on-line, so I bought it and the small spindle that works with it. I actually love the paper – it’s smooth, and doesn’t shed. I can’t stand stuff like Charmin that sometimes shed on me. And a single roll lasts forever. It doesn’t fit all my toilet-paper holders, so I am still stocking the regular stuff, but I hope to keep buying this indefinitely for the master bath. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983/34 "2020-08-03T02:41:45Z")
Washing your hands with soap and water appropriately (20 seconds at least) is the easiest and best protection against COVID-19. Cleaning surfaces is a different matter. In general you can use things that are more harsh than you would want to regularly clean your hands with. Being more harsh a spritz of bleach can often do more than a pale of soapy water. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983/35 "2020-08-03T02:46:18Z")
yes, and wipes are designed for desks, not for hands. I feel like you keep beating a straw man. Maybe I’m just misreading your tone. ---
**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:** [August 3, 2020, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983/36 "2020-08-03T03:02:12Z")
Odd. TP has been in plentiful supply here (southern Ontario) for months, with many brands (including my usual, Cashmere) frequently on sale. No idea what may lead to regional variations in supply, other than perhaps the fact that COVID in general is much more under control in Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983/37 "2020-08-03T03:12:21Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > yes, and wipes are designed for desks, not for hands. I feel like you keep beating a straw man. Maybe I’m just misreading your tone. This thread had been about personal hygiene and not general cleaning. I think you are misreading. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983/38 "2020-08-03T03:46:56Z")
K. I thought it was about stuff that’s still hard to buy, like cleaning products that are being used a lot more these days. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2020, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983/39 "2020-08-03T13:23:54Z")
The Aldi near me (where I do most of my shopping, except for a handful of items they don’t stock) has been back to normal on toilet paper for months, now… Except that, for some reason, they no longer carry the four-packs I used to buy (I live alone; four rolls lasts me a while), only the 12-packs (which are big and bulky enough to be awkward to carry home from the store). ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2020, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983/40 "2020-08-04T15:06:02Z")
I’ve just been using my CVS receipts, since each one is about the length of a roll of toilet paper. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-it-still-difficult-to-find-toilet-paper/916983.md?page=3)