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How's your toilet paper?


Nyxnine

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I stopped by the grocery store after work to get some frozen fruit & salad stuff & they've had to put a limit on the cases of bottled water. A woman actually glared at me as I walked by the rapidly emptying pallets. It's like 'Listen, lady...just let me get my produce & I'll be on my way...sheesh!' Besides, I stocked up on bottled water, toilet paper, cold meds, first aide supplies, non perishable food, etc. etc. WEEKS ago when I 1st heard about this because I just had a feeling. Now did I run around giving people the evil eye while ripping packs of toilet paper from the arms of frightened mothers? Nope. Just got a little extra(meaning like 2 of each, not 10 or 20) of the items I knew I might need just to be safe. Not to mention, I live in an area where we frequently get severe weather & sometimes lose power &/or experience flooding as a result so I keep these types of things in my house on a regular basis. 

The schools in my city have shut down due to someone who visited testing positive for COVID-19, so that's what all the panic is about. 

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19 minutes ago, The History Kid said:

I'm bored of this stuff already.  Can we move on to the next thing that's supposed to kill us now?  Isn't there some asteroid that's supposed to come take us out in a month?

We have to wait until flu season is over before people notice anything else going on lol 

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Maybe I'm a big baby when it comes to this and I don't know how bad it is for everyone else but I wish we stocked better. Like we got a warning in my area and now driving outside of an emergency can be illegal. My dad works for a school but its been shut down and now i'm crapping my pants that I wish we had more t-paper. xD .....we legit had to stuff a duffel bag of regular shopping because the roads are closed. My mom kept me away from my friends after my leg surgery bc the hospital kept me 3 days and it was full of people coughing. I'm a little scared bc my dad might be out of work and we're not sure what will happen? Then we lost power in my area and the city made a fuss about coming out. The only thing I been doing to keep in good spirits is joke about with my friends...like we might turn into toilet paper eating zombies lel. Am I the only one seeing it ironic that people say their stocking before everyone cleans out the stores? Like that's what they are doing no matter how you cut it. Its smart for if they close the roads in your area and limit what you buy and the trucks that bring stuff in our stores are quitting so maybe it will be awhile before we get certain things here again?....I'm scared that i need to go back to my dr. soon for my leg followup and if we get sick who will take care of my pupper. 😧 

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8 minutes ago, The History Kid said:

but...do you really need 36 rolls of toilet paper

That's my issue too.  TP is not the problem here folks.  And clearing the shelves is pretty ridiculous too.  Yes, we got *A* case of water when we restocked, along with rational amounts of easy-to-fix food, kleenex, analgesics, and cold medicines.  We basically just stocked up like we often do for a regular flu season where we all might get sick and nobody feels well enough to cook or go out shopping for a couple weeks.  If anyone gets seriously ill then 12 cases of water and 40 rolls of TP are not going be the required survival tools.

I guess I should also note that we already have a decently-provisioned "emergency" kit that we put together for events like a big earthquake.  (I'm in S.California so that's a thing here.)  If things get worse and we get quarantined or something then we already have enough supplies on-hand in our earthquake kit to last a couple/few months.  I don't expect to need any of that however.  We're not talking about the zombie apocalypse here.  Again, the problem will be that someone gets seriously ill, not that we ran out of TP or bottled water.

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I came onto this site just to see if anyone made a thread about the toilet paper shortage and I was NOT disappointed 🤣

Anyway, the store in my town of like 300 people was struck by the toilet paper goblins out of nowhere this morning (seriously people traveled anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours to stock up on toilet paper, lmao). 

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1 hour ago, The History Kid said:

That being said, I don't have a problem with people stocking up, but...do you really need 36 rolls of toilet paper?  How much doodie-ing do you plan on doing over the course of 14 days?  I mean...really...

I have to do so every one to three hours if I eat normally courtesy of my genes, and even I don't go through nearly that much. 

The kicker for me is our stores here at least have barely been hit in terms of canned foods and other things with long shelf lives. So people are loading up on toilet paper, but not what makes you need it in the first place...

