Let’s talk toilet paper.
The shopper, chicly clothed in mask and disposable gloves, aims for the paper goods aisle. The first time the sight of completely bare shelves is shocking. The second time less so. The third, expected.
It’s like pre-hurricane moments when bottled water and ice evaporate. Except those shortages disappear in days. What we’re going through now is scarcity measured in weeks—at least.
The typical reaction: People must be hoarding. How despicable!
Recently I read an article that disputes this.
It pointed out that the amount of use of toilet paper has not increased. That made sense. Without getting too graphic, the same number of people with the same body functions should continue using the same amount of TP.
But the article noted a major change. Millions of people no longer went to work because of the virus. So there was a huge movement of those body functions from work to home.
And this is where the trouble began. It appears businesses have different requirements for the product than homes do. Businesses often need gigantic rolls and specific quality.
This means manufacturers have different processes to satisfy the varied demands and apparently it is difficult to retool for more concentration on the home market.
The result? More use at home with an unchanged amount of manufacturing for the home available. Ergo, a toilet paper shortage.
I think the article makes an interesting and probably valid argument. But I believe there’s more to it.
First, I have no doubt there are indeed hoarders. I envision closets and extra bedrooms packed floor to ceiling with cylinders of paper gold.
But let’s assume, for the sake of argument, there are no hoarders and the empty shelves are the result of only manufacturing limitations. What do we think when we see those barren shelves? Same as before, right? Hoarders!
Our natural reaction? We’d better get serious about finding the supplies we need because everyone else is going to snatch them up.
So I go to the store. It’s my lucky day. Toilet paper is in stock with no limit. I need only one package of 12, which I select. But then I hesitate. There’s a run on it by those disgusting hoarders. I’d better buy two. I don’t feel guilty. After all, it’s just one extra. I’m being a good citizen by not snatching up a half dozen. See, I’m no hoarder! Still, that’s twice as much as I’d normally purchase.
Unfortunately, there are millions of people like me. That means the demand for the product has doubled! That’s a tremendous increase and puts a strain on manufacturers who plan for normal home consumption.
In an inevitable result, the shelves become bare even faster. It’s getting harder and harder to find toilet paper. When I do, I’d better buy three packages, just to be safe. Gee, the shelves stay empty. Wonder why.
So my theory, unsupported by any valid research, is that, even if hoarding wasn’t there to begin with, an initial shortage due to unusual circumstances can create it.
The shopper, chicly clothed in mask and disposable gloves, aims for the paper goods aisle. The first time the sight of completely bare shelves is shocking. The second time less so. The third, expected.
It’s like pre-hurricane moments when bottled water and ice evaporate. Except those shortages disappear in days. What we’re going through now is scarcity measured in weeks—at least.
The typical reaction: People must be hoarding. How despicable!
Recently I read an article that disputes this.
It pointed out that the amount of use of toilet paper has not increased. That made sense. Without getting too graphic, the same number of people with the same body functions should continue using the same amount of TP.
But the article noted a major change. Millions of people no longer went to work because of the virus. So there was a huge movement of those body functions from work to home.
And this is where the trouble began. It appears businesses have different requirements for the product than homes do. Businesses often need gigantic rolls and specific quality.
This means manufacturers have different processes to satisfy the varied demands and apparently it is difficult to retool for more concentration on the home market.
The result? More use at home with an unchanged amount of manufacturing for the home available. Ergo, a toilet paper shortage.
I think the article makes an interesting and probably valid argument. But I believe there’s more to it.
First, I have no doubt there are indeed hoarders. I envision closets and extra bedrooms packed floor to ceiling with cylinders of paper gold.
But let’s assume, for the sake of argument, there are no hoarders and the empty shelves are the result of only manufacturing limitations. What do we think when we see those barren shelves? Same as before, right? Hoarders!
Our natural reaction? We’d better get serious about finding the supplies we need because everyone else is going to snatch them up.
So I go to the store. It’s my lucky day. Toilet paper is in stock with no limit. I need only one package of 12, which I select. But then I hesitate. There’s a run on it by those disgusting hoarders. I’d better buy two. I don’t feel guilty. After all, it’s just one extra. I’m being a good citizen by not snatching up a half dozen. See, I’m no hoarder! Still, that’s twice as much as I’d normally purchase.
Unfortunately, there are millions of people like me. That means the demand for the product has doubled! That’s a tremendous increase and puts a strain on manufacturers who plan for normal home consumption.
In an inevitable result, the shelves become bare even faster. It’s getting harder and harder to find toilet paper. When I do, I’d better buy three packages, just to be safe. Gee, the shelves stay empty. Wonder why.
So my theory, unsupported by any valid research, is that, even if hoarding wasn’t there to begin with, an initial shortage due to unusual circumstances can create it.
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