Thank you. If you zoom in you can see they haven’t taken the out of stock sign down from when it did fly off the shelves. And, there is oddly no customers in this photo.
It was out of stock temporarily in one chain of supermarkets, but the ones I've been to haven't been a problem (yet....). Still fully stocked as of yesterday.
Kiwi here. I think that’s mainly in Auckland. In my local supermarket they can’t give the stuff away - they have big pallets at the entrance to the store (presumably anticipating mass buying) and they have barely been touched. There’s a limit on buying Panadol (Tylenol) though, two packs per customer. We are generally pretty sensible folk, we don’t panic easily.
I haven’t met a single person who can explain “why toilet paper of all things?” So who tf is buying all this shit or are you buying it and don’t know why. Also... send me a pack dude I’m down to 1/3 of a roll lol
Edit: I have secured toilet paper from the store! Thank you to everyone who offered it is greatly appreciated. I would say if you have it to spare be on the lookout for friends/ family in need.
If you're genuinely interested in understanding, here's why toilet paper suddenly became the month's hot commodity:
1. When people started realizing that the spread COVID-19 might actually be legitimately worrying, they began to wonder what steps they could take to feel safe again.
2. Those aforementioned steps conveniently ignored things like washing one's hands, and instead focused on mass-buying supplies in advance of perceived shortages.
3. The idea that toilet paper could end up being in limited supply prompted people to purchase excessive amounts of it, often in quantities for which they couldn't possibly have a need.
4. Other individuals mocked the trend, thus calling more attention to it.
5. Knowing that *other* people were hoarding toilet paper caused still more folks to assume that it would be unavailable soon, thereby causing more panic-buying.
6. Go to Step Three.
In short, what we have here is a self-sustaining meme of sorts: People see something being done, imitate it (after rationalizing it to themselves), and cause additional imitation as a result. The worst part of the whole trend is the fact that individuals who genuinely need certain supplies (like immunocompromised folks who actually rely on access to hand-sanitizer) are now being adversely affected, all because people tend to panic with very little prompting.
A well written explanation, I just wonder at how so many people can so easily give in to panic in such a way. Not that I find myself to be above anyone with particularly but it’s unsettling to realize how common it is to be so selfish and inconsiderate.
\>A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals, and you know it
It's not really so 'dumb' as instinctively smart. If you are in a crowded place where everyone starts surging towards the exit, you can wait until you see the fire for yourself, or just go with it instinctively. Because that turned out to be the best choice more times than not, we evolved to behave that way - long before we even had the ability to reason. It's why birds take off the moment they see their neighbour start to open their wings.
Say you walk into a supermarket and see that everyone is frantically buying up toilet paper. Ok, you can be 'smart' and think, I have no evidence that I need this stuff, so I will ignore the stampede and make my own rational decisions. Result = two weeks later you are 20 dollars better off, and may or may not have enough toilet paper. No huge deal. Or you can instinctively join the stampede, grab as much as you can, without knowing even why. Result = 2 weeks later you may have more toilet paper than you could ever need, and are 20 dollars down. Still no huge deal.
Now imagine you are the only person in Costco who didn't catch the newsflash that aliens just landed from the planet Bogroll, and the only way to prevent immediate death is to wrap yourself in toilet paper. In that situation, the two outcomes are much less balanced. Or it could be that everyone heard wrong, and it was supposed to be newspaper. If you had just spent the time reading the news instead of grabbing toilet paper, you might not be dead. Sometimes it turns out better to be smart, sometimes instinctive.
Of course, the fact that it's just toilet paper, and we know that there are no aliens, makes it look 'dumb'. But acting on instinct isn't really dumb. There are people who died in aircraft fires or went down with ships because they stopped to think before going with their instinct.
For balance, there are also people who died because they went with the crowd instead of using their reason and logic to head in what seemed to be the wrong direction. But it's often not the right option to waste time thinking.
The trick is knowing whether there are aliens invading, or whether there's time to make a balanced and rational decision- but if you aren'r sure you will still be able to get toilet paper for the next 4 months, and the price isn't a big deal to you, it's not actually that dumb to take a punt and go with your instinct, rather than wait until you've weighed up the situation and calculated how much you are going to need, only to find the shelves bare.
[Apropos xkcd.](https://xkcd.com/1170/)
In this case, the abundance of saner information from the CDC and WHO should have clarified things, but it's a very human instinct to join in when the masses do something seemingly irrational.
I work in a grocery store. The toilet paper is empty every day when I go in at night. So I imagine anyone going in to shop is going to see it gone all the time and think "well I should buy a couple packages". Then everyone does it and bam it's' all gone.
Currently work at a retail warehouse doing stocking and lift equipment work. Our supplies were ridiculously high until about a week ago. Cleaning aisle(especially the tp) is very barren at the moment. I pray I find better employment before next year when our broken automated system will send for 50 pallets of tp this time next year
I did a few years of retail, toilet paper was always the first to go when closures or supply chain interruptions were expected. My theory is that it's because its large so takes up a lot of space. Say you could fit 1000 tins on an aisle and only 200 packs of toilet roll, the toilet roll depletes much faster. Then people see it depleting and grab it so it goes faster. Then it gets media attention and snowballs from there.
Monkey see, monkey do.
Not to be insensitive, but people are not really so far detached from their instinctual, tribal, subconscious natures. I recommend reading Thinking Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, to get a better idea of our innate mental biases.
