this post was submitted on 02 Oct 2024
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Americans have already started noticing a decline in toilet paper rolls in their local stores as customer apparently bulk buy - despite the majority of paper being produced domestically

Toilet paper ‘panic buying’ has been reported in parts of the country, as Americans fear the impact of the ongoing port strike. 

Roughly 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen’s Association walked out on Tuesday morning after their contract with the ports expired. News that the strike could impact 36 ports appears to have led some consumers to buy rolls upon rolls of toilet paper in a panic, with shoppers posting pictures of their local stores with empty shelves. 

Social media users in New Jersey, Colorado, Virginia and other states reported shelves cleaned out of toilet paper.

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[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago

There was no TP nor any more Kirkland paper towels at the Costco i went to last night. Just 1.5 pallets of bounty rolls and a bunch of workers trying to fill the space with kirkland bottled tap water.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 month ago

Why always the fucking toilet paper? Time to finally get the bidet.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago

So we learned nothing. Neat.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I truly do not understand my fellow countryfolks' minds. Why toilet paper, again?

A quick search can tell you what goods might be affected, and paper products don't even make the list! https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/transportation/2024/10/01/strike-at-the-port-of-ny-and-nj-what-imports-are-affected/75468183007/

Imports into the Port of NY and NJ

  • Furniture
  • Appliances, machinery and parts
  • Plastics
  • Beverages, spirits and vinegar
  • Electric machinery and parts
  • Apparel and accessories, knit
  • Rubber
  • Vehicles and parts
  • Iron and steel
  • Toys, games, sports equipment

So as you'd expect: cars, furniture, electronics, fast fashion, some raw materials

In other words, very little that is essential or that you'll miss in the next few months, but a lot of luxury things that cheap importers make a lot of money on.

Honestly, we'd be better off as a country if we permanently stopped importing a lot of this shit and went back to making it outselves.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

we'd be better off as a country if we permanently stopped importing a lot of this shit and went back to making it outselves.

Of course.

But there's more short-term profits to be made for a select few if we close even more factories where they have to pay (more-or-less) a living wage and outsource to low wage countries.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago
[–] [email protected] 25 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Didn't we learn from the pandemic that most toilet paper is produced with country borders due to high shipping costs?

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

Didn’t we learn from the pandemic

No.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

I think most of the general pop stopped paying attention by the time that was clear. Hopefully more idiots will try to scalp TP and stores will refuse their returns when the scalpers realize any shortages caused by runs (heh) are temporary.

IIRC, the shortage in 2020 was only in stores and warehouse storage didn't even get fully tapped out before things stabilized.

I also remember going to the stores and being surprised there was still tons of pasta while people were scrambling for TP. I didn't use a bidet at that time (do now though), but even then my thought was "even if we run out of TP entirely, you can just start taking a shower after shitting, but there isn't an easy alternative if the food runs out". The pasta runs came later, but I was already stocked up.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Doesn't help, you still have to use toilet paper to dry. You end up cleaner, not using much less toilet paper.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 month ago (1 children)

No? You can and should use a bidet towel

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

And there are also bidets that have an air jet.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 month ago

As someone watching from outside (and a born and bred bidet user), this is hilarious.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 month ago

Don't they already have a stockpile from last time?

These people need to be banned from doing this lmao

[–] [email protected] 43 points 1 month ago (1 children)

We have truly learned nothing

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I learned something. The Koch brothers have some sort of secret campaign to make people afraid of not being able to wipe their ass during a disaster. I'm sorry, people, toilet paper is a luxury I will forego if the end is truly upon us.

I just can't relate to other people. It makes me think these guys get up in the morning, check their TP stash first thing, and breathe a sigh of relief knowing their ass is safe for what ever diarrhea related emergency life has in store that day.

[–] [email protected] 63 points 1 month ago

Morons don't even understand that toilet paper is domestically produced, not imported, so a dockworker's strike would have fuck-all impact on the supply of it anyway.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

If it starts to disappear again, check out a company called Who Gives a Crap? We never had a supply issue during the pandemic.

[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Glad we bought a bidet after the last wrath of morons did this.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 month ago (1 children)

"wrath of morons" has a nice ring to it.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago

Hahaha, this again. I'm starting to think big TP sows dissidence in society, trying to cause any form of logistics service to be disrupted, so long as it's not their trucks.

But also I love seeing how many people don't know how to clean themselves at home if they have no TP.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 month ago (1 children)

This a problem for people who don’t have a bidet. Gross people.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 month ago

Yeah, it's easier if you lick your hand first. You'll get used to the taste after a while

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