At my local grocery store the toilet paper aisle is absolutely bare and has been that way for over five weeks now. I am not in a hotspot - not yet atleast. My Amazon order for toilet paper is in limbo after the seller from China was de-listed from the Amazon Marketplace. I may or may not get the shipment - need to wait and watch. They were the only available option at the time - four weeks ago. Even now, there are no local options on Amazon. So when I read news about how this whole crisis is not based on real shortage and there is no reason to fear the end of times if this stuff cannot be imported, I am not sure it all computes. To the average consumer like me the signs are quite unsettling - the aisles are empty in the local stores and there are very slim pickings online.
The situation has not changed in about a month. There is no reason to believe that will magically change in the next two or three days. There is no run on produce or meats because those shelves are always stocked. People are not crazy - they want to see signs that there is no crisis so they can climb off the cliff and stop panic buying. In the case of toilet paper, cleaning supplies including hand sanitizer, there is distinct air of scarcity and the longer it continues, the more people will freak out and stock pile.This article on what is going on behind scenes with the TP crisis, sets more realistic expectations. In the meanwhile I have to see if my Walmart order for TP will come through.
The Walmart nearby now has supplies of most things that were flying of the shelves. The social distancing rules are being enforced way more strictly. To compensate they have a greeter at the front door who is cranking up the good cheer so people don't feel quite as awful. A large number of shoppers are wearing masks - store-bought or home-made. And they are being more vigilant about who is nearby. Just because the aisles are not empty the scenes in the grocery store don't feel less apocalyptic.
The situation has not changed in about a month. There is no reason to believe that will magically change in the next two or three days. There is no run on produce or meats because those shelves are always stocked. People are not crazy - they want to see signs that there is no crisis so they can climb off the cliff and stop panic buying. In the case of toilet paper, cleaning supplies including hand sanitizer, there is distinct air of scarcity and the longer it continues, the more people will freak out and stock pile.This article on what is going on behind scenes with the TP crisis, sets more realistic expectations. In the meanwhile I have to see if my Walmart order for TP will come through.
The Walmart nearby now has supplies of most things that were flying of the shelves. The social distancing rules are being enforced way more strictly. To compensate they have a greeter at the front door who is cranking up the good cheer so people don't feel quite as awful. A large number of shoppers are wearing masks - store-bought or home-made. And they are being more vigilant about who is nearby. Just because the aisles are not empty the scenes in the grocery store don't feel less apocalyptic.
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