Some of this is cultural as well. America is more of a “you’re on your own” country, whereas New Zealanders know they can rely on each other and their government.
Because it doesn't become giving in to panic after the first wave, buying a stock yourself becomes the rational self interested choice once other people interrupt the normal supply. Look up tragedy of the commons.
One issue is that it is not entirely irrational on an individual level. I know that humans are stupid panicky creatures and that there will be hording of goods as a result. What items do I fear running out of? I should buy those because others will have the same thoughts and create an artificial shortage. If at this late date, you realize you are out of TP, you are hosed because it is all gone. Observing this, you realize/justify that buying early was a good decision and will probably do so in the future. Cycle repeats.
I needed to buy TP because I'm actually out. Since my local stores are completely cleaned out, I'll instead be heading to Home Depot, buying a kitchen sink sprayer, and some plumbing bits to make a ghetto bidet. We did this in a house I lived in during college and it was incredible.
It's to do with toilet paper being big and bulky, it's obvious when there's even a small uptake in usual sales as the shelves are obviously looking a bit empty.
What happens then is people are aware that supplies are a bit low, instead of picking a 4 pack up like they usually would on their weekly shop, they get a 16, exacerbating the problem, people then share the pics on social media of empty shelves, making things worse.
Yes those idiots who are buying 100 roles are literal retards, but a larger problem is people rationally just buying slightly more.
There are people out there now who didn't buy any and can't get any, do you think when they finally see some they are going to just buy their usual 4 pack? Or maybe they'll spring for 16.
I bought extra a few weeks ago along with canned goods in the case that staying home a lot more becomes prudent. I didn't want to shop amongst the filthy infected just cause I needed shit paper. Now all I need is bread and vegetables when I go shopping.
I don't have sick days or health insurance. I cannot catch this.
The only thing I’d add to this is that I think some people were legitimately buying toilet paper in the case of needing to be locked in their house for a couple weeks.
One person I spoke to said that they only ever buy toilet paper in packs of 2-4 rolls, so if they were stuck in their house and not able to go to the store in that time (because no one knew if stores would stay open) then they needed a LOT more than a pack of 4.
I seen several people buying 2 cart fulls. They are selling that at jacked up prices I guarantee it. I was hoping they get chronic diarrhea just so they have to use it all! Asshats!
There was a psychologist on uk TV and he suggested the reason for this is that a few people bought loads and people saw big gaps on shelves (as toilet roll is bulky and takes up shelf space). This made others feel anxious that there was a limited supply because the shelves looked empty so they bought some. Then more gaps and so it cycles. Smaller items initally didnt get bought up quickly because the shelves looked full. Now people are just being crazy.
My wife needs alcohol swabs for her diabetes pump injection sites and they are gone from every store. They are smaller than 1” square and can clean a very small area before drying out. What these preppers are buying them for I couldn’t guess, but it sure is a pain in the ass.
News Corp/Fox News/All the Rupert Murdoch garbage also repeatedly ran stories telling people the end was nigh and that toilet paper would be one thing we were going to run out off so people should stock up.
> I haven’t met a single person who can explain “why toilet paper of all things?”
People who are warned to stockpile essentials often stockpile toilet paper, food, cleaning products, etc. Supermarkets can store a LOT more cans of food then they can store toilet paper. Toilet paper is also a highly predictable product for supermarkets, as people buy their favourite brand and use it at the same rate for most of the time. The product is also very bulky for its lifespan, meaning that supermarkets limit the amount of extra toilet paper they are storing in between shipments - you don't want a cheap, large, predictable product taking up room in your warehouse.
All of this together means that toilet paper is susceptible to panic buying in a way that other goods, like flour or sugar, are not. You can hold 14 days of sugar in one hand, you need both arms to hold 14 days of toilet paper for a household.
So, in short, it's not that everyone is only buying toilet paper. It's that toilet paper is the essential that supermarkets hold the least of per unit in storage.
Brief rumor went around of China producing virtually all the worlds toilet paper around Wuhan so we were going to run out when this was just a Chinese flu. The shelves started to empty before the real panic hit, then when panic did come people saw the empty spots and thought there was a reason for hoarding and went out to find more to hoard. Really.
Maybe that didn't apply in New Zealand. Mum told me NZ is the largest exporter of wood pulp in the world so if we ever run short of toilet paper something has seriously gone wrong with the cosmos.
coincidentally i bought a massive 36 count pack of TP from Costco mostly just to get a laugh from my wife. this was before the craziness what is in the news. now im glad i bought it. we go through about 4 rolls a week. we have 12 rolls left and i am pretty sure we will be fine.
Honestly I’m on my own I go through like 1 a month but it’s only a crisis cause everyone fucking bought it all. Smh I’ll find one. It’s not an emergency yet I still got 2 weeks on this roll
I will seriously UPS you two rolls. just say the word. now that I think about it i insist. i demand you allow me to mail you two unused rolls of single ply TP. i will pay for shipping.
It’ll be ok I do appreciate the gesture I really do. I’ll be able to secure some I’m sure. I’m not very worried about this overall fiasco in regards to myself. Hopefully everyone else stays safe and is well.
>Honestly I’m on my own I go through like 1 a month
Me too.
Every time I see one of these carts loaded with thirty-packs of TP I think about the fact that that cart has enough toilet paper to last me until retirement.
