Une new track in the saga of the shortage of toilet paper! Admittedly, the case is not of the greatest importance, considering the ravages caused by the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), but it would be wrong, in these terrifying times, to neglect the "feel-good stories", as Americans say: stories that cheer you up. The good news here is that the consumer is not all wrong. He can be reassured about his mental health. It is not for much in the lack of toilet paper. It’s the law of the market.
Everything has been said and shown on the shortage of toilet paper. Empty shelves, the rush on the cellulose wadding packs. Even Amazon was out of stock. In San Francisco, a drone was seen flying over the city on March 25, carrying a large white scroll. The one that David Chen, the research and development manager of Skycatch, an aerial data analysis platform, sent to his friend Ian Chan, the director of engineering for Branch Metrics … Urgent troubleshooting.
The government has lured consumers away: the Covid-19 attacks the respiratory tract, nothing else. There is no reason to buy more toilet paper – except to clutter the cupboards! Psychologists have been consulted on the underlying meaning of this greed. They put forward the search for sweetness, the need to "Control and security " in times of crisis. Of "Civilization" before the apocalypse. Others saw it as a quest for purity: supreme protection against the virus.
Many analyzes for a phenomenon which may be very prosaic. Certainly, there has been a ripple effect. The simple fact of seeing empty shelving encourages you to buy. Between March 11 and March 24, sales more than doubled. But a month after the start of confinement, the American shelves are still almost out of toilet paper, while the pasta or rice are back. Why this exception for the toilet paper ?
Consumption has shifted
In fact, it is less a matter of sublimatory smoothness than commercial distribution. Collectively, Americans are using the same amount of paper as before the epidemic, but not in the same place. With 75% of the population confined to their homes, consumption has shifted from offices, schools, restaurants, sports halls, shops to the family bathroom. Georgia Pacific, one of the top three manufacturers, estimated that residents now use 40% more paper at home per household.