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3 hours ago, madeyalook said:

Maybe I'm a big baby when it comes to this and I don't know how bad it is for everyone else but I wish we stocked better. Like we got a warning in my area and now driving outside of an emergency can be illegal. My dad works for a school but its been shut down and now i'm crapping my pants that I wish we had more t-paper. xD .....we legit had to stuff a duffel bag of regular shopping because the roads are closed. My mom kept me away from my friends after my leg surgery bc the hospital kept me 3 days and it was full of people coughing. I'm a little scared bc my dad might be out of work and we're not sure what will happen? Then we lost power in my area and the city made a fuss about coming out. The only thing I been doing to keep in good spirits is joke about with my friends...like we might turn into toilet paper eating zombies lel. Am I the only one seeing it ironic that people say their stocking before everyone cleans out the stores? Like that's what they are doing no matter how you cut it. Its smart for if they close the roads in your area and limit what you buy and the trucks that bring stuff in our stores are quitting so maybe it will be awhile before we get certain things here again?....I'm scared that i need to go back to my dr. soon for my leg followup and if we get sick who will take care of my pupper. 😧 

I agree with @The History Kid, it sounds like you are in a hot spot. I can see being in that position it being a little more prudent to stock up more if there are travel bans (to even leave your house :( ).

I heard on the radio that the US is now adding a travel ban to countries that are hot spots(?) I can see situations where you have no control over your decisions to be a lot scarier than places where it is not as hard hit. I hope you and yours will be until things improve. 

My sister is a teacher as well, her school has not closed, however they have taken up strict hand washing and re-establishing repeatedly to their students proper hygiene. Worst case they close and open after a certain period of time. But, Canada has not had anything beyond safety protocols. 

I agree with you on being nervous to go to the hospital when there are so many sick people heading there as well. Your situation is quite unique and I hope this thread hasn't devalued your feelings at all.

Again, all the best <3 

39 minutes ago, EnviousEnvy said:

I came onto this site just to see if anyone made a thread about the toilet paper shortage and I was NOT disappointed 🤣

I aim to please hahaha.

Besides, what better way to know whats going in the world with no added agenda attached? :P

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Funnily enough, it's not toilet paper people are bunking but beer, the shelves are literally empty though I guess I shouldn't have expected anything different from my country 😆. That being said, we don't really have a wide spread panic, not any of these "hundreds of people storming the supermarket"-kind of scenarios. I mean, if I go out it doesn't look like that people care much; either they actually don't (fair point unless you often have close contact with old/sick people) or don't know that the majority of the population will eventually contract the disease and that we should isolate old people.

Kinda risky situation since we border Italy and our government hinted that maybe if they fail to control the situation will have a full on lock down like our neighbour. (In that case, I'd finally have the time to watch Gundam)

But eh, over here we say "let's wait and drink tea".

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I watched a video on the whole panic buying issue that touched on a point that I've considered myself: How much extra stress this is causing people on fixed incomes who can't afford to stockpile supplies. That is a completely valid point & I think it's awful that people who may only be able to buy a few items at a time aren't able to get what they need to just survive on a regular basis because of people hoarding things. The reality is that not everyone can afford to buy a month's worth of food & supplies at a time. That's why I'm glad that the stores in my area are starting to implement at least some sort of limits on how much people can buy.

And with the whole hand sanitizer issue....what good does a truckload of that stuff do someone if they're still touching other people, their faces, not covering their mouths when they cough or sneeze, not keeping surfaces they come into contact with regularly clean i.e. bedding, kitchen/school/work surfaces, electronics that they touch & then pass to other people to touch, etc., not washing their hands regularly, or not taking good care of their health, etc. ? My point is, hand sanitizer alone isn't going to stop people from getting COVID-19 so the panic buying & price gouging is ridiculous. 

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well, I usually stock up every two weeks as that is enough. Today however, the stores were almost empty. no toilet paper, no pasta, no sauces (to Southern Europeans that's as important as peanut butter and jelly is to Americans), almost no bread, flour etc. this is actually starting to grind my gears
What the heck are people doing? If you sit on a pile of 40 bags of toilet paper, and someone else runs out that's not really great or communal. I am still covered for about two weeks but come on, this mass hysteria is getting out of hand and will affect people who are in need of things because of for example medical conditions etc.

also just got an e-mail from work 'any course with more than one student is cancelled' What kind of course does not have more than one student?

Edited by Illusion of Terra
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Latest idiocy: Youtube is demonetizing and giving copyright strikes to people who mention the corona virus in their videos.  Presumably due to the corona beer trademark.  One of my tech podcasts was substituting "human malware" for the term to avoid the issue.. and of course confusing everyone in the process.  🙄

At this point I'm more worried that the lunacy might be contagious than I am about the corona™ virus itself.

