Global problem: toilet paper shortage
At the beginning of the Corona crisis, toilet paper was suddenly bought in large quantities by private individuals worldwide. The problem is much less German than witty tweets and amusing sharepics on Facebook might suggest: There is also a shortage of toilet paper in Hong Kong, the U.S., France, the U.K. and other countries.
The problem became so obvious within a very short time that psychologists from all over the world tried to explain why the situation on the "toilet paper front" did not dissipate after a few weeks. After all, in practice, the number of toilet trips does not increase even in a state of emergency - once all the private warehouses were filled, the situation on the supermarket shelves should have eased. But the shelves are still empty in many places.
And that fuels the problem further: Everyone who hadn't stockpiled a larger supply of toilet paper struck in the second wave. Even though there was no ill-advised panic buying here, people who found themselves in need after the first big sell-off of the "white gold" were now more likely to buy two packages instead of just one.
Rational explanation for empty shelves
But ultimately, the question remains: why isn't the situation normalizing? After all, the pasta shelves are abundantly filled again. The answer is relatively simple: The number of trips to the toilet has not changed, but the location has.
As a result of the measures to restrict contact, many people work in home offices or are on short-time work - and thus spend much more time at home than usual. The number of "private" toilet visits has increased by around 40% during the Corona crisis - the number of toilet visits that do not take place at home, on the other hand, has logically decreased just as significantly.
However, the production of toilet paper is divided into exactly these two areas: Toilet paper for "public" toilet facilities on the one hand, and toilet paper in the common packages of 8 rolls each for private households.
Production cannot simply be switched - production of the disposable article is strictly timed and set for maximum efficiency. Rolls for toilet paper dispensers are often larger than normal rolls, have a different paper quality, in short: commercial production cannot be sold so easily for normal households.
However, the industry that covers the demand for normal households is also clocked for maximum efficiency: it cannot meet the increased demand for toilet paper as quickly. As a result, toilet paper will remain a highly sought-after commodity in supermarkets for some time to come.
The good news: On the central purchase of fitnessmarkt.de there is still plenty of quite ordinary toilet paper, also suitable for private households - even if the packaging is a bit larger than you are used to from the supermarket!
Find toilet paper at an unbeatable price on fitnessmarkt.de's central shopping now!
Editors fitnessmarkt.de (DG)
Image credit: #330844817 Prostock-studio / stock.adobe.com
Published on: 7 April 2020