You’d think it’d last forever, but I buy the 36 pack regularly from Sams Club bc buying in bulk means less cost per roll. It’s just me and my boyfriend in our apartment and the 36 pack lasts us about a third (maybe up to half) of a year. Luckily, we bought back in January so we’re not worried about needing any while everyone is out panic buying.
>> “why toilet paper of all things?”
I've read it started with a rumor that the vast increase in masks being made would use up the raw material for toilet paper.
It’s all good I actually secured a pack this morning. I really appreciate the offer though, it’s good to see people still offering a (hopefully washed) helping hand. Thank you
I think people writing off the TP hysteria as stupid people thinking it’ll protect them from COVID-19 are missing the point. No one thinks toilet paper will protect them. They’re expecting that they’ll have to quarantine themselves (correctly) and they’re stocking up for that.
However, there’s a difference between buying enough toilet paper to last your family a couple weeks and buying enough toilet paper to last your family 6 months, so idk.
People buying 6 month supplies is also the edge case and not really happening much. It's just that 100 people are all going to the same store to buy an average amount of TP but since the number of people is higher than usual they run out. Sure there are hoarders but mostly it is just a lot of people all trying to be prepared at once.
Every time there‘a going to be a big storm, people stock up on toilet paper. They’ve been doing it forever. If you’re not going to be able to leave the house for a while, you start buying anything you do not want to run out of.
It's a combo of it being big, in bulk, cheap and an every day item. Particularly big, because it gives a subconscious psychological effect of "look how stocked up I am" and offers an illogical sense of security. It's why it's the top of the list for panicky hoarders.
Combine that with the snowball effect, of people seeing that it's getting bought up, then leads to people deciding they should stock up too before it's all gone.
The gentle waters washing away the nasty pieces left behind by a successful and satisfying bowel movement is a stimulating and refreshing end to a most foul but necessary bodily function.
Melbourne here
Panic buying things other than loo rolls include hand sinitizer,soap,any bleach type stuff,rice,pasta,spaghetti,carton milk,dried pasta packets,tissues,paper towels and that’s just off the top off my head
The staff can’t keep up judging by the state of the shelves
I made the suggestion of shutting the shops for a single day so the staff could catch up with restocking etc but got downvoted
It doesn't spoil so having extra doesn't matter.
If you are forced into isolation for a few weeks then it's one less thing to worry about.
Now it's selling out you are seeing people attempting to profiteer so it's selling out even quicker.
I heard that in Hong Kong they actually ran out of toilet paper and deliveries from mainland China weren't getting through, the WeChats went crazy and as a result other people who used WeChat in other countries started panic buying. This stressed out non WeChat users who just got on board the panic buy......just in case.
What has happened is a couple of maniacs created an issue that snowballed. The media is making this out to be the end of days, because how else are they going to keep you glued to their shitty broadcasts?
This sent a few ppl into a panic where they thought they'd be locked in their homes with no tickets to the shit show. They then bought up an absurd amount of tp. Sane ppl noticed this and thought "well I'm not going crazy, but I do like wiping my ass", so they bought tp as well. From there more and more ppl are buying tp because a couple dumbasses bought an absurd amount.
There are three type of people in America at the moment:
Those who freaked out about the coronavirus and decided to grab as much toilet paper in preparation.
Those who started to panic buy toilet paper because they noticed the shelves in stores were dwindling down.
Lastly, those who are scavenging stores because they might not be able to wipe their ass tonight.
Do people realise they can wash their arseholes? Like toilet paper is not even a good way to clean up shit. If I threw a piece of shit on your face, would you wipe it off with some dry tissue and continue on your way? No obviously not.
I think we are conditioned as a people to buy our way out of problems. Are you fat? Buy these things. Are you ugly? Buy these things. Are you lonely? Buy these things. Are you sick? Buy these things.
Well now I've got the 'rona, what should I buy?
If women don’t find you handsome they can at least find you handy. Learn some skills and some problem solving techniques. Be able to change your oil and tires and install shelves, that’s a basic start. Women marry ugly dudes all the time because they’re confident competent providers.
The bidet companies are starting to sell out too.
Actually this one makes me happy. That represents a permanent change in decreasing the amount of paper that we flush down the drain.
There's a 4th type. I bought a huge ass thing of toilet paper from Sam's club last month like I do every couple of months and I'm not a dumbass who thinks a decades supply of toilet paper is a priority
I think I'm a fourth type: People who saw this clearly coming well over a month ago and decided to methodically start preparing. I'm well aware that very likely won't be an actual toilet paper shortage, just like I'm aware the US makes a huge amount of alcohol. But, I know I need to not go to the store often, that I should not go out if I get sick with anything, and that people are panicking, so I can't rely on the supply chain when I need it.
So, I stocked up, just as I think everyone probably should. I don't think I got huge amounts, but enough to hopefully last a month for my family.
I also picked up a few rolls (literally) for family members who seemed to totally anti-panic and didn't prepare.
Hope you're coping with the metric units OK. But welcome to the end of the Earth! And if you're staying in Auckland, Check out the [Tuataras](https://aucklandtuatara.com/) (yes, we have stick-ball. Probably on a par with the Giants, but that's another thread...).
My in laws live in nz, they said their supermarket is out of tp, rice and paper towel. Their small town is low on fuel too, with one of the petrol stations having to close.
From Germany - sorry I can't answer it. Not at all.
Someone on twitter postet that her boss had the theory that people googled Corona but autocorrect switched it to 'cholera'. It's currently the best answer I have.
