Well, folks, paper towels, tissues, bleach, wipes and, yes, toilet paper are completely gone from everywhere, including our local Target and King Soopers. Along with canned goods, meat, milk, and other staples.
This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention-- panic buying first hit Hong Kong and Singapore over a month ago, and Italy two weeks ago.
Still, it seems like a lot of America has fallen prey to the phenomenon known as normalcy bias, the tendency for people to believe the status quo is forever, and therefore to underestimate the likelihood of a disaster and its consequences. As a result, instead of buying a bit extra each week for the last few weeks (as epidemiologists have been recommending since late February), everyone ran out at once and stocked up in anticipation of mandatory stay at home orders.
The good news is that I saw lots of stocking going on yesterday at Target when (while carefully maintaining the CDC's recommended six feet of distance from other people) I was shopping for eggs and bacon. Maybe someday soon there will even be toilet paper to buy.
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