Toilet Paper - Again? Stocking Up?

[Deleted]

Looks like WA did get some restrictions this morning.

The OR governor mentioned she had contacted all the county sheriff's offices about enforcement of future potential lock downs and mask orders if the cases don't go down. So, I think we might get another one at some point and perhaps it will be enforced this time.

I read about a bunch of TP and PT shortages in random parts of the country. I agree that it's likely holidays+pandemic.

I woke up to my refrigerator being warm and my freezer full of ice. I think the area that allows airflow between is frozen. Argh. 

Thankfully, it's in the 30s outside, so all I had to do was put my food on the back porch while I work on defrosting it... Hoping that solves the problem on my less-than-a-year-old refrigerator.

[Blonde Granny]

Having spent $500 on misc. things at the grocery store and Sams Club, I think I'm ready for whatever Arkansas and the fools that live here can throw at me and my neighbors. Most of us have restocked, food, cleaning supplies and and paper products.

I do wonder if WMT is going to go back to the 7 AM shopping for seniors like me, I didn't use it the first time, likely won't do it now.

[Deleted]

CNN is talking about buying limits and shortages again this morning.

Last time, it only took a day or two for the supplies to deplete. As soon as they started telling people there is plenty of stock and not to panic buy, that's exactly what people went out and did.

I've seen some talk on the interwebs about how buying limits also result in panic buying and extra stocking up. This is especially the case for very large families who want to hunker down but are limited to what they are able to buy at one time. 

[TheOtherMe]

Amazon notified me this morning that my quarterly case of toilet paper will ship the end of the week.  So far, my timing must have been good as my quarterly shipment has arrived on time.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Nov 15, 2020 15:43:26 GMT -5 @shastasnewlife said:

Looks like WA did get some restrictions this morning.

The OR governor mentioned she had contacted all the county sheriff's offices about enforcement of future potential lock downs and mask orders if the cases don't go down. So, I think we might get another one at some point and perhaps it will be enforced this time.

I read about a bunch of TP and PT shortages in random parts of the country. I agree that it's likely holidays+pandemic.

I woke up to my refrigerator being warm and my freezer full of ice. I think the area that allows airflow between is frozen. Argh. 

Thankfully, it's in the 30s outside, so all I had to do was put my food on the back porch while I work on defrosting it... Hoping that solves the problem on my less-than-a-year-old refrigerator.

Yep, dining in restaurants, movie theaters, museums and gyms are now closed.  No SIP orders, I guess he's going to try this incrementally to see if we can't get cases back down.  

[toomuchreality]

Nov 15, 2020 11:43:16 GMT -5 NancysSummerSip said:

Reading this at least made me get up and take stock. We are OK on paper goods for now. For my weekly WM stop next Saturday, I may add some stuff, but really, we have enough to get us through for awhile. Of course, my state is not on lockdown, and it should be, given our positivity rate of over 10%. But our idiot governor is drunk on COVID mythology and conspiracy theories, so no on expects him to actually do anything sane.

I did a massive clean out of my pantry, and aside from some standard stuff that I normally keep, like canned soups, we're doing OK. Ran out of soy sauce last night, so I will get some today when I head out to look for a turkey breast. Now THAT has been an issue. I am finding huge turkeys (25 pounds and more) but nothing small. We are also experiencing some oddball shortages: Gatorade (it was invented in this state!), disinfecting wipes (rare to see them around since April, though I did score some two weeks ago), my cat's favorite fresh pet food, dishwasher detergent, and certain brands of frozen foods.

I ran out of soy sauce in April. Haven't been able to find any since. Seems like an odd thing to be depleted on the store level. - I keep getting "take out" packets from my daughter's refrigerator. 🤣

[busymom]

Well, Amazon is back on my "list" of places NOT to shop with.  I'd ordered the biggest size of granola bars that they sell.  Instead of shipping it in a plastic bag, or putting it in a slightly larger box to ship, they slapped a sticker on the manufacturer's box, and shipped it to me.  Thanks for the germs!      They also messed up another part of my order (wrong color on a shirt), so I'll assume they're "having a Monday".  Next time I'll order online from Target.  And, speaking of Target, I drove over to the nearest Super Target today, and their toilet paper area was almost cleared out before 2 pm, but what freaked me out a bit, was their meat section was half cleaned out.     I guess the hoarders are stocking their freezers again.  I decided right then to pick out a ham, if they had one close to the size I wanted (yes, I found one).  

[Deleted]

My local store still doesn't have any paper towels and they were out of hamburger today.

Otherwise, the selection seems about normal. I did see many people stocking up on things rather than just buying a couple of items.

For me, the 2/3rds of people refusing to wear masks in the store are a bigger issue than finding food and probably will continue to be.

[Blonde Granny]

I stopped at Sams Club yesterday morning to buy one of those super size packages of Frenchs Fried Onion rings. They were in a display right by the front door, Decided to wander around for a few minutes.....the TP and paper towels were stacked sky high. Even with that, customers had their cart ready for the Y2K all over again.

