Americans have already started noticing a decline in toilet paper rolls in their local stores as customer apparently bulk buy - despite the majority of paper being produced domestically

Toilet paper ‘panic buying’ has been reported in parts of the country, as Americans fear the impact of the ongoing port strike.

Roughly 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association walked out on Tuesday morning after their contract with the ports expired. News that the strike could impact 36 ports appears to have led some consumers to buy rolls upon rolls of toilet paper in a panic, with shoppers posting pictures of their local stores with empty shelves.

Social media users in New Jersey, Colorado, Virginia and other states reported shelves cleaned out of toilet paper.

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Yeah, but I can tell you from COVID that when you’re getting close to running out of it, all the people panic buying toilet paper that didn’t need to make you a little bit cross.

      • Godort@lemm.ee
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        1 month ago

        Take solace in the fact that all the people that bought thousands of rolls with the intent to scalp them basically lost all that money after inventory caught up a month later.

  • chronicledmonocle@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    I just buy toilet paper from Costco once every one to two months and I’m fine…these people are insane, stupid, or both. Seriously WTF does toilet paper have to do with survival? Just get a bidet if it gives you this much anxiety FFS.

    • ShepherdPie@midwest.social
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      1 month ago

      Yeah it hasn’t even been 5 years since this shit happened during COVID and people can’t remember how ridiculous it was back then. How much toilet paper is even being shipped here from overseas and not manufactured using the billions of trees we have here in North America? Shit like this, or people panic buying gasoline and filling up trash bags with it, gives me a little bit of insight as to why the ruling class treats us like cattle.

      • drcobaltjedi@programming.dev
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        1 month ago

        God that was so fucking stupid. I hated it so much since I usually buy one of those 48 rolls packages to last me awhile. Well, I happened to be down to a few rolls when the panic happened, so I looked like one of those assholes.

        God I hate people. Why is that the thing everyone panic buys?

      • RogueBanana@lemmy.zip
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        1 month ago

        That was 5 yrs ago? Feels like 2. Unfortunately lot of these idiots lack the capability to learn from mistakes.

    • gibmiser@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      There are people who benefit financially from these panics. The companies selling the goods, and the news who have a good news story. And politicians.

    • EmpathicVagrant@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      I buy the bulk packs of super thick type and hardly need any so it lasts me like 3 rolls a year.

      I’d love a bidet anyway but i refuse to do anything the landlord might get huffy about

      • cheers_queers@lemm.ee
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        1 month ago

        the cheap ones are so easy to connect and disconnect that i don’t think you could possibly fuck up enough for them to notice you did anything

      • Branch_Ranch@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        It requires MAYBE an adjustable wrench or pliers. Your landlord will never know. Easily returned to original configuration in minutes. Do it!

  • dual_sport_dork 🐧🗡️@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Morons don’t even understand that toilet paper is domestically produced, not imported, so a dockworker’s strike would have fuck-all impact on the supply of it anyway.

    • MegaUltraChicken@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Hell yes. Installed bidets last time this nonsense happened and I will never go back.

      Anyone not enjoying the luxury of a bidet doesn’t know what they’re missing.

      • zcd@lemmy.ca
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        1 month ago

        Anyone not enjoying the luxury of a bidet is pooping like a Neanderthal

        • ravhall@discuss.online
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          1 month ago

          The moment I finished using a bidet for the first time, I had this revelation… my entire life, up until this point, I’ve been walking around with a filthy disgusting paper-wiped ass.

            • ravhall@discuss.online
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              1 month ago

              You could use a single sheet or two sheets of paper or you could use just use a hand towel that you have specifically for the purpose of patting dry your wet bum. Obviously the hand towel would be a personal thing, so if this is a shared bathroom maybe suggest one or two squares of paper to do a little dab dab on the tush tush

    • CarbonIceDragon@pawb.social
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      1 month ago

      It’s not even a disaster, like, the port workers wouldn’t strike so long as to actually threaten the country, they live in it. It’s only a disaster if you’re trying to avoid paying them more

      • metaStatic@kbin.earth
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        1 month ago

        It’s only a disaster if you’re trying to avoid paying them more

        So, it’s a disaster then.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        I would say it’s a looming disaster in terms of the average price of goods for consumers when they are already living paycheck to paycheck in many cases.

        I am on the side of the port workers, don’t get me wrong, but the fallout from this strike will hurt people.

    • Skeezix@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      Yes but not just disasters. Toilet paper got sold out before the last solar eclipse. Americans buy toilet paper because it’s one of the few things they can still do with agency. It makes them feel like they accomplished something

  • anonymous111@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Didn’t we learn from the pandemic that most toilet paper is produced with country borders due to high shipping costs?

  • Feathercrown@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    Don’t they already have a stockpile from last time?

    These people need to be banned from doing this lmao

  • lolola@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    1 month ago

    Labor power has apparently scared the shit out of us to such a degree that no amount of toilet paper will ever be enough to wipe it up.

  • Dohnuthut@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    My area appears to have been hit with a paper towel shortage first. Attempted to get some at Costco today because we legit needed it, but they had none. Went to Lidl and they were running low, but was able to procure some.

  • soupguy@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    I never understood this behaviour. I will starve before I run out of things to wipe my ass with.

  • itsgroundhogdayagain@lemmy.ml
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    1 month ago

    If it starts to disappear again, check out a company called Who Gives a Crap? We never had a supply issue during the pandemic.