This is happening despite the fact that we don’t currently know there will even be a shortage of TP. As The Los Angeles Times put it, “Is there in fact any risk to the nation’s toilet paper pipeline? The short answer: no.” A supply chains expert at Harvard Business School told the paper that manufacturers are “still cranking this stuff out.”
The panic shopping is understandable. Officials are warning about long-term disruptions to our way of life, and people want to be ready for whatever that long haul may entail. The urgent shopping trips are a natural expression of a fundamental human wish to control and be powerful in the face of the uncontrollable. The thinking goes something like this: “I can’t stop COVID-19, but I’ll be damned if I don’t have all the tuna, bread and toilet paper I need!”
This is also a new experience for many people. They’ve seen panic shopping before—for example during previous outbreaks or before big storms. But many have not seen it to quite this extent.
The panic shopping mentality was particularly acute after the Chernobyl disaster. I was 6 at the time, and vividly remember everyone around me gathering all they could.
Back then, we did not see stocks replenish quickly. So by comparison, I see today’s shopping experiences in North America (I live in Canada), even amid the coronavirus outbreak, as signs of a “land of plenty.” The New York Times reports that “major retailers say toilet paper hasn’t been out of stock in stores for more than a day or two, or even a few hours.”
There are some products that people are having trouble getting such as hand sanitizer, in no small part because of profiteers who have hoarded the stuff in an effort to price gouge—a terrible thing to do that endangers exacerbating the crisis. To limit the spread of COVID-19, we need everyone to try to limit their exposure.
My wife and I have three kids, all of whom will be home for the foreseeable future. We have not bought mountains of toilet paper or paper towels. We stocked up our pantry yesterday, but not like what you’ve seen in news reports, with people filling multiple carts full of food.
We will continue to pay attention to the news about supply chains. We’ll continue to do our part not just to have enough at home, but also to make sure enough remains on store shelves for whoever happens to come in after us, so they don’t have to make another trip later on when shelves replenish.
There’s also important messaging for businesses to engage in here. The way business leaders speak about the continuing availability of their products and services will make a tremendous difference.
Obviously, a great deal is unknown. But businesses should be honest and transparent about what they expect to continue to provide, and avoid communicating with a sense of panic.
The business-as-usual playbook has been thrown about the window. Messaging during a crisis takes focus, a sense of calm, and expertise—a crucial skill set. In the coming days, weeks, and even months, let’s all do what we can to halt panic shopping and hold onto a realistic picture of what will be available.
Let’s leave enough for each other, and get through this together.
Wojtek Dabrowski is founder and managing partner of Toronto-based Provident Communications.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own.
