Jingle

I stocked on my favorite brand when the shelves were full. Paper towels too.

Last shortage I had to buy cheap one ply and use two or three times more than usual. I decided I wasn't doing that again.
Shelves at my Walmart had some tp but not my brand. So I didn't buy any.

There are shortages of other items too. I think people are just buying up whatever. There is lots of canned meats, chicken, tuna and soups. I stocked up on some of those. I am making sure we have enough to eat no matter what happens.

cashs_mom

My husband was sure this was going to happen again so I just rolled my eyes and had some more delivered from Sam's a couple weeks ago. We should be good. (And don't tell him he was right!)

gale

Our walmart had no toilet paper and hardly any paper towels today. I was able to order some TP from walmart online yesterday and it arrived today. So we're good for a week or two.

Murphy224

When the shortages happened back in March/April, I said the same as your husband----"in case of extreme emergency, I can always use some of that fabric I have. Pretty sure there is some that I wonder "what was I thinking?".
As for the shortages now, I feel it is combination of things: shortage of supplies to the manufacturing plant, covid shutdowns of schools and businesses - kids at home, parents at home, people at home.....gonna use more paper, the manufacturer may also be experiencing disruptions due to employees getting covid, truckers unable to work due to covid, higher than normal demand exceeding ability to produce product, and people stocking up as they are afraid, unwilling, unable, to go shopping as often as they once did.
And then you have the "hoarders" who think/hope they can make a buck on re-selling online. For a lot of folks unemployment has run out, no government help in way of stimulus checks, no money coming in to pay bills or feed themselves or family and are trying to make a living the best way they know how.
I wonder and pray about all the folks who worked restaurants, theme parks, movie theaters, sports and entertainment venues (not the performers) the ones who sell the tickets, provide security, clean the restrooms, work the food stands, sell the shirts, etc. and lots of others whose jobs ended in March and have not opened since.
Just my thoughts on the situation......

j50

T.P. we need!

Paper towels and paper napkins are a not used in my world. Easy to make cloth napkins and fun!

I have a glass top stove that needs regular cleaning. First I use a razor blade to scrape off the gunk then apply cleaner and use a paper towel. The cleaner really is just baking soda in jell form so I can use a paper towel for weeks just to clean it. The cleaner is flakey when dry and most of it just falls off the paper towel. Definitely reusable many times. This is the only time I use paper towel. I probably use a few rolls a year if that.

I use sponges, cloth napkins, and a cotton cloth towel. Even for a large spill nothing like using a towel and then throwing it in the laundry.

Save the trees and the environment.

WMUTeach

Same here in Michigan. Many empty shelves in the paper products aisle. Glad the I purchased tissues and TP all summer. I did purchase one pack of TP yesterday. Now I am set for awhile. My guess is that folks are panicking and stocking up. As with last year, all will even out eventually. I do have to say that we have been experiencing some odd shortages of different items all summer and fall. Weird things like alfredo sauce and of all things chicken noodle soup have empty shelves. But, I will not go hungry.

SusieQOH

My husband was at Kroger and couldn't find any Windex. They told him they haven't been able to get it.
Hard to figure out what's going on if they don't know.
He had to stop at Menards and was able to get Windex there.

Iceblossom

It was my first really major shock of "this isn't normal" early on here when the entire aisle of cleaning supplies at my grocery store was gone except for furniture polish and lavender scented laundry soap. I mean, everything in the store that had any bleach or cleanser or anything was gone. The entire store length aisle was just empty... while supplies had mostly returned, they are spotty and varied for the last six months.

There is a scene in the movie Moscow on the Hudson where Robin Williams plays an escaped Russian and he has a breakdown when he asks for the "coffee line" and was directed to the coffee aisle, floor to ceiling, stocked full of every sort of coffee you could ever want and as much as you want, and not a long line to stand in to take whatever you could get. Seeing that empty aisle was just a major shock to me.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moscow_on_the_Hudson

For those of you in newly impacted area, yes -- get everything you possibly need for 2 weeks to a month as much as you have actual use for, space to store, and money to pay. Tissue paper for runny noses was gone for a long time along with toilet paper. We had no hand sanitizers, masks or gloves in any amount for any amount of money.

We also had restrictions and shortages on meat -- I am expecting another round of reduced pork and chicken production in the next six months -- but my dire predictions about the price/quantity of produce from California turned out to be less impacted than my fears so what do I know.

edit: Don't forget the pets and personal supplies like contact lens solution or shampoo or other things you need. It's not all about shortages, it's also about limiting contact/trips out and if you are having deliveries to your house every day you aren't quite so locked down as you think!

SusieQOH

I get all my pet supplies from Chewy.com- the cats will never go without even if we have to

Onebyone

I had a chat with a stocker at Walmart this morning. He said there was no stock to bring out. The trucks are only bringing what the warehouse has and from what he knows truck deliveries are decreasing to the warehouses. The holiday items are all that are coming in bulk. If it has a holiday label it will be in stock. And if the independent truckers go on strike after Thanksgiving, you can give up finding anything for awhile. He did say he heard the pharmacy will be okay in medical deliveries. He seemed to want to talk about it. Now if he knew what he was talking about who knows.