I have difficulty understanding the sudden urge to buy all the toilet paper one can get (concerning Covid-19); what gives?

People don’y want to run out if they “can’t leave the house” for a few weeks.

But why a family of four needs more than thirty rolls is beyond me.

What gives?
Their bowels apparently!

Some people are being absolutely absurd about this.

Cheaper than Kleenex, for those nasal emergencies.

I have a lot of toilet paper currently.

Does it go bad (like, for example, milk)? No .
Does it need to be refrigerated or need special storage? No.
Will it be used eventually, whether in two months or six months or whenever? Yes.

So then, if one has the space, why not?

Because it throws everyone else off. From what I hear, shelves are being absolutely emptied. That means people coming later don’t get any.

No different than hand sanitizer or masks or anything else, @Dutchess_III. Actually, I would argue that toilet paper is different than the other things because toilet paper is something that could be gotten from a variety of sources, including office supply warehouses and medical supply companies (in quantities, but still).

Our local Costco ran out of all paper products last week, but now have a new supply. Shipments are coming!

I looked into buying masks last week but none are available. I considered buying a large quantity from a medical supply online and sharing with a friend, but then decided against it.

I would love some more hand sanitizer but it’s not available and I’m not fretting about it.

Am I going to feel guilty about having two packages of toilet paper from Costco? No.

To grab up all that you can, whether it be toilet paper, hand sanitizer or anything else is just selfish!

I’m sorry, @Dutchess_III, but me buying two packages is not “grabbing all that I can.”

This is crazy. I haven’t seen any of this happen yet where I live. Just the occasional person wearing a mask.

There are other things flying off the shelves that make no sense either. Water, for instance. Why do you need to stock up on water? It Covid-19 a threat to your local water supply? Of course all the paper masks are gone and now hand sanitizer is at a premium, but most people are complete fools for this sort of stuff anyway. Here’s a thought…don’t have hand sanitizer? Go buy some isopropyl alcohol and put it into a squirt bottle. It is the active germ killing ingredient in hand sanitizer anyway. As for the mask, I bought my wife several masks a few years ago. They are micro-fiber and work better than paper masks. But no one has thought about those so far. It’s a flu. Most healthy people can handle it anyway.

It’s closer to a cold @seawulf575. And of those who do get it, the symptoms will be mild in 82% of them. It’s ridiculous. I guess people just don’t have enough in their lives to make them feel important or relevant.

@jca2 Two packages of toilet paper at a time is par for us. I don’t consider it grabbing all you can, either. But there ARE people out there who ARE grabbing up all they can.

@Dutchess_III: I don’t know why you keep saying it’s closer to a cold. Global death rate is 3.4% at present. I’m not saying there are not instances of people overreacting, but do you think the worldwide effect on the stock markets, travel, etc. is over a cold?

Because Some common colds are actually a type of coronavirus..

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses that can cause illnesses such as the common cold…

Influenza A viruses are the only influenza viruses known to cause flu

The symptoms the coronavirus cause sound more like a cold than the flu, to me. But then, I have a different idea of what a flu vs a cold is. To me, a flu is vomiting, diarrhea, fever and sheer fatigue.
To me, a cold is coughing, itching, sneezing and wheezing.

The worldwide effect on the stock market and travel is caused by people over reacting.

https://theconversation.com/why-are-people-stockpiling-toilet-paper-we-asked-four-experts-132975?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20March%205%202020%20-%201552614835&utm_content=Latest%20from%20The%20Conversation%20for%20March%205%202020%20-%201552614835+CID_4ee27ad09c4085a9579244ba5bd45c40&utm_source=campaign_monitor&utm_term=Why%20are%20people%20stockpiling%20toilet%20paper%20We%20asked%20four%20experts

@Dutchess_III: It’s true that there are cold that are a strain of the Corona virus. However, the strain of Corona virus that is going around now, the “Novel Coronavirus” or Covid 19, is not “just a cold” and it’s highly infectious with a higher death rate than cold or flu. I told you that on Facebook when you posted that it was “just a cold.” I posted links to statistics about this strain of the virus and the death rates.

I didn’t say it was “just a cold.” I said it was more like a cold than the flu.
For the vast majority of people who do get it, for 82%, it WILL be just a cold. For people like me, who are somewhat compromised already, it could be a little more dangerous. Caravanfan isn’t worried. None of the medical professionals I’ve talked to recently are particular worried, so I’m not particularly worried. I’m certainly not going out and stocking up like we’re expecting WWIII.

All of my local officials including health department officials are worried so maybe they know something that’s not known where you are.

Almost 3000 people are quarantined here in the area. I’d say that’s concerning.

My brother just sent me this about the Corona virus, that the media blow up of this is causing panic and why this is possibly happening.That it may be fake news..meaning not the real facts?

https://www.zerohedge.com/health/six-reasons-why-covid-19-fails-sniff-test

How are gun/ammo sales going?

I know supermarket stocks are higher in an otherwise collapsing equity market.

It’s probably just super beings punishing evil doers.

Will there be a rush on all manner of magazines and a knock-on increase in lifestyle awareness, and glossy paper on a spike, now toilet paper has all butt disappeared?

Is this the end of 20/20 vision for aw…..........

@Inspired_2write That news source is a right wing conspiracy website, specializing in pseudoscience. Anyone citing them as a information source loses all credibility.

@Pinguidchance Gun and ammo sales are not increasing because everyone has plenty of inventory from when Obama was in office.

@jca2 Caravanfan is from the West Coast. He’s not from around here.

@Dutchess_III: I didn’t direct any comments to Caravanfan.

I said ”...Caravanfan isn’t worried. None of the medical professionals I’ve talked to recently are particular worried, so I’m not particularly worried.” Here.

Your response was ”All of my local officials including health department officials are worried so maybe they know something that’s not known where you are.” Here

@Dutchess_III: I’m concerned. Local officials are concerned. The virus is all over the county I work in, schools are closed, there is a positive case right across the street from where I work and a nest of positive cases two towns over from where I work. If you and Caravanfan are not concerned or worried that’s ok. Your level of concern or Caravanfan’s level of concern has nothing to do with me.

I’m entitled to my feelings and I feel they are justified.

Does that explain things better?

It’s OK that you’re concerned. I’m not. It will all blow over in a few weeks and people will continue to get it.

That’s your opinion.

I am aware you’re not concerned. If I lived in the middle of nowhere, and I didn’t have to work for a living, I’d probably not be concerned either.

Well, Kansas has its first case.

@Dutchess Can you afford two plus weeks without pay from work because you are quarantined? This is a real issue for some people.

If my husband and I lost two weeks pay we’d be literally fucked.

Its been said that it does protect one from Covid

https://ibb.co/Hgx2qD6