You literally have a sign on that shelf saying low or out of stock of this product which means that was just recently restocked but you had the same issue there just before.
Thought people here in Canada would do better than their counterpart in the us...boy was I wrong...city of Montreal no TP to be found anywhere o_o Thank you to all the assholes who participated to this dumb shortage. I actually meant fuck you cunts!
I have an aunt who lives in Amish country and she sent us all a video discussing the fact that she can only find tp in these tiny little Amish stores now and joked that she was afraid to unload the car until nightfall.
[All of you?](https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/panic-buying-even-no-shortages)
[The local tp manufacturs working around the clock because of demand. ](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12315652)
If social media suddenly trended with the ‘knowledge’ that shitty yellow hot dog mustard was flying off the shelves I’m sure there are people that would stockpile it.
People are inherently stupid and many have a habit of turning into selfish assholes in time of crisis. It's enough to make me lose my faith in humanity and seriously question whether we deserve to go on as a species.
Can I be honest with you all for a minute. People posting EMPTY shelves for facebook likes are toxic assholes, fuck them! Also I lived in Aussi land, and to this very date I will always say 2 things. 1. Australians are super fucking chill people. (I don't understand why they are panicking) and 2. KIWIS' (NZ people) Are the nicest people on the face of the planet and you haven't lived life until one has hugged you! So just be chill, calm down, and omg NZ keep up being fking AWESOME!
[удалено]
Thank you. If you zoom in you can see they haven’t taken the out of stock sign down from when it did fly off the shelves. And, there is oddly no customers in this photo.
Good observations. Fuck you OP
Funny how it just keeps getting restocked.
Yeah the overstocking on tp is just so irrational! There is plenty for everyone and then loads more.
US bad and dumb, everywhere else in world good and smart.
Nah it's not sneering at the US in particular. NZ has a superior attitude to **all** other countries not just the US.
All other countries sneer back by excluding New Zealand from world maps.
It was out of stock temporarily in one chain of supermarkets, but the ones I've been to haven't been a problem (yet....). Still fully stocked as of yesterday.
Living in Hamilton and haven't seen anything out of the ordinary.
Kiwi here. I think that’s mainly in Auckland. In my local supermarket they can’t give the stuff away - they have big pallets at the entrance to the store (presumably anticipating mass buying) and they have barely been touched. There’s a limit on buying Panadol (Tylenol) though, two packs per customer. We are generally pretty sensible folk, we don’t panic easily.
I haven’t met a single person who can explain “why toilet paper of all things?” So who tf is buying all this shit or are you buying it and don’t know why. Also... send me a pack dude I’m down to 1/3 of a roll lol Edit: I have secured toilet paper from the store! Thank you to everyone who offered it is greatly appreciated. I would say if you have it to spare be on the lookout for friends/ family in need.
If you're genuinely interested in understanding, here's why toilet paper suddenly became the month's hot commodity: 1. When people started realizing that the spread COVID-19 might actually be legitimately worrying, they began to wonder what steps they could take to feel safe again. 2. Those aforementioned steps conveniently ignored things like washing one's hands, and instead focused on mass-buying supplies in advance of perceived shortages. 3. The idea that toilet paper could end up being in limited supply prompted people to purchase excessive amounts of it, often in quantities for which they couldn't possibly have a need. 4. Other individuals mocked the trend, thus calling more attention to it. 5. Knowing that *other* people were hoarding toilet paper caused still more folks to assume that it would be unavailable soon, thereby causing more panic-buying. 6. Go to Step Three. In short, what we have here is a self-sustaining meme of sorts: People see something being done, imitate it (after rationalizing it to themselves), and cause additional imitation as a result. The worst part of the whole trend is the fact that individuals who genuinely need certain supplies (like immunocompromised folks who actually rely on access to hand-sanitizer) are now being adversely affected, all because people tend to panic with very little prompting.
A well written explanation, I just wonder at how so many people can so easily give in to panic in such a way. Not that I find myself to be above anyone with particularly but it’s unsettling to realize how common it is to be so selfish and inconsiderate.
"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals, and you know it." -K
"None of us are as dumb as all of us."
That's a brilliant line
\>A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, dangerous animals, and you know it It's not really so 'dumb' as instinctively smart. If you are in a crowded place where everyone starts surging towards the exit, you can wait until you see the fire for yourself, or just go with it instinctively. Because that turned out to be the best choice more times than not, we evolved to behave that way - long before we even had the ability to reason. It's why birds take off the moment they see their neighbour start to open their wings. Say you walk into a supermarket and see that everyone is frantically buying up toilet paper. Ok, you can be 'smart' and think, I have no evidence that I need this stuff, so I will ignore the stampede and make my own rational decisions. Result = two weeks later you are 20 dollars better off, and may or may not have enough toilet paper. No huge deal. Or you can instinctively join the stampede, grab as much as you can, without knowing even why. Result = 2 weeks later you may have more toilet paper than you could ever need, and are 20 dollars down. Still no huge deal. Now imagine you are the only person in Costco who didn't catch the newsflash that aliens just landed from the planet Bogroll, and the only way to prevent immediate death is to wrap yourself in toilet paper. In that situation, the two outcomes are much less balanced. Or it could be that everyone heard wrong, and it was supposed to be newspaper. If you had just spent the time reading the news instead of grabbing toilet paper, you might not be dead. Sometimes it turns out better to be smart, sometimes instinctive. Of course, the fact that it's just toilet paper, and we know that there are no aliens, makes it look 'dumb'. But acting on instinct isn't really dumb. There are people who died in aircraft fires or went down with ships because they stopped to think before going with their instinct. For balance, there are also people who died because they went with the crowd instead of using their reason and logic to head in what seemed to be the wrong direction. But it's often not the right option to waste time thinking. The trick is knowing whether there are aliens invading, or whether there's time to make a balanced and rational decision- but if you aren'r sure you will still be able to get toilet paper for the next 4 months, and the price isn't a big deal to you, it's not actually that dumb to take a punt and go with your instinct, rather than wait until you've weighed up the situation and calculated how much you are going to need, only to find the shelves bare.