Edited by efaardvark
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We're good and not hoarding here but lots of people are going crazy. Thing is, if you are healthy, young, and without multiple health conditions (this is the vast majority of the people panicking and hoarding...it isn't the elders with stroke and copd panicking. I see far fewer of them with concerns. Maybe a whole 5 in the past two days compared to over a hundred young people. One was a young lady wanting to set up her grandma for a month's precriptions because she was the caregiver and she didn't want to chance herself infecting her grandma since she works in a crowded public space,  just in case. Now that's a good grandchild.), you'll likely not be in mortal peril, even if infected. The craze is robbing the people who need supplies like frail elderly and healthcare workers (we have no gloves anymore. Without PPE I'm exposing myself to all sorts of other risks far more perilous) because of the indoctrination of the masses from watching too much of the propaganda machine on the tv screen. 

 

The propaganda machine is and always has been the problem.  Not enough facts, just a narrative they want people to blindly believe and they've snookered quite a lot of people this time around. 

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update on my side: 

stores are completely empty on the essentials. publix, walmart, etc. youre lucky to find toilet paper in a gas station but they sell them 20 bucks a pop just for a 4pak. its crazy. our beaches closed down and some of them have curfews if im right. my job site got closed down due to the concern so now i have to look for work elsewhere. 

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Canada has gotten worse - mainly those who are being laid off from their companies because of the outbreak.

Gold: Toilet paper, hand sanitizer 

Silver: Canned goods, water bottles, pre-packed meals

People are self isolating, BC, AB and ON are the worst. The grocery stores have created person limits on certain items and are only allowing a certain amount of people in the store at a time. 

Most businesses have closed, all gov. places are closed, workout places and schools are closed. Some store/restaurants are open but at limited capacities. Borders are closed, states border is closing on Monday. It's being managed but its going to suck for businesses because social distancing is being pushed really hard. The company I am managing is focusing on delivering services so they can stay open. 

I won't lie, I am nervous about people being around me because I have older family. But, its more of a matter of washing my hands like crazy and not touching my hands. 

There are companies offering free food, and drop off services for food and necessities to affected families here. Making sure those who need the help will get it and not be abandoned. I think it is being handled well but, it is nerve wracking seeing the ghost cities. 

I hope everyone is still doing alright. 

This feed has had a decent amount teasing towards the virus and notes for fear for family members. 

What has anyone noticed as a community impact which is positive since covid arrived in your neighborhoods?

Like I said, for me, food bank, some restaurants, optical clinics, pet stores, vets - are offering outside services, and door drop off delivery services, AND free food to those who are in need. 

Its nice to see the community come together well still distancing themselves.

Edited by Nyxnine
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Me and some of my coworkers have gotten together to come up with ways that we can provide help to our local homeless shelters. We've gathered what we can at local stores & are ordering the rest online to be delivered directly to the shelters in case we can't get out by the time they get shipped. 

Lots of people getting laid off in my city & it has me more than a bit concerned. 

There's just this persistent feeling of dread that just keeps getting heavier & heavier as the number of cases in my area grows. 

I'm just very thankful that I've really started taking my health seriously & have emergency savings because if I didn't there's almost no way that I would be this calm. 

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4 minutes ago, RuthisianCodex said:

Me and some of my coworkers have gotten together to come up with ways that we can provide help to our local homeless shelters. We've gathered what we can at local stores & are ordering the rest online to be delivered directly to the shelters in case we can't get out by the time they get shipped. 

Lots of people getting laid off in my city & it has me more than a bit concerned. 

There's just this persistent feeling of dread that just keeps getting heavier & heavier as the number of cases in my area grows. 

I'm just very thankful that I've really started taking my health seriously & have emergency savings because if I didn't there's almost no way that I would be this calm. 

That's really incredible of you! Take those proper precautions, gloves, sanitizing things that have been touched. 

I agree though, the feeling of dread really is becoming more palpable. I was discussing this with my mom the other day actually. Some people aren't taking the virus serious enough to monitor what they are cleaning, how they are handling themselves, are you blocking that cough? And then, you start to notice the numbers rise as the people start getting ill closer and closer to where you live, and then its there and you start to see transportation change, companies closing down, numbers rise...and it hits you that the chances of getting sick are higher. I was getting annoyed the other day because our debit/credit machine went down and my friend was using her phone with square to take payments and I told her multiple times to sanitize her phone before putting it to her ear to talk to people. People are just so bad at changing their habits. Its like working in a restaurant and remembering to put gloves on before you handle food. If you've never had such an occupation the first few days are going to involve a lot of mental faculties to put those gloves on...once you get more inclined it becomes second nature. 

