Ok I give. How many rolls of toilet paper do you buy at one time?

2

Comments

  • davidking530
    davidking530 Posts: 14 ✭✭✭

    I always buy it in lg. cases, such as 24 rolls

  • burekcrew86
    burekcrew86 Posts: 248 ✭✭✭

    We usually just buy the 12 pack. After reading everyone’s comments I’m wondering if I should buy the bigger package next time. :)

  • bcabrobin
    bcabrobin Posts: 251 ✭✭✭

    For most everyone in my area, because we are a rural area, we are coming out of winter where most if not everyone I know has items stocked up because we can ( we have not had a major winter storm in years ) but know to not let your guard down, you have food, TP and other items to last for at least 2 wks.

    If you want to know what you are going to need. Plan on what you would need if you can't get out of your house, have no power, water, etc.

    Good options include low-sodium canned beans, vegetables, fruit (packed in fruit juice), breakfast cereal, peanut butter, pouches of fully cooked whole grains, nuts, whole-wheat crackers, snack bars, and shelf-stable milk or plant milk (the kind sold in aseptic boxes in the grocery aisle)

    https://www.consumerreports.org/emergency-preparedness/what-to-feed-your-family-when-the-power-is-out/, https://www.everplans.com/articles/supplies-you-will-need-in-a-weather-emergency-or-power-outage

    Redcross has https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies.html

    US government site https://www.fema.gov/media-library-data/20130726-1549-20490-2111/basic_preparedness.pdf

  • Desiree
    Desiree Posts: 255 ✭✭✭

    I usually have plenty as I buy at Sam's every other month or so. I do have a small local grocery for the quick items I may fall short on but I don't like shopping so my pantry is pretty stocked.

  • 2017pams@gmail.com
    2017pams@gmail.com Posts: 12 ✭✭✭

    I like to shop rarely so I buy 6 or 8 of large Costco sized TP and stick in the attic as takes up a lot of useful space.

  • tammyrichardsmt9
    tammyrichardsmt9 Posts: 109 ✭✭✭

    We buy the big package at Costco about once a month. There are 8 of us in the household, so we tend to go through it. My husband came home last night and said Costco is out and so is Walmart. I said of course they are - we need some! I didn't figure people around here would buy into the tp panic...

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    Ha! Well, we noticed that the toilet paper space in our largest store was almost bare...the worst we've ever seen (so glad our regular shopping trip was earlier) and I hear that there is no sanitizer left. Surprisingly enough, there is still paper towel, but with the first "presumptive case" announced today in the province, I am sure it will clear out today.

    All of the above is gone in our provincial capital. Yes, at Costco & more.

    As far as sanitizer, soap is good. If I did think I needed some sanitizer, I can easily make a spray of tea tree & other EOs and stick them in a carrier of vodka. I have all that at home already.

  • DeeperEating
    DeeperEating Posts: 63 ✭✭✭

    I was just talking with a friend today about how the toilet paper thing is so weird. It's like the last thing I'd worry about. Like, as long as you have water, towels, and a soap you can clean yourself people!

    As for us, we do a big purchase about once a year. We buy a whole box of individual rolls wrapped in paper. It's the way to get the least plastic and our local co-op offers a 10% discount if you order direct from the supplier on big orders. We have at least 5-6 months worth left right now!

  • Torey
    Torey Posts: 5,679 admin

    Our local stores are pretty well stocked. There was a brief run on paper products but nothing that cleared the shelves. The only thing I have noticed missing is 70% isopropyl alcohol at Walmart. It is that time of year when I start to need extra on hand for harvesting cottonwood and making liniments. But other stores have it, even though it is more expensive. I was in the "Big City" lately, and went to Costco. They were low on paper products but were still unloading and selling toilet paper, some of it on sale. This Costco is Canadian, just a mile north of one of the CA/US border crossings. I wasn't in many other stores but didn't notice any shortages anywhere.

  • Renee Ilse
    Renee Ilse Posts: 16 ✭✭✭

    I typically buy a 10-pack when we get down to a couple of rolls. Went to an auction Saturday and they had some surplus donations made to a church. Bought a case (8 rolls) of Scott for $8!

  • Debora Salmon
    Debora Salmon Posts: 14 ✭✭✭

    I always keep at least a 12 pack in reserves..I live out in the boonies and I only but groceries once or twice a month. But I stock all non perishables in quantity...

  • bmaverick
    bmaverick Posts: 175 ✭✭✭

    It is sooo strange to hear about t-paper with this virus event. Is this a millennial generation thing? How does t-paper increase the survival rate odds? Or are folks worried that their nose would run like a faucet with this corona virus crisis? If the virus had a side effect of diarrhea, then indeed I can relate to all of this t-paper prepping. But this isn't the case.

    The t-paper event first shown at the Costco's in Brooklyn has made this nation wild for it. I just can't get my mind wrapped around why it's so critical as a survival item to beat the odds against the virus. Would it be better to stock up on eucalyptus for an air difusser in a room vaporizer, turmeric to reduce the tiny blood vessels from clotting around the lung air sacs leading to pneumonia and peppermint to keep the nose from running too much.