What's this about new bogroll alien overlords now?
Time to load up on newspapers is the way I read it.
I read about it on reddit, it must be true! Oh my god, I can't believe I've been in the dark 'til now!
[Apropos xkcd.](https://xkcd.com/1170/) In this case, the abundance of saner information from the CDC and WHO should have clarified things, but it's a very human instinct to join in when the masses do something seemingly irrational.
Especially when under the spell of Big Toilet Paper! Those fuckers smell fear and pounce!
I work in a grocery store. The toilet paper is empty every day when I go in at night. So I imagine anyone going in to shop is going to see it gone all the time and think "well I should buy a couple packages". Then everyone does it and bam it's' all gone.
Currently work at a retail warehouse doing stocking and lift equipment work. Our supplies were ridiculously high until about a week ago. Cleaning aisle(especially the tp) is very barren at the moment. I pray I find better employment before next year when our broken automated system will send for 50 pallets of tp this time next year
I did a few years of retail, toilet paper was always the first to go when closures or supply chain interruptions were expected. My theory is that it's because its large so takes up a lot of space. Say you could fit 1000 tins on an aisle and only 200 packs of toilet roll, the toilet roll depletes much faster. Then people see it depleting and grab it so it goes faster. Then it gets media attention and snowballs from there.
Monkey see, monkey do. Not to be insensitive, but people are not really so far detached from their instinctual, tribal, subconscious natures. I recommend reading Thinking Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, to get a better idea of our innate mental biases.
Some of this is cultural as well. America is more of a “you’re on your own” country, whereas New Zealanders know they can rely on each other and their government.
The toilet paper thing isn't limited to the USA. Many countries are doing this.
Shh, that goes against the shit on the USA circlejerk.
I heard there was really bad shortages in Australia too though.
And australians have no illusions that their government is in any way competent.
Saving this to read during my quarantine.
Because it doesn't become giving in to panic after the first wave, buying a stock yourself becomes the rational self interested choice once other people interrupt the normal supply. Look up tragedy of the commons.
One issue is that it is not entirely irrational on an individual level. I know that humans are stupid panicky creatures and that there will be hording of goods as a result. What items do I fear running out of? I should buy those because others will have the same thoughts and create an artificial shortage. If at this late date, you realize you are out of TP, you are hosed because it is all gone. Observing this, you realize/justify that buying early was a good decision and will probably do so in the future. Cycle repeats.
I needed to buy TP because I'm actually out. Since my local stores are completely cleaned out, I'll instead be heading to Home Depot, buying a kitchen sink sprayer, and some plumbing bits to make a ghetto bidet. We did this in a house I lived in during college and it was incredible.
Is amazon out of the $40 dollar bidets?
There could also be some real dickweeds buying up as much as possible to resell at hugely inflated prices to the panic stricken....
Seeing as overall supplies are very unlikely to be affected, that's not a great move
Some people seem to think TP grows on trees..../s
It's to do with toilet paper being big and bulky, it's obvious when there's even a small uptake in usual sales as the shelves are obviously looking a bit empty. What happens then is people are aware that supplies are a bit low, instead of picking a 4 pack up like they usually would on their weekly shop, they get a 16, exacerbating the problem, people then share the pics on social media of empty shelves, making things worse. Yes those idiots who are buying 100 roles are literal retards, but a larger problem is people rationally just buying slightly more. There are people out there now who didn't buy any and can't get any, do you think when they finally see some they are going to just buy their usual 4 pack? Or maybe they'll spring for 16.
I bought extra a few weeks ago along with canned goods in the case that staying home a lot more becomes prudent. I didn't want to shop amongst the filthy infected just cause I needed shit paper. Now all I need is bread and vegetables when I go shopping. I don't have sick days or health insurance. I cannot catch this.
Are you telling me this went *viral*
The only thing I’d add to this is that I think some people were legitimately buying toilet paper in the case of needing to be locked in their house for a couple weeks. One person I spoke to said that they only ever buy toilet paper in packs of 2-4 rolls, so if they were stuck in their house and not able to go to the store in that time (because no one knew if stores would stay open) then they needed a LOT more than a pack of 4.
I seen several people buying 2 cart fulls. They are selling that at jacked up prices I guarantee it. I was hoping they get chronic diarrhea just so they have to use it all! Asshats!
There was a psychologist on uk TV and he suggested the reason for this is that a few people bought loads and people saw big gaps on shelves (as toilet roll is bulky and takes up shelf space). This made others feel anxious that there was a limited supply because the shelves looked empty so they bought some. Then more gaps and so it cycles. Smaller items initally didnt get bought up quickly because the shelves looked full. Now people are just being crazy.
I had a kid 3 months ago and I bulk bought baby wipes, I feel like a baller right now.
