Normalcy Returning: Americans Buying Less Toilet Paper

An unusual but encouraging sign the pandemic has abated in the United States can be found in bathroom aisle: There is plenty of toilet paper and soap to go around.

In the first few months of the pandemic, shoppers emptied shelves of toilet paper, wet wipes and cleaning materials, prompting panic at the thought of being stuck at home for weeks on end without supplies.

Sales of toilet paper dropped 3.27% compared to April 2020, CNN reported. The sale of paper towels dropped 18.3%, and wet wipe purchases fell 15.7%, according to data from NielsenIQ.

Sales of household cleaning supplies remain high, but have fallen since the early days of pandemic when anxious consumers hoarded months worth of necessities.

In the meantime, suppliers were able to build up extra inventory to keep up with the demand.

However, the country narrowly missed another toilet paper shortage earlier this month when the massive cargo ship Ever Given was trapped in the Suez Canal, WCB880 reported. Had Ever Given remained trapped, world trade would have shuddered to a halt and dramatically slowed supply lines.

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smarcus@hamodia.com