    Then the hand sanitizer to reduce your immune system from recognizing foreign items. And Lysol that is made from agent orange chemicals vs using white distilled vinegar. Just can not get my mind to understand the millennial craze on the wrong items to stock up with.

    Do people not stock up once a month on t-paper in general? A 12-pack can last several weeks. Wild events. Just glad not to live in CA where homeless can poo on your door step without getting into trouble. Sadly, our world is really turned up-side-down.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    @bmaverick The people are just acting in the only way that they know. So many people are told they natural=scary & snake oil. Sure, there is a lot of bad advice out there even in the natural world, but some is based on very good generational evidence.

    I felt strange when we went shopping near the start of the rumors of a tp rush & bought our usual amount. We buy in large quantities when we do buy, because our store doesn't always have our preferred cheap brand in stock, & we have a large family (all at home all day...no public school to "go" at.) It was also on sale, which we look for. We did not buy extra, but it may have appeared so to some. Unfortunately we also had run out of paper towel and had to get that too. 🤪 That must have looked suspicious. *Sigh* We were glad that we could buy our usual before the great panic.

    It is a strange phenomenon. Quite a study in human behavior & I find it fascinating.

  • shllnzl
    shllnzl Posts: 1,820 ✭✭✭✭✭

    My sister's best friend managed to scare her silly about possible societal breakdowns and my sister's risk for fatal complications. Best friend?

    I was further amazed to find out that the friend went online to order my sister additional toilet paper and have it delivered to her home. Apparently, a stock of 16 rolls for 2 people was insufficient.

    I spent some time talking reason to my sister to undo the psychological damage caused by the "friend".

  • silvertipgrizz
    silvertipgrizz Posts: 1,990 ✭✭✭✭✭

    I'm concerned the toilet paper thing is for future 'price gouging' goings on by the ones over purchasing...not all of course, but unless you have an 'acquired taste' for toilet paper, why in the world would that ever take precedence over food, vits medicines etc...

    Hang on it looks like we might be in for a ride, and not a very pleasant one...

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    @silvertipgrizz There was a news story about a couple caught selling hand sanitizer for scalping prices on Amazon. They made a lot of money (thirty thousand, I believe?) and were regular shoppers (a few x per day) at their surrounding stores. They had no shame when approached. Amazon took their page down, but I am sure that they must have other avenues for resale. Unfortunately, this is no supposed to have been illegal. It should be.

    You know, I don't think there is a true shortage of it or of anything, really, just panicked people & overzealous buyers (whether truly afraid or crooked resellers.)

  • silvertipgrizz
    silvertipgrizz Posts: 1,990 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @LaurieLovesLearning

    And also, notice that the number of people hitting these stores is more like a hoard and why is there a hoard? Because it's prolly, a very high number of them who ignore the signs, call us prepers names and then hurt all of us by their sudden mass hoarding of items that most of us buy, on our regular shopping day, reasonable amounts plus a few extras each trip to keep up on our stock so we don't have to panic for the storm we have seen coming in a variety of potential causes. And as a result, on our shopping days we now have to do without, for how long?

    This is a stark realization, even knowing that this would happen, that these people doing this are pretty much every bit as dangerous as the cause that started the panic. This is eye opening to me as I did not think the stores would be slammed like this so early in this issue. Imagine how bad it will be in the days to come if this so called pandemic persists.

    You all stay safe.

    We must pray for our nation that this passes very soon without incident.

  • SherryA
    SherryA Posts: 314 ✭✭✭

    I buy one package at a time - usually the 6 or 9 roll size. I bought one extra package. 😊

  • coach.janet.bolton
    coach.janet.bolton Posts: 6 ✭✭✭

    I usually buy the mega pack from Costco, but since they are now usually out I bought an unknown brand at the Grocery Outlet. I saw a few people with carts completely loaded with TP. Someone speculated they were stocking up to sell at a premium (scalp) if supplies run out. Sure hope not. I have a bidet toilet seat that I used when I cared for my mom who had dementia. I'm thinking of reinstalling it.

  • karen
    karen Posts: 80 ✭✭

    I am living in a democratic south american country that has imposed quarantines On the days that I am now allowed to go into my small town of less than 5000 people, I must think ahead to what I need. i dont have a vehicle so even with a reliable taxi driver, TP becomes a bulky item that I would require the driver to help me unload. That puts him/her more at risk. (they are my local heroes BTW). . I am still on the six pack i picked up at a corner store about two weeks ago.

    the larger grocery stores have erected barriers at the front doors and are working their asses off trying to find what the next person in line is looking for. everyone wears masks, tries to practise social distancing and people like myself wear gloves as well. I am a bit of a recluse as it is so not going into town is not a big deal for me and at the moment I will not run out of anything for one to two weeks except maybe TP, so, as this is one of my "OK to be out days" I think i will hit the local tienda to see if they still have TP. LOL it is really only gringos doing this Locals seem to rely more on themselves, family and neighbours.