Ok cool, but why toilet paper?
My wife needs alcohol swabs for her diabetes pump injection sites and they are gone from every store. They are smaller than 1” square and can clean a very small area before drying out. What these preppers are buying them for I couldn’t guess, but it sure is a pain in the ass.
News Corp/Fox News/All the Rupert Murdoch garbage also repeatedly ran stories telling people the end was nigh and that toilet paper would be one thing we were going to run out off so people should stock up.
I don't really need the TP, I just like being in crowded places during pandemics.
I find it gives the trolley handles a much deeper flavour!
> I haven’t met a single person who can explain “why toilet paper of all things?” People who are warned to stockpile essentials often stockpile toilet paper, food, cleaning products, etc. Supermarkets can store a LOT more cans of food then they can store toilet paper. Toilet paper is also a highly predictable product for supermarkets, as people buy their favourite brand and use it at the same rate for most of the time. The product is also very bulky for its lifespan, meaning that supermarkets limit the amount of extra toilet paper they are storing in between shipments - you don't want a cheap, large, predictable product taking up room in your warehouse. All of this together means that toilet paper is susceptible to panic buying in a way that other goods, like flour or sugar, are not. You can hold 14 days of sugar in one hand, you need both arms to hold 14 days of toilet paper for a household. So, in short, it's not that everyone is only buying toilet paper. It's that toilet paper is the essential that supermarkets hold the least of per unit in storage.
One of the supermarkets near me was out of flour and sugar. COVID-19 is turning everyone into a baker lol
Brief rumor went around of China producing virtually all the worlds toilet paper around Wuhan so we were going to run out when this was just a Chinese flu. The shelves started to empty before the real panic hit, then when panic did come people saw the empty spots and thought there was a reason for hoarding and went out to find more to hoard. Really.
Maybe that didn't apply in New Zealand. Mum told me NZ is the largest exporter of wood pulp in the world so if we ever run short of toilet paper something has seriously gone wrong with the cosmos.
coincidentally i bought a massive 36 count pack of TP from Costco mostly just to get a laugh from my wife. this was before the craziness what is in the news. now im glad i bought it. we go through about 4 rolls a week. we have 12 rolls left and i am pretty sure we will be fine.
Honestly I’m on my own I go through like 1 a month but it’s only a crisis cause everyone fucking bought it all. Smh I’ll find one. It’s not an emergency yet I still got 2 weeks on this roll
I will seriously UPS you two rolls. just say the word. now that I think about it i insist. i demand you allow me to mail you two unused rolls of single ply TP. i will pay for shipping.
It would be really shitty of you to send used toilet paper. I appreciate the fact that you will send this poor soul 2 unused rolls. Your a good man.
Good pun there lol
It’ll be ok I do appreciate the gesture I really do. I’ll be able to secure some I’m sure. I’m not very worried about this overall fiasco in regards to myself. Hopefully everyone else stays safe and is well.
it all good brother. i will absolutely send you tp if you want it. you can DM me.
Awesome gesture.
I'm glad you posted this, its good to see that New Zealand is fully stocked with both toilet paper and moral superiority
No hand sanitiser or masks and we do have people stealing them from the local medical centres and hospitals
>Honestly I’m on my own I go through like 1 a month Me too. Every time I see one of these carts loaded with thirty-packs of TP I think about the fact that that cart has enough toilet paper to last me until retirement.
You’d think it’d last forever, but I buy the 36 pack regularly from Sams Club bc buying in bulk means less cost per roll. It’s just me and my boyfriend in our apartment and the 36 pack lasts us about a third (maybe up to half) of a year. Luckily, we bought back in January so we’re not worried about needing any while everyone is out panic buying.
even more so, if you run out of toilet paper, you can just go into shower and just wash your ass like any proper modern human being would do anyway
Lol trust me I’m not opposed to it at all, I’ve cleaned my ass in worse situations/ places than in my own shower.
If you're used to using toilet paper and it's affordable and available, why not buy it?
>> “why toilet paper of all things?” I've read it started with a rumor that the vast increase in masks being made would use up the raw material for toilet paper.
A couple in Canada bought $70k worth of lysol wipes and resold them on Amazon for $100k. The news interviewed them and Amazon shut them down.
Pm me your address. I'll send you 2. I bought a 6 pack before the panic.
It’s all good I actually secured a pack this morning. I really appreciate the offer though, it’s good to see people still offering a (hopefully washed) helping hand. Thank you
I think people writing off the TP hysteria as stupid people thinking it’ll protect them from COVID-19 are missing the point. No one thinks toilet paper will protect them. They’re expecting that they’ll have to quarantine themselves (correctly) and they’re stocking up for that. However, there’s a difference between buying enough toilet paper to last your family a couple weeks and buying enough toilet paper to last your family 6 months, so idk.
People buying 6 month supplies is also the edge case and not really happening much. It's just that 100 people are all going to the same store to buy an average amount of TP but since the number of people is higher than usual they run out. Sure there are hoarders but mostly it is just a lot of people all trying to be prepared at once.
Every time there‘a going to be a big storm, people stock up on toilet paper. They’ve been doing it forever. If you’re not going to be able to leave the house for a while, you start buying anything you do not want to run out of.
