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If toilet paper was $20/roll, people would think twice before hoarding, and would probably also use less squares overall.
by hamandcheese 7y ago
If toilet paper was $20/roll, people would think twice before hoarding, and would probably also use less squares overall.
- hannasanarion 7y agoHoarding isn't the (entire) problem, a bigger issue is the sudden shift in consumption from commercial to consumer. Nobody is pooping in office buildings, schools, or shopping centers anymore, everyone is doing it at home. Producers that uses to sell 50/50 consumer to commercial are now selling 90/10 in favor of consumer and they can't reconfigure their production lines fast enough. https://marker.medium.com/what-everyones-getting-wrong-about-the-toilet-paper-shortage-c812e1358fe0?utm_source=pocket-newtab https://marker.medium.com/what-everyones-getting-wrong-about...
- kortilla 7y agoAnd $20/roll would expedite the changeover pretty quickly.
- asdkjh345fd 7y agoNot if the producers believe that this is temporary and will go back to 50/50 again soon. It isn't worth the cost of making big changes just to have to change back again in a month.
- lukas099 7y agoIt may incentivize them to invest in the ability to quickly change the ratio.
- Robin_Message 7y agoFor a once every hundred years event? Probably not.
- jimmaswell 7y agoAnd a lot of people would just have to go without, As opposed to everyone getting a little with price controlled rationing.
- AnthonyMouse 7y agoI think this is the biggest flaw in your argument. If toilet paper was $20/roll, that wouldn't deter someone who has none in the slightest bit. They'd buy one roll and pay $20 in a second. But that guy who was trying to buy a thousand? He's thinking twice.
- jimmaswell 7y agoYes it is going to deter someone who has none. Is it impossible for you to imagine someone who couldn't afford that premium so they resort to using the shower or something? And do you really think a millionaire is going to be deterred from buying too much in that instance?
- AnthonyMouse 7y agoSomeone who couldn't afford $20 for something that lasts more than a month? If this person exists it's because they place a below-average value on toilet paper, not because they don't have $20. And there aren't enough millionaires for their toilet paper buying habits to have a meaningful effect on the market unless they each start buying millions of rolls, which is a ridiculous hypothetical with no chance of really happening.
- michaelmrose 7y agoRolls of TP don't last a month in most households. They normally last 1 to 2 days. You either own a bidet or need to see a doctor.
- ric2b 7y agoMost households have more than one person, so in that case the $20 is no longer for a single person.
- simonh 7y agoIf they thought it might increase to $40 a roll soon, they will hoard. They might not be able to hoard as much of it, but they might still do it. Doubling your money on $1000 worth of rolls is still the same outcome whether that represents 50 rolls or 500 rolls, excepting only the logistics.
- xorcist 7y ago> If toilet paper was $20/roll, people would think twice before hoarding, The rational response to $20/roll is to buy as much as possible. It will be worth $40 soon.
- aianus 7y agoAnecdotally, this fits with my observations at the grocery store in Canada. All the regularly priced milk, chicken, and eggs were sold out around March 25th but the "organic" milk and chicken at double the price was still in stock as was the AAA steak and the expensive Omega-3 eggs. It appears there is still a fair amount of price elasticity of demand even in a pandemic.