In parts of the United States, when the mandatory shutdown was announced in March of 2020 because of COVID-19, astute consumers realized that they would have to use their own supplies for their restroom breaks. The closure of businesses, schools, libraries, and offices meant that many families would not be leaving their homes except for essential errands, and demand for toilet paper rose by 40 percent.
It was widely thought that people were unnecessarily hoarding toilet paper. News anchors asked, “Why toilet paper?” and thought the phenomenon was bizarre and unexplainable. A psychologist stated that the visuals are hard to ignore when customers are seen walking out with toilet paper stacked high and surmised that a herd mentality had been activated. Many consumers flocked to ethnic markets and even to smaller neighboring cities to find the suddenly precious commodity.
As weeks of empty shelves that once held toilet paper persisted, one senior reporter for Medium, Will Oremus, interviewed industry leaders of manufacurers and suppliers and garnered some enlightening information. He asked why they couldn’t meet the greater demand for toilet paper. Oremus discovered that toilet paper for the retail market and toilet paper for the commercial market can be looked upon as separate businesses. Paper for the retail market is made of virgin pulp, and turned into two-ply, embossed, and perforated rolls sold often in packages of six, whereas commercial toilet paper is created with recycled materials, often one-ply, and sold in large single rolls for use in offices, college dorms, stadiums, concert venues, restaurants, and small businesses. The profit margin for toilet paper is small and it would be prohibitive for a commercial paper plant to retool their mills, create new business relationships with suppliers, transportation companies, and distributors to satisfy demand. If the demand becomes normalized and predictable, the companies that assumed the risk to make changes would be burdened with pallets of space-consuming and practically worthless toilet paper.
Thank you, Will Oremus. I appreciate my virgin fiber, two-ply embossed toilet paper even more, now that I have read your article.