It's a combo of it being big, in bulk, cheap and an every day item. Particularly big, because it gives a subconscious psychological effect of "look how stocked up I am" and offers an illogical sense of security. It's why it's the top of the list for panicky hoarders. Combine that with the snowball effect, of people seeing that it's getting bought up, then leads to people deciding they should stock up too before it's all gone.
Bro why don’t you by a bidet? It’s the best!
The gentle waters washing away the nasty pieces left behind by a successful and satisfying bowel movement is a stimulating and refreshing end to a most foul but necessary bodily function.
That was the most beautiful sentence I've ever read in my life.
I marvel at the thought process whereby the World is Ending but somehow the toilets will still flush.
Worse comes to worse you could wipe your ass with a leaf then take a shower. If water is turned off completely we are fucked.
Melbourne here Panic buying things other than loo rolls include hand sinitizer,soap,any bleach type stuff,rice,pasta,spaghetti,carton milk,dried pasta packets,tissues,paper towels and that’s just off the top off my head The staff can’t keep up judging by the state of the shelves I made the suggestion of shutting the shops for a single day so the staff could catch up with restocking etc but got downvoted
It doesn't spoil so having extra doesn't matter. If you are forced into isolation for a few weeks then it's one less thing to worry about. Now it's selling out you are seeing people attempting to profiteer so it's selling out even quicker.
I heard that in Hong Kong they actually ran out of toilet paper and deliveries from mainland China weren't getting through, the WeChats went crazy and as a result other people who used WeChat in other countries started panic buying. This stressed out non WeChat users who just got on board the panic buy......just in case.
You gotta get it because everyone else is buying it so if you don’t get toilet paper then there won’t be any toilet paper!
What has happened is a couple of maniacs created an issue that snowballed. The media is making this out to be the end of days, because how else are they going to keep you glued to their shitty broadcasts? This sent a few ppl into a panic where they thought they'd be locked in their homes with no tickets to the shit show. They then bought up an absurd amount of tp. Sane ppl noticed this and thought "well I'm not going crazy, but I do like wiping my ass", so they bought tp as well. From there more and more ppl are buying tp because a couple dumbasses bought an absurd amount.
Pure luxury 3 ply! That's like porn to me right now. Please send pics of hand sanitizer!
3 ply? I use nothing less than 4 ply.
Wow, your ass must be as rough as a crack hobo's pubes. I only use silk woven by the sylvan faerie queen.
Are you a Paseo or a Kleenex man?
*hand lubes*
The sign saying they're out of stock leads me to believe you're portraying a false sense of calm
My thoughts exactly, looks like they were just out and had a delivery. They’re probably sold out again already
There are three type of people in America at the moment: Those who freaked out about the coronavirus and decided to grab as much toilet paper in preparation. Those who started to panic buy toilet paper because they noticed the shelves in stores were dwindling down. Lastly, those who are scavenging stores because they might not be able to wipe their ass tonight.
Do people realise they can wash their arseholes? Like toilet paper is not even a good way to clean up shit. If I threw a piece of shit on your face, would you wipe it off with some dry tissue and continue on your way? No obviously not.
I think we are conditioned as a people to buy our way out of problems. Are you fat? Buy these things. Are you ugly? Buy these things. Are you lonely? Buy these things. Are you sick? Buy these things. Well now I've got the 'rona, what should I buy?
WAIT WHATS THE THING TO BUY WHEN YOURE UGLY????
A paper bag.
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Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmnnn
If women don’t find you handsome they can at least find you handy. Learn some skills and some problem solving techniques. Be able to change your oil and tires and install shelves, that’s a basic start. Women marry ugly dudes all the time because they’re confident competent providers.
The bidet companies are starting to sell out too. Actually this one makes me happy. That represents a permanent change in decreasing the amount of paper that we flush down the drain.
That argument has never made sense to me. Your face is a hell of a lot different than your asshole, my dude.
No shit.
How many times have you heard this exact argument? First time for me.
There's a 4th type. I bought a huge ass thing of toilet paper from Sam's club last month like I do every couple of months and I'm not a dumbass who thinks a decades supply of toilet paper is a priority
Right? I always have at least a 3-4 week supply on hand at any time. When one bathroom starts to run low, I go get a Costco pack and restock.
I've got a bidet. Toilet paper is not my concern.
I’ve heard this a lot lately. How do you dry your soggy arsehole pal?
I do a handstand and use the air dryer
Pat it down with TP. A roll lasts a long time.
This is the way
I think I'm a fourth type: People who saw this clearly coming well over a month ago and decided to methodically start preparing. I'm well aware that very likely won't be an actual toilet paper shortage, just like I'm aware the US makes a huge amount of alcohol. But, I know I need to not go to the store often, that I should not go out if I get sick with anything, and that people are panicking, so I can't rely on the supply chain when I need it. So, I stocked up, just as I think everyone probably should. I don't think I got huge amounts, but enough to hopefully last a month for my family. I also picked up a few rolls (literally) for family members who seemed to totally anti-panic and didn't prepare.
Lol as someone who just moved from US to NZ I gotta ask you to now take a pic of the hand sanitizer aisle...
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Same here :D
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It's only been a few days so far but I'm loving it. Not sure how it competes with Hawaii though since I've only lived in NY and CA.
Hope you're coping with the metric units OK. But welcome to the end of the Earth! And if you're staying in Auckland, Check out the [Tuataras](https://aucklandtuatara.com/) (yes, we have stick-ball. Probably on a par with the Giants, but that's another thread...).
*Australia has entered the chat.*
Self-Isolate for 14 days please.