    I have been stocking up on non-perishable food items since the nation wide strike last october and I have a veg garden. supply chains were cut off by blockades and it did get nasty in the big cities, that taught a lot of gringos about being prepared somehow. Until the strike was called off we knew that pharmacies were also beginning to run short. that was scary. In this crisis essential services are still operating and supply chains are still moving. but like everywhere else in the world (except maybe southeast asia - far more intelligent early responses) medical protective gear is not adequate. italy does not have enough respirators. so all in all I am doing OK as are all my neighbours. if you are into praying do so for those workers in medical centres. they are heroes. and forget about TP running out.

  • george
    george Posts: 3 ✭✭✭

    We have a minimum 2-hour round-trip to shop at stores easily available to most people. So we try to make the most of those trips by combining tasks. We usually buy a case of toilet paper as a minimum because we strive to keep a 6 months to a year's supply on hand. When we had grandchildren with us for a few months we found that our use of many items doubled so we had to adjust accordingly

    There is a local market and a Dollar General that carry toilet paper in small packages, but find that their prices are high. If we really have to have something sold there we make that decision based upon the time lost and the cost of driving further. We have seen local prices rise considerably since the scare of the Coronavirus and are fortunate to have learned to shop quarterly instead of weekly or daily.

    Living in a farm area allows us to grow, hunt, and barter for foods that many people see as available only at markets.

  • LaurieLovesLearning
    LaurieLovesLearning Posts: 7,573 admin

    @gcnumbersrunner Excellent. Being in a rural area is sure a blessing right now. We are thankful for it.

    @kquinnhobbs You are from South America! I would like to invite you to teach us a bit more about your area and share some self-sufficiency tips that you will most certainly have that would be useful to us. There is wealth in sharing wisdom across cultures & countries.

    If you could start it in another thread, that would be great!

  • gardneto76
    gardneto76 Posts: 528 ✭✭✭✭

    I love reading everyone’s experiences on here with the craziness in tp. Some time ago, my hubby and I decided we didn’t need our Costco membership since it was only 2 of us. We discussed seeing how long we could go without it, no knowing it would end I made a trip over to stock up on the things we considered to be good purchases from there: tp, paper towels, toothpaste, ect. I picked up 2 packs of each item to see how long it would last. Kids have visited and stayed a few weeks at a time and we are still good. The other day I jokingly said “Oh Gasp! We only have 24 rolls of TP left, I better go buy more!” And we all laughed since there has been literally no tp to be found in our neighborhood by the tie we get out of work. I am glad to hear so many of us on here are prepared, not that it shocks me, and we are keeping our sense of humors about us.

  • tammyrichardsmt9
    tammyrichardsmt9 Posts: 109 ✭✭✭

    I usually buy the big Costco pack. But we are a family of 8 and we actually do use that much in a month. I don't remember the last time we bought a smaller package (well, except for recently since that was all we could get). I didn't worry that much because I know we have lots of tshirts and such we can use if we need to.

  • Amy
    Amy Posts: 35 ✭✭✭

    I buy in bulk to be prepared for anything. I have three bathrooms and my rule is one open multipack and a backup multipack in each bathroom. I am glad I have done it that way for years because you never know. I haven't gotten a chance to buy any during the virus shopping craze yet but will need to go out and about soon to replenish some things. Now, how much canned food did you buy? How many cans of tuna? LOL!

  • norabelehcim
    norabelehcim Posts: 58 ✭✭✭

    Growing up in a very small town, our "service providers" tended to develop pithy slogans. Our town's plumber said he was "number one in the number two business," and the undertaker (actually located one town over) used to say "People need food, water, a place to stay while they are alive, and a place to go when they pass on... and a lot of toilet paper between times."

    While I don't necessarily find life to be quite that simple, we have, since the mid 1800s, gotten used to using toilet paper. No other Earth creature uses it, and we can employ alternative methods of hygiene, but it is handy to have--something noticed and perhaps appreciated more readily if having lived through a hurricane, earthquake, population displacement, or just far from any and all amenities, including indoor toilets and running hot/cold water.

    Never too soon to think about attainable hygienic alternatives, just in case.

  • MissPatricia
    MissPatricia Posts: 318 ✭✭✭

    I always buy that big Charmin package; what is that, 20-30 rolls or is it 48? anyway, I got caught short with only 3 whole rolls and 3-4 partial rolls and we still have 3 rolls on the shelf. We have a bidet so we don't use a lot of toilet tissue. I was able to buy a big package of Puffs facial tissue, which I need every day. I don't have enough handkerchiefs to take care of my need. In the future, I hope to plan better and be prepared.

  • SuperC
    SuperC Posts: 952 ✭✭✭✭

    I buy when needed so hopefully by the time it’s necessary there may be some on a shelf. :)

  • Melinda
    Melinda Posts: 123 ✭✭✭

    Once a week or two we get two 20 roll packages from our local Chinese store.

  • maryannfricko
    maryannfricko Posts: 133 ✭✭✭

    Please try to not buy all that you can. People like my 91 year old mother cannot find any.