Trying to buy name-brand toilet paper is currently a challenge in New York State. Shoppers at BJ's in Wappingers Falls were experiencing flashbacks to the pandemic when they were greeted with empty shelves in the toilet paper aisle on Sunday. If you may remember the panic that happened in 2020 when there wasn't a roll of toilet paper to be found at any store you can understand their concern.
While there was still plenty of toilet paper to go around, news about production slowdowns due to the quarantine sent shoppers into a frenzy, stocking up over fears that they wouldn't be able to find any paper towels, napkins or toilet paper when they really needed it. This panic buying caused the very shortages people feared. Even though those days are long gone, shoppers haven't forgotten the fear and anxiety they felt during the pandemic.
Why is there a toilet paper shortage in New York State? First of all, there isn't an actual toilet paper shortage. What's happening is that stores are being overwhelmed by uninformed panic buyers. As the short-lived dockworker's strike was making headlines, people incorrectly assumed that the closure of shipping ports would result in a shortage of essential products at stores.
While a prolonged strike could have eventually affected the availability of specific items from overseas like clothing, some fruits and electronics, toilet paper was never in danger of being in short supply. The majority of toilet paper, paper towels and other paper product manu.