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Possibly because they're reasonable, and were dumbfounded, like me, that folks would hoard...toilet paper.

philwelch 7y ago
Especially that they would "hoard" it at the last minute when a disaster was already in progress. People who stock up on necessities as a normal part of their lives would have been stocked up already and typically only buy these things to backfill from their current consumption. I don't know if this applies to toilet paper, but it's common in the LDS community to have at least 6 months' supply of nonperishable food at all times. Mormons don't typically buy 6 months of food at a time though, they just buy groceries at a normal rate to backfill their pantries via a FIFO rotation. Of course, the rare occasions where someone would buy 6 months of something at a time--e.g. if they recently adopted a lifestyle and/or religion that encouraged this behavior--are easily absorbable by the supply chain assuming not everyone does it at once.
- wideasleep1 7y ago
  I suppose there was a delay realizing 'The shit has hit the fan! Hoard TP", and they took it too literally. Honestly, the compulsion to 'do something..anything' panic mode is a good explanation, aside from profiteers.
  - philwelch 7y ago
    There's something very viscerally gross about an imaginary scenario where you've been locked inside your own home for weeks and you run out of TP. I think a lot of people reacted emotionally to that scenario without thinking critically about it.
    - wideasleep1 7y ago
      If I were the panicky type, I'd prioritize input before 'output', it seems more limited and difficult to remedy by comparison. edit: besides, if I've done the former properly, the latter takes care of itself.
      - philwelch 7y ago
        If you were the panicky type, you wouldn’t address the issue rationally. A lot of people can’t really imagine long term hunger. They can imagine running out of toilet paper.
rootusrootus 7y ago
Then they weren't watching the news. The TP hoarding is hardly specific to the US, and it definitely did not start here.
- wideasleep1 7y ago
  Ahh, that 'splains it, since I don't watch TV. Surprise..emotional contagion strikes again.
  - jdnenej 7y ago
    I think it started in china/Japan, hit Australia a month later and now has become almost global.

Especially that they would "hoard" it at the last minute when a disaster was already in progress. People who stock up on necessities as a normal part of their lives would have been stocked up already and typically only buy these things to backfill from their current consumption. I don't know if this applies to toilet paper, but it's common in the LDS community to have at least 6 months' supply of nonperishable food at all times. Mormons don't typically buy 6 months of food at a time though, they just buy groceries at a normal rate to backfill their pantries via a FIFO rotation. Of course, the rare occasions where someone would buy 6 months of something at a time--e.g. if they recently adopted a lifestyle and/or religion that encouraged this behavior--are easily absorbable by the supply chain assuming not everyone does it at once.

wideasleep1 7y ago
I suppose there was a delay realizing 'The shit has hit the fan! Hoard TP", and they took it too literally. Honestly, the compulsion to 'do something..anything' panic mode is a good explanation, aside from profiteers.
- philwelch 7y ago
  There's something very viscerally gross about an imaginary scenario where you've been locked inside your own home for weeks and you run out of TP. I think a lot of people reacted emotionally to that scenario without thinking critically about it.
  - wideasleep1 7y ago
    If I were the panicky type, I'd prioritize input before 'output', it seems more limited and difficult to remedy by comparison. edit: besides, if I've done the former properly, the latter takes care of itself.
    - philwelch 7y ago
      If you were the panicky type, you wouldn’t address the issue rationally. A lot of people can’t really imagine long term hunger. They can imagine running out of toilet paper.

rootusrootus 7y ago

Then they weren't watching the news. The TP hoarding is hardly specific to the US, and it definitely did not start here.

wideasleep1 7y ago
Ahh, that 'splains it, since I don't watch TV. Surprise..emotional contagion strikes again.
- jdnenej 7y ago
  I think it started in china/Japan, hit Australia a month later and now has become almost global.