#Geoff2, 70% isopropyl alcohol or even common metho will kill all pathogens and spores on surfaces (and hands) and washing with soap thoroughly for hands.
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I can only say the trend continues.
Walking past the store fronts of Coles and Woolies today in a large inner Urban Brisbane shopping town - nearly every trolley was dominated by one product. Toot Paper. Best was one with 4 packs of the 16 or 20 roll bulk buys. Enough for 3-4 months in our household. Some must also have 3-4 months supplies of baked beans for the matching twin set?
The only winners short term out of this are Coles and Woolies and …
There is nothing wrong with the stores putting a single pack or 8-12 roll limit on customers. Except for their profits. Having previously lived north of the tropic for more than 25 years, we never experienced anything from pre cyclone warnings quite like this “run on toot paper”. It’s no pun!
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Local Coles in southern Sydney had no toilet paper, boxes of tissues, paper towels or packets of pasta and flour shelves were depleted.
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Having the advantage of knowing what to expect from what is happening overseas, we are taking the ‘Forwarned is forearmed’ to a new level.
I just wonder how much of those provisions will last the distance to when they’ll be really needed. But maybe by then the stores would have had a lot of stock just sitting there 
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Well. The pandemic has now reached the Deep North and is already wreaking havoc on consumers
lives.
No. Not the coronavirus. It is the stupidity virus which has been shown to spread from idiot to idiot via both social media and electronic media.
I went to one nearby shopping centre today to buy some sardines and baked beans on special but they were sold out at Coles and Woollies, so I visited another centre and got them from Woollies, and I also went to our local Supa IGA to buy some eggs.
I specifically looked at the toilet roll stands at all 5 supermarkets and there was not a single roll.
I did see a few persons with large packs of paper towels and I presumed that they were going to try using them as a substitute.
So despite the appeals to the public and the rationing, we have gone from OK to zero in 2 days.
It certainly confirms the old saying “You just can’t help stupid”.
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What a difference a few days make 
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The other day I bought toilet paper (just one pack) from the local IGA. The Kleenex/Sorbent shelves were totally bare while the other shelf was fully stocked with the recycled brand.
Obviously residents can face the apocalypse calmly as long as we have our shed full of white paper and an assault rifle to stop neighbours taking it away from us, but recycled paper?! What are we, savages ?!
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IGA is a fair way from where I live, but if I fail to acquire from Coles, Woolies and Aldi, tomorrow morning, I’ll make the effort.
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If I was on the dunny roll production line I would be banking my overtime not spending it.
I’ll drink (a Corona beer, my first) to that!
PS: a bidet can be fitted to an existing toilet. I wonder if the price of those has gone up?
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A toilet paper run is like a bank run. The economic fixes are about the same
“In the case of toilet paper, the government acting as guarantor might involve holding a strategic stockpile of toilet paper. But all things considered – from logistics to costs – this probably isn’t a very good idea.”
Economists have a sense of humor.
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The toilet paper, tissue, pasta, rice run shows herd mentality. If one sees others buying such items in quantity (or strangely), one looks and thinks they must know something I don’t. …and the same behaviour is therefore repeated…and one influences others as they see one doing the same irrational behaviour. The perputual ball rolls.
Out goes rational thinking and in come behaviour of following others, irrespective of its irrationality.
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Good old FOMO in action.
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I managed to land some TP this morning. I got only what I usually get, that being 2 packs of 4 rolls. When I arrived at 6am, there was already a lineup at the door. As soon as the doors opened, these people were literally running (or speed walking) inside, grabbing trolleys, and then racing to the TP aisle. 4 packs of 12 rolls each and away they went. Most were not locals, I overheard them talking outside and they were coming from other places which had supermarkets which they had helped to deplete yesterday. I shake my head in disgust. There were a few others like me, who shopped for it according to need, rather than greed.
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Sighted in Woolies carpark Rutherford, shady characters selling blackmarket goods out of the back of a van. Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.
Was it illicit tobacco or tickets to the AFL grand final? Electrical goods that had fallen off a truck - a bit of weed perhaps? Nup; toilet paper.
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Who need the old Boxing Day Sales when Myers would have some loss leaders like a super cheap fridge to get the mug punters queuing up outside the doors?
Just put some toilet rolls inside the windows but not too close or there will be smash and grab robberies.
And an article regarding human behaviour.
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A copy of the email message from Coles CEO.
"Dear XXXX,
As you may have seen, the past few days have been challenging for some customers with shortages of selected items, in particular toilet rolls! For which I apologise.
This is due to increased purchases of everyday items by some customers brought about, in part, by an international media & social media frenzy – which then causes other customers to lose confidence in the system and then buy more themselves. Australia has an outstanding supply chain and most of our products are sourced from Australia including toilet paper.
We’re working to re-stock shelves every day to meet demand, and we have agreements in place to increase production of everyday items in Australia if the need arises. We have increased the number of team members in our stores and our suppliers are doing the same.
However, in the short term, we have reluctantly chosen to introduce a temporary 4 pack limit on toilet paper to ensure the elderly and those groups at highest risk can still access the everyday products they need, and to reduce likelihood of bulk purchasing which then appear on the internet at a price premium.
I understand the average 4 person family needs around 20 rolls of toilet paper per fortnight, and larger packs contain around 30 rolls meaning 4 packs would total 120 rolls - enough for around 12 weeks.
We appreciate the understanding and patience of our customers who miss out, and our hardworking suppliers and team members who are doing their best to ensure we are helping all customers.
We appreciate your business and I know that security of grocery supply is a key concern for all Australians. Through the bushfires I also know that Australia is at its best when we all come together to help each other.
Regards & thanks,
Steven Cain
Chief Executive Officer
Coles Group"
“and to reduce likelihood of bulk purchasing which then appear on the internet at a price premium.”
And the grubs he was referring to.
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Meanwhile in Singapore.
Just in time - SuperCheap Auto to the rescue … (email received yesterday, no - I have no connection with SuperCheap …)
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This link raises the interesting thought that perhaps the people panic buying are the smart ones. All of us rolling our eyes are the losers. After all, as soon as a handful of people start panic buying those of us that don’t join in risk ending up with nothing (much like panic withdrawing from a bank)
What did humans do before TP? We can surely survive. Surely we can. First World problem.
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