The Great Toilet Paper Rush of 2020

[fragger]

Indeed, PZ. I can't understand the mentality - or lack thereof - of these people. All they have to do is buy what they normally do and there would be more than enough to go around for everybody.

But this obsession with TP has really got me scratching my head, I've never seen or heard of such a thing. TP? I would have thought food and water would have been greater priorities for panic-buyers. If worse comes to worst, you can improvise for TP (as unpleasant as that may be) but you can't improvise for food and water unless you're adept at hunting (and undertaking all the messy business that involves converting animals into food), growing enough edibles to sustain yourself and digging your own well. Very few "civilized" people have such wherewithall, even in the country. There aren't many animals to hunt in the cities either, unless you like eating dog, cat, rat, budgie, or neighbour.

Strange times we live in.

[Art Blade]

the neighbour might be a good choice. trap them and stow in freezer, then eat all their food, then their dog and/or cat, the dog/cat food, and then the neighbour.

As to TP, in these parts the supermarkets are displaying a normal amount, nothing special, but people buy disinfectants like crazy. Back to TP: here in times of crisis we apparently don't need toilet paper. We use dogs and cats for wiping. Preferably those from the neighbours, to save up our own. Which makes me rethink the previous paragraph.

[mandru]

A couple of bearded ZZ Top looking hill people working out in the woods on their still when ATF agents (revenuers) find them:

"No Officers, we ain't making shine.  We's a makin hand sanitizer."

[Art Blade]

 

[fragger]

 

[nex]

[Art Blade]

 

[mandru]

Food one Nex. 


Edit: A glaring typo, that was supposed to be Good not Food. mandru

[fragger]

 

The sobering part is that I can see it coming to that

All the local supermarkets around my way are perpetually cleaned out of TP. People are massing early outside the doors to barge in like stampeding cattle as soon as the way is clear. Even the huge local Officeworks store (a national office supplies chain) has been picked clean of it. I had to order a couple of dozen rolls on ebay Oz, because I'm running low and there's no way I'm pissing my self-respect into the wind by joining the demented throng camping outside the supermarket doors at sunup. Something is wrong when you have to revert to online shopping to get flipping toilet paper. It's something I use to wipe my arse with for crying out loud, not first-edition works of Hemmingway. I'll be taking my chances with the quality, but as long as it doesn't clog the dunny and I don't have to pull splinters out of my bum, I'll be happy enough. Still better than newspaper...

Some knuckle-dragging trog nicked a pack of TP from a blind lady's shopping trolley yesterday. Another woman in a wheelchair was pushed out of the way by some bitch who wanted to grab the last pack off the shelf before the disabled lady could get hold of it, and there have been a few fights and mob-mentality scuffles over what can be gotten.

You know, I like to try to see the good in people. I like to believe that most human beings are essentially decent and civilized (my "most" I mean somewhere over 50%). I still believe that, but such belief is being sorely tested of late.

[Art Blade]

over here they started to show the same insane mentality. Lots of empty shelves, particularly where sliced white bread for sandwiches (of all things, all the other types of bread were still available) and indeed, TP, as well as rice and noodles used to be. One supermarket had completely run out of salads and other veggies last Friday but restocked on Monday. The worst thing I read was that someone stole 50k paper face masks from a hospital. Whoever it was, I'd love to see them killed.

[nex]

Yep, the trend is slowly but surely creeping in on this side also,
my regular supermarket was jampacked late afternoon yesterday

ps  I better rush back to stock up on TP before the price goes up............

[BinnZ]

In Holland, people hoard for beer, because the pubs are closed
And the government had decided to close the coffeeshops too, resulting in long queues of people trying to get their last bit of peace of mind. You got to set priorities in these times

The shops have been reopened. For takeaway only. And even Mc Donalds reopened the McDrive after the initial total closure

[BinnZ]

I feel a bit weird though, with this corona madness all around us. Holland is not on lockdown. We (the government) decided the best way to deal with the virus is to have a controlled spread, building up group immunity and thus make our society strong enough to keep the virus away from the weak. I totally agree on this.
However, controlled outbreak still means all restaurants, bars, schools, several shops, all parties of more than 100 people, in fact ALL social happenings are closed or cancelled. Most people, those who can, w0#k at home. I go to w0#k in the prison, but I also w0#k at the university one day a week (thursdays) and form them I have to w0#k at home.
I feel weird in this apocalyptic society where an unknown evil is spreading itself making people go crazy, make them anxious and panic. 
It is a bit comparable to when heavy snow has fallen. Everything is different, suddenly. Silent, empty and surreal. Normally I like this kind of sensation, awakening a type of survivor in me. But this is storm, if you can call it that, is going to last.

[Art Blade]

it really is a strange thing, that pandemic. Some people don't seem to get the meaning of pandemic so I came across an article that contained this: "global pandemic." It's kind of telling someone about a "round circle."

But yes.. life has changed and when I read all the news and look out the window, all of that reminds me of those zombie breakout movies, like "28 Weeks Later: The Infected" from 2007.

Only these zombies here freak out over toilet paper and face masks.

[mandru]

We've had quite the run on various needed House Hold essentials, food stuffs, and TP. 

There is no shortage but the hoarders are clearing the shelves faster than the markets can restock them. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Many of the local markets and even Costco have posted notices that they will limit sales to no more than 2 of the highly in demand items per family.  Any overages on the limits for those items are set aside at the point of check out and restocked to prevent the hoarders from stripping the shelves.

eBay has announced they will remove all private (pirate?) sales of high demand products like TP, hand sanitizer, and rubbing alcohol.  This action from eBay has caught a lot of greedy profiteers high and dry with tons of items they've speculatively poured a lot of money into and no way to resell it en-masse as they had planned.