undercoverbutters-blog

[undercoverbutters-blog]

Toilet Paper or White Gold: Why we Panic Purchase.

Until recently toilet paper was abundant in the United States. In fact, according to statista.com about 41.45 million Americans used 16 or more rolls of toilet paper in a 30-day period. Even during times of financial struggle I have always used as much toilet paper as my bum desired, BUT(T), things are not always as they once were. 

COVID-19 has become a global pandemic, this scary because it is a highly contagious viral disease with the potential to land you in the hospital or kill you. However, nothing about COVID-19 requires the use of extra toilet paper, that has not stopped Americans from panic purchasing and hoarding toilet paper. 

As panic purchase fever erupts all over the nation many of us are rationing toilet paper for the first time in our lives and stores have begun to over change and ration items Americans want like hand sanitizers, face masks, and toilet paper. After paying $40.77 or 20 rolls of TP on Amazon, (which I am told will be in my hands by next month, before my current supples run out), I got wondering what the logic was behind the Toilet Paper panic of 2020. I found a few things online that helped me to understand my own TP panic and the TP panic of others. 

1. Panic Purchases Offer a Sense of Control

COVID-19 is really scary. Our daily lives have been disrupted and conflicting information abounds. Things feel out of control and abnormal. Panic purchases are a way we can feel in control or at least feel we are doing something productive which can lessens our anxiety when we hear the word “pandemic”. 

2. Panic Purchases Creates More Panic Purchasing

Pretty much what this boils down to is, when you panic and over-purchase, other humans react to that behavior by panicking and over purchasing. This feels true because the less available I felt toilet paper was the more I was willing to pay per roll.   

 Social Media Has Intensified the Fear of Shortages.  

When social media is flooded with images of empty shelves and videos of people leaving Costco with 6 month worth of toilet paper it is only natural for many of us to join into the hysteria. We fear that we could be without, or a loved one could be without or that we may be price gouged, propels us to panic purchase even more.

Panic Purchasing Hurts Others

It may be best to resist the urge to panic purchase because your panic purchase is like an infection and just makes it worse for everyone else. Low-income individuals are especially hurt by this behavior because they do not have the means to join in and panic purchase, this can leave them without basic supplies when others have over a 6 month supply. 

Wash your Hands!  Stop the Panic Purchasing!

So, ok it makes sense that we all feel the need to maniacally purchase  TP but is America really about to run out of toilet paper? No. The fact is that the United States has enough toilet paper for all.  We do not need to over purchase. We need to be hygienic and compassionate to ourselves and others during this outbreak.