[buystoys]

We're good on TP and PT for now.  One big package of PT will last us years.  Literally.  I've kept the TP topped off with the max amount we can put in that spot in the closet.  Once the current open package is gone, I'll put it on the grocery list again and we'll start looking.

Our freezer is still fairly full, so I'm only buying meat when it's on a good sale price or marked down to a good price.  I jsut opened one of the packages of chicken breast tenderloins we bought back in March.  It was a five pound bag.  I cooked it all up and popped about 2/3 of it into the freezer for use later.  I made casserole with the rest of it and we've been munching on the leftovers for the past couple of days.  I like having meat already prepared and in the freezer so I can cook up something quickly if needed.

[Deleted]

Nov 17, 2020 9:08:42 GMT -5 buystoys said:

One big package of PT will last us years.  Literally.

I'm the same way- haven't even looked at my supply.

OK. I looked. Current roll has maybe 1/8 left and I have a large roll of Kirkland in the garage. I have a large supply of cleaning rags and I mostly use those- paper towels are for spills on the floor and for wiping out my cast iron after cooking.

I appreciate the heads- up on TP, though. When I was in South America last March I was reading here and elsewhere that people were hoarding it and the day after I got home I went to Costco to stock up on fresh vegetables and added a 30-roll pack to my cart. I've still got 12 rolls from that left and have another 30-roll pack in the garage. I can work around various food outages but there are few good substitutes for TP.

[buystoys]

Nov 17, 2020 9:43:54 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Nov 17, 2020 9:08:42 GMT -5 buystoys said:

One big package of PT will last us years.  Literally.

I'm the same way- haven't even looked at my supply.

OK. I looked. Current roll has maybe 1/8 left and I have a large roll of Kirkland in the garage. I have a large supply of cleaning rags and I mostly use those- paper towels are for spills on the floor and for wiping out my cast iron after cooking.

I appreciate the heads- up on TP, though. When I was in South America last March I was reading here and elsewhere that people were hoarding it and the day after I got home I went to Costco to stock up on fresh vegetables and added a 30-roll pack to my cart. I've still got 12 rolls from that left and have another 30-roll pack in the garage. I can work around various food outages but there are few good substitutes for TP.

I've got a laundry basket full of rags that I use most of the time.  For spills, I will frequently use a dirty towel and then throw it in the wash basket.  I only use PT when the spill is something oily or to clean my stove top.  DH will use them in place of napkins on occasion. 

[Iggy aka IG]

I'm also of the using rags instead of PT whenever possible mindset.  And when I do use a PT, I use as little as possible, as we buy the select a size store brand.

DH went to Sam's Club last Friday.  Said the lines weren't too bad.  That surprised me because Friday's are usually a zoo around there.  He found everything on his list.  He went to Walmart yesterday, said there were no large packs of Cottonelle, our preferred brand, so he snagged a 6 pack.  Odd things out of stock since summer:  Juicy Fruit sugarless gum in the large bag, and Clear American orange cream and mandarin orange flavored water in the can.  I've heard there is an aluminum shortage, so maybe that is why, and hence the reason why Coors Light is unavailable in some Californian areas...?

Oh, and mom mentioned she went to 4 stores looking for a large turkey.  Apparently everywhere else just had smaller birds.

[Deleted]

I've been watching Amazon's stock of Pantry items.

Since I started this thread a couple weeks ago, they have dropped 7 pages of available items. This is what happened back in March.

Also, the white albacore tuna I bought 2 weeks ago for $3.99 is now $5.99 and just came back into stock. 

Everything I previously ordered that was in a can or was a grain/rice is no longer in stock. 

[Opti]

Do you think its momentary for Thanksgiving, or another wave of two months people are stockpiling?

[chiver78]

well, the Thanksgiving stuff isn't generally the stockup stuff. 

I'm building a Walmart pickup order for tomorrow, and there are no Clorox wipes to be had. select-a-size paper towels are limited to 1pkg, and the only quantity is two rolls. I actually have a pack of napkins in that order for the first time in years, to stretch the PT supply longer. I would just use 1 sheet of PT, but if I can't find PT...?   

[Opti]

Nov 18, 2020 7:37:49 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

well, the Thanksgiving stuff isn't generally the stockup stuff. 

I'm building a Walmart pickup order for tomorrow, and there are no Clorox wipes to be had. select-a-size paper towels are limited to 1pkg, and the only quantity is two rolls. I actually have a pack of napkins in that order for the first time in years, to stretch the PT supply longer. I would just use 1 sheet of PT, but if I can't find PT...?   

When you are going shopping anyway, the hoarders buy what they think they need as well. I think I've posted once or twice about getting low on napkins for work just before the July 4th holiday. I buy store brand one package. That's all I have room for. I think I thought about just before the holiday and then was shocked when the paper product aisle was decimated, especially napkins. There was nothing to be found except the expensive white full size dinner napkins for about two months. I don't know about there, but I live in the land of wealthy people, many top off their stocks of beverages and other things for entertaining. Or at least the family I generally hang with for that holiday does. (BFF dead same year as Mom FWIW). I missed last year, because the son of hers I am closest to, was going to an intimiate TG dinner with his older brother and his new GF. Its over a half hour drive and my car does not like weather below freezing. I was sick, tired, and wussed out not knowing the pandemic was coming. 