Not enough thought over their actions. 

Like you, I am glad I have also emergency funds. I can't imagine families who are now out of work and have kids to take care of with no day cares and or family there to support them.

Be safe friends <3

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One positive that is coming out of this that I've noticed among friends & coworkers, is that those of us who still have an income coming in & getting more serious than ever about saving up. I listen to a lot of personal finance podcasts & such & have been working on improving my financial well being for a while now. I drive an older car that is completely paid off, I eat at home the majority of the time, & I could care less about dressing a certain way or having certain things to impress strangers. I've been laughed at & teased on more occasions than I care to remember but I'm glad I ignored those jerks & kept saving anyway because NO ONE is immune to losing their funds in situations like this. 

There are businesses in my city that have closed down recently that have been here for years & in some cases, decades. Then you've got all the people who don't have jobs where they can work from home so they're just out of a job all together. I just feel awful for them.

Guys, just do the best you can to take care of yourselves, your loved ones, and your communities. 

Be well.

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What ticks me off the most about this so called "panic" buying is that none of it is really out of "panic". If you're panicking in anticipation of an apocalypse then surely you'll go for whatever you can get your hands on. People are still choosy though. My local supermarket is completely sold out of milk chocolate biscuits, but the less popular dark chocolate ones are plentiful. All the expensive, highly quality cheeses have gone, but the cheaper ones are still in stock.

It's nothing but pure greed. Hopefully they spend themselves into oblivion. 

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There was a news broadcast that mentioned tylenol was a better medication than ibuprofen for fevers (which is already known).....and now the stores are sold out of tylenol. 

My friend is having difficulty finding children's tylenol :( 

also, as someone who is allergic to NSAIDs (allergy to ibuprofen, aspirin...midol...)  I'm annoyed that people would go out of the way to clear shelves of it....why? =-=; 

I haven't needed to buy tylenol for like a year...You can't even take over a certain amount per day. 

Anyways...little vent haha

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2 hours ago, RuthisianCodex said:

One positive that is coming out of this that I've noticed among friends & coworkers, is that those of us who still have an income coming in & getting more serious than ever about saving up. I listen to a lot of personal finance podcasts & such & have been working on improving my financial well being for a while now. I drive an older car that is completely paid off, I eat at home the majority of the time, & I could care less about dressing a certain way or having certain things to impress strangers. I've been laughed at & teased on more occasions than I care to remember but I'm glad I ignored those jerks & kept saving anyway because NO ONE is immune to losing their funds in situations like this.

This is totally me too.  I don't do debt either, including credit cards.   (Well, I do because you basically have to use cards these days but I pay it ALL off every month.)  I even managed to pay cash for my car this last time.  Yes, it takes discipline and the willingness to go against a lot of social norms, but in the end not playing by the banksters rules is worth it.

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Depending on where you live it is likely that the numbers will now be rising exponentially for quite some time until the growth rate decreases (unless the lock downs and quarantines take effect). I also suspect that generally, unless they find a vaccine, about two-thirds of the population will contract the virus over the next months or years. in many places, including where I live, people are not allowed to go outside except for necessary chores or work, with police and military keeping watch. It is not much different for me though since even before I mostly stayed at home working.
I have mostly stocked up (as I usually do) for a couple of weeks, and even if I contract the virus, which I might already have, I am not concerned for myself since I do not belong to any of the groups who are at a higher risk. I am quite concerned about people like my grandmother however, who have multiple risk factors, because the virus spreads more than the flu and it is more likely that they will contract it.

I am a bit surprised at how self focused people seem to be, although I did not really expect much else when I think about it. there are some people who help out elderly neighbors which I think is great, but toilet paper shelves are still empty, and other things which your average shmoe doesn't need, but people with compromised immune systems, skin diseases etc. are almost impossible to find. I do wish that people would stop buying things that are only useful to people with such conditions, if they themselves don't need them.

Edited by Illusion of Terra
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The reported numbers of confirmed cases will certainly rise here in the US as testing reveals “new” cases that are really just newly discovered preexisting cases.  I hope people don’t freak out as the numbers rise but so far I’m not impressed with the response.  Even well-meaning people are doing stupid things because they don’t understand the consequences.  The virus is going to do what the virus is going to do.  Regardless of human intent, given the chance it will spread.

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