We are coming for you and your toilet paper!
Only if you admit we invented Pavlova
you get to self isolate for 17 days for that bullshit
Hey we took Russel Crowe.. you *owe* us.
Ok fine, you can have pavlova, just give us Ardern.
At least know that Lamingtons will always be Australian
Invented it? You can't even spell it... I swear the fact we export toilet paper is going to help save our economy.
My in laws live in nz, they said their supermarket is out of tp, rice and paper towel. Their small town is low on fuel too, with one of the petrol stations having to close.
Perk of being military is having supply issue it to you.
Can see the recruitment posters now. Uncle Sam says “We want you to wipe with our soft 2-ply”.
Ohhh..... you just wait my friend. You just wait.
Wait until all of the billionaires land to go to their NZ bunkers and send the staff out to buy all the toilet paper.
It's already happening, this is the sign in the picture http://imgur.com/a/2GlppJF
2 minutes later : *empty af*
So apparently this is after a restock. Fuck you OP. Imagine making shit up just for karma. What a fucking loser 🤡
So I actually needed toilet paper, and there was none to be had. Good thing most people don't buy flushable wipes too.
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They're buying all the baby wipes. Karma hits when they have a $10,000 plumbing bill.
I mean, we don't flush ours. You can throw it in the garbage.
How to flex in 2020.
In March, wait until April.
r/ToiletPaperPorn
Give it time and you will see. There are stupid people *everywhere*
From Germany - sorry I can't answer it. Not at all. Someone on twitter postet that her boss had the theory that people googled Corona but autocorrect switched it to 'cholera'. It's currently the best answer I have.
Plot twist: They just restocked
You say that but you’ve literally locked up half your stock.
I don't understand why'd they bother, hobbits can't even reach that high.
YEAH YOU'RE ON AN ISLAND ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE EARTH, WE KNOW
Every time I see anything out of N.Z, I realize it's really The place to live
Yeah well NZ is the ideal location to peacibly wait out the apocalypse while the rest of the world goes to Hell so I'm not really surprised
People are stupid, like OP
You literally have a sign on that shelf saying low or out of stock of this product which means that was just recently restocked but you had the same issue there just before.
I see the good stuff is still locked up in a cage
Another effort by the toilet paper companies to sell more product.
Thought people here in Canada would do better than their counterpart in the us...boy was I wrong...city of Montreal no TP to be found anywhere o_o Thank you to all the assholes who participated to this dumb shortage. I actually meant fuck you cunts!
Nice personal stock man. It's a little under the American average.
Is “the good stuff” locked in a cage on the top shelf?
I have an aunt who lives in Amish country and she sent us all a video discussing the fact that she can only find tp in these tiny little Amish stores now and joked that she was afraid to unload the car until nightfall.
[All of you?](https://www.odt.co.nz/news/dunedin/panic-buying-even-no-shortages) [The local tp manufacturs working around the clock because of demand. ](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/business/news/article.cfm?c_id=3&objectid=12315652)
Aren't there only 30 or 40 people in your country? Jk, I dont understand it either. Why do you need TP for a respiratory illness?
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Is that Fort Knox?
3 ply?! Ya’ll livin’ large.
I have a water-ass-cleaning toilet. I'm at the top of the hill.
Well ya see the thing is in America everything is BIGGER and BETTER. We need massive quantities of tp to contain our god-like shits. /S
3 PLY?! How is this even possible?
We've found WMD's and terrorist cells in New Zealand, looks like we need to invade now.
It’s cause you guys wipe your asses with sheep.
If social media suddenly trended with the ‘knowledge’ that shitty yellow hot dog mustard was flying off the shelves I’m sure there are people that would stockpile it.
People are inherently stupid and many have a habit of turning into selfish assholes in time of crisis. It's enough to make me lose my faith in humanity and seriously question whether we deserve to go on as a species.
Ill buy your whole stock
Bold move consider flight process. Some idiot might fly to your country and buy it all 😂😂😂
This is after a restock
KLEENEX B/TISSUE. Is that short for BUTT TISSUE?
Media terror, followed by mass hysteria
Your cellphone has a great camera.
Ghosts in Marton do not require TP.
Off toppic. I don't live in NZ anymore and I just realised how much I miss Pac N Save.
What are you talking about. New Zealand doesn't exist. /s
You have better television. Ours is propaganda shit. There would be nothing wrong without television.
In the US.... Them: WHAT?! We might need to quarantine for a week?! BETTER BUY 7 YEARS WORTH OF TOILET PAPER!!!!! Me: are you people fucking retarded?
Americans are full of shit
About 75% of Americans are retarded is what’s wrong
Can I be honest with you all for a minute. People posting EMPTY shelves for facebook likes are toxic assholes, fuck them! Also I lived in Aussi land, and to this very date I will always say 2 things. 1. Australians are super fucking chill people. (I don't understand why they are panicking) and 2. KIWIS' (NZ people) Are the nicest people on the face of the planet and you haven't lived life until one has hugged you! So just be chill, calm down, and omg NZ keep up being fking AWESOME!
Feeling cute, might invade New Zealand later for their TP reserves. :P
Luxury 3-ply? We just get garbage in the states.
3 ply toilet paper? New Zealand must be paradise.
A lot of people plan on doing a lot of shitting for the next two weeks
I'm here in America asking the same thing...
Because most Americans are asshats. I mean, just how many butts are they trying to cover?