Damn I got off topic. Suffice it to say, Nephew's home is really stocked with beverages and napkins for TG. So was eldest son's the times he and his now XW hosted. People who have room are probably going to overbuy to last them through New Year's while its still there. And various friends, etc. I know its a biased personal sample, but I think this is how the entertainers in the family will buy while they are TG shopping. Which means sadly I need to think where I can in a go find a good supply of TP and paper towels b4 Friday night if possible. Otherwise it wil be off brand or a TP pack to last into mid 2021. 

[wvugurl26]

They started really clearing shelves of paper towels and toilet paper here thinking we were getting shut down again. I have bought an extra or two of things we use as I shopped over the past month. It will all get used and I figured it would make subsequent trips shorter and faster.

I've never been able to add wipes to an order even when Target had a pretty solid supply for a couple weeks.

[Cookies Galore]

I bought Swedish dishcloths earlier this year and they are a fantastic replacement for paper towels/item to help cut down on paper towel usage. And so cute! Now that the great paper shortage part 2 is upon us, get thee to Amazon (or wherever you shop) and buy some. I toss 'em in the dishwasher each week to keep them clean and you can microwave them to kill bacteria.
www.touchoffinland.com/pages/whats-a-swedish-dishcloth

[Tennesseer]

Nov 18, 2020 9:32:47 GMT -5 Cookies Galore said:

I bought Swedish dishcloths earlier this year and they are a fantastic replacement for paper towels/item to help cut down on paper towel usage. And so cute! Now that the great paper shortage part 2 is upon us, get thee to Amazon (or wherever you shop) and buy some. I toss 'em in the dishwasher each week to keep them clean and you can microwave them to kill bacteria.
www.touchoffinland.com/pages/whats-a-swedish-dishcloth

Done and thanks.

I'm a 'Brawny' nose blower and need to save my paper towels for that.

[Blonde Granny]

Nov 18, 2020 7:37:49 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

well, the Thanksgiving stuff isn't generally the stockup stuff. 

I'm building a Walmart pickup order for tomorrow, and there are no Clorox wipes to be had. select-a-size paper towels are limited to 1pkg, and the only quantity is two rolls. I actually have a pack of napkins in that order for the first time in years, to stretch the PT supply longer. I would just use 1 sheet of PT, but if I can't find PT...?   

WOW, my Walmart Neighborhood Market was full of all the Clorox products you could want. (yes I bought a couple more).  TP and PT was also in good supply.  You just live in the wrong part of the country .

[Tennesseer]

Blue state (believes the virus is real and a killer)  versus Red state (believes the virus is a hoax or no worse than a cold).

That's what it is like here in Tennessee.

[chiver78]

thanks, cookies! just grabbed a 10pk for $20 on Amazon, will be here on Friday. 

[chiver78]

Nov 18, 2020 9:55:11 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Blue state (believes the virus is real and a killer)  versus Red state (believes the virus is a hoax or no worse than a cold).

That's what it is like here in Tennessee.

even in a more red part of the state, this is by far the biggest Walmart in the area so it gets a ton of traffic. I used to come off Cape to go here, from the old house. I'll keep my quiet spot in the woods, near the beach, TYVM. 

[Blonde Granny]

I guess It helps to live about 12 miles from the Walmart and Sams Club corporate offices. When the Suits start wandering around like yesterday, things get done quickly.

And I live in a Red state.  And that is another weird thing with Walmart....they just love to be in the pockets of any and all Blue people.

[busymom]

Here it depends on what part of the state you live in.  If you live near a "bluer" area, like the city, the virus is real.  Out in the "sticks", they're not taking the virus as seriously.  It's sad, really.  (Unless, of course, you're the parent of a kid in high school sports--those parents are on the edge of crazy of NOT wanting sports cancelled.)

[toomuchreality]

I don't feel like the stores in my area ever fully recovered. People learned to make do. Now here we go again.
Doesn't make me happy.

[TheOtherMe]

I order paper products from Amazon.

My weekly grocery order that I picked up yesterday had everything I ordered in it.  One substitution was made and it was to a much better bread than I buy, so that was a win.

I like it when I am recognized by the person who puts the groceries in my car and says "see you next week"

[Deleted]

There's a big difference between people preparing for the upcoming winter and pandemic outbreaks and hoarding.

Hoarders don't use what they buy. True hoarders have a mental illness.

Preparation for future needs is the opposite of that. IMHO.

Many of us are stocking up because the case numbers are rising in our areas and we'd like to avoid the diseased masses as much as possible during peak outbreak times.

It's interesting to me that the Mormons, for example, all stock at least a year's worth of food. Many others do as well. My parents and grandparents always had a year's worth of food put back.

Yet, now when we put anything back and prepare to be able to take care of ourselves in an emergency situation we are looked down on and called hoarders.

[Deleted]

Everything fully stocked at Aldi on Tuesday and don't think I'll see a change.  Folks around me are either fully stocked, or unemployed, facing eviction and no money to stock.