Saturday, March 14, 2020

The Psychology On Why People Buy Toilet Paper In An Emergency


CNN: The psychology behind why toilet paper, of all things, is the latest coronavirus panic buy

Now, novel coronavirus panic buyers are snatching up ... toilet paper?

Retailers in the US and Canada have started limiting the number of toilet paper packs customers can buy in one trip. Some supermarkets in the UK are sold out. Grocery stores in Australia have hired security guards to patrol customers.
An Australian newspaper went so far as printing eight extra pages in a recent edition -- emergency toilet paper, the newspaper said, should Aussies run out.

Why? Toilet paper does not offer special protection against the virus. It's not considered a staple of impending emergencies, like milk and bread are.

So why are people buying up rolls more quickly than they can be restocked?

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I experienced this more than once in the former Soviet Union. Lines would form in front a store because there is a rumour that it has something to sell at a good price. And yes, that experience in the Soviet Union scarred me. As a rule I always make sure that I have a two to 3 month supply of food and essentials in my home in Montreal, my chalet north of Montreal, and in my home in Moscow. And as for toilet paper. Toilet paper in the Soviet Union was cardboard crap, and everyone hated it. That is why today I always make it a rule to have a case of toilet rolls (50 rolls/case) on reserve in my home in Montreal and in Moscow. I never, never, never want to go through the experience of running out of toilet paper that I had 35 years ago. And trust me on this. Neither will you.

Update: The next rush will be on dog and cat food. I asked the GF yesterday on how much dog food that she had left for her rottweiler. She had about a week left. Rushed to the store, and there were only two bags of the brand that she uses left. She bought it right away. The shelves were almost empty for the other brands.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Talked to a manager at our local grocery and she said that the store will get hit because it will get all the unused supplies returned after the crisis passes.

Bob Huntley said...

Interesting.

Carl said...

In my part of the US, the toilet paper, like everywhere is sold out, but we had no trouble getting cat food or ice cream.

Anonymous said...

up by pointing out that Trump’s National Security Council had eliminated a team responsible for global health security, which was created by his predecessor to coordinate the response to pandemic threats, the president took offense and denied even knowing if such a thing had taken place.

“You said that you don’t take responsibility, but you did disband the White House pandemic office, and the officials that were working in that office left this administration abruptly. So what responsibility do you take to that?” Alcindor asked. “And the officials that worked in that office said that you, that the White House lost valuable time because that office was disbanded. What do you make of that?”

WATCH: @Yamiche asked the president about a reorganization of the National Security Council that dismantled a key pandemics team in 2018.

President Trump: "I just think it's a nasty question... You say we did that, I don't know anything about it." pic.twitter.com/lWo0YKS1rl

Unknown said...

There was no problem in my part of England until Sky News made up a story about the panic buying of toilet rolls. Then with that seed planted, step back & kaboom. 2 out of 3 people appear to be walking the streets with Bog rolls under the arm. Could someone at Sky News gave shares in a toilet paper company? ๐Ÿงป๐Ÿ––๐Ÿคง

Bob Huntley said...

Johnny Carson started a run on toilet paper back in 1973.


https://priceonomics.com/the-great-toilet-paper-scare-of-1973/