Plumbers warn against flushing down the toilet:
Regular paper such as newspaper
Baby wipes
Facial tissues
Cotton balls
These can cause serious plumbing issues.
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Indeed, but I don’t think flushing toilets were in use in the above posts 
How long before we see truckloads of TP being hijacked? Could it get that ridiculous?
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… everything runs its course …
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Buying for a week would be ordinary at any time. Now it is wise. Remember the thing about panic buying. Covid 19 will not increase bottom wiping. Those who panic buy wont buy more for a long time. And Australia has a first class supply system. No sweat.
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Classic.
It’s possibly what is not being said by our leadership that is creating the panic response.
On one hand there are calls to stay calm.
In the next breath there is talk of tough measures, and draconian powers to jail individuals for up to five years if they do not observe quarantine.
The following breath offers little certainty about how any quarantine might be applied, leaving the imagination to run away.
Perhaps some of those leading the overstocking craze have experienced tough times in other countries, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, parts of Asia?
The tough talking rhetoric of some of the leadership about strong boarders and current travel restrictions (despite realistic needs) might be bringing back the memories of repressive regimes of the past. The days of punishment and shortages draining on the needs of simply trying to live a normal day.
It would be really great to here the PM and Minister for Home Affairs say we are not going to lock anyone in their apartment with their last loaf of mouldy bread for 2weeks or 2months and let them starve.
A slightly more informed view.
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A hard-enough cough, under the wrong circumstances … 
I went to our local Coles this morning to buy a few items and looked at the toilet paper aisle which was totally empty, as usual, except for all the notices regarding the 1 roll limit.
I asked the lady on duty at the self serve checkouts if she had seen any toilet rolls being bought today and she said she had.
I mentioned that the aisle was empty which she was aware of, and I said that I could not believe it was the case at 10:40 AM in view of the 1 roll limit.
She replied that there were some 30 “pesrons” waiting for the store to open at 8:00 AM today.
Presumably these individuals were re-entering the store to get more and go through different checkouts so as to circumvent the restrictions.
What a disgraceful bunch of selfish grubs.
And the new customer notice in the toilet roll aisles which sums the situation up perfectly.
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Just our usual once a week trip out and big shop.
Our local Sunshine Coast Woolies has a two pack limit on TP. Retailer opportunism remains high?
There was limited stock of Quilton in 24 roll packs!
We would have been happy with our usual 4 roll pack buy, which lasts about one week. You take what you can get on the day.
Most other items seemed ok for supply, although tissues, liquid soap and paracetamol were all looking a little sparse on the shelf.
Is there further evidence there is no logic to the panic demand for toot paper?
There were no signs baby’s disposable nappies or feminine sanitary products were under similar consumer pressure! Pet food was also in good supply.
A range of popular confectionery bars were all half price. It would be understandable if they were in demand. One fun way to calorie load the pantry just in case. Something we added in our NQ cyclone prep kits as there is no cooking or special storage required.
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I just can’t think of any logical reason to panic buy the one item which is not really an ‘essential’ to life like food items are.
At first I thought it was fear of interrupted supplies coming from overseas, but then realised we have plenty of local suppliers.
It’s just so baffling
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Who knows what spark set it off, from then on it became self sustaining, the more that people bought, the more it provoked others to buy.
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That one is another mystery! More headaches wondering what to do with the mountain of TP they rushed out to buy?
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I have seen the overseas media reports of empty shelves of pasta, rice, longlife milk, etc, and toilet paper, but those countries are right in the virus situation, many people being infected and sadly having deaths resulting from it, and are having quarantines imposed.
But here in Au? We are not experiencing those same things as yet,
and, who knows, maybe we never will be as bad, God willing.
Why panic buying anything let alone
paper? Can it really be following what others are doing without reasoning?
I thought more highly of my neighbors!
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No, it’s wanting to make a buck.
Coles emailed me telling me that an average family of 4 goes through 20 rolls every 2 weeks. that’s 2.5 rolls per person per week.
What are they eating?
Many are selling on Ebay, there was a photo on twitter of a guy with a truckload of paper selling it on the side of the road
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and to that baby wipes, any kind of wipes. flour, sugar, tissue paper, paper towels and not sure what else as I’ve not been inside Coles in over a week.
Last week I took the last packet of cooking salt as I use it to clean, need to get a packet of bi carb but they had none and were running very low on very cheap vinegar.
Detergents, soap, dish washing were all low.
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Wow, I haven’t been supermarket shopping for over 2 weeks, it sounds like all the shelves will be bare by Thursday when I next venture into town!
We’ve got 5 rolls of TP here, which should last until the madness subsides in a few weeks. (That’s 5 rolls, not 5 huge packs of 36!)
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Only had 2 rolls left when the madness started. So ordered online. Now they are sold out.
I ordered 48 rolls for $50 it will takes ages to get through, some of the money is going towards building toilets in the developed world.
Saw a comment from them on line that Australia and USA have completely sold out…
Could have ordered 24 rolls but 48 was cheaper.
I hardly do any shopping at the Supermarkets but this is telling me to get everything from other sources.
Fruit/Veg/Herbs/butter/yogurt/eggs all come from farmers markets
Dry goods/shampoo/handwash/body wash/dishwashing powder/ detergent from a specialty store
Not much left to get from the supermarkets
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Who Gives a Crap were on ABC news the other night saying they had halted deliveries while they figure out what’s going on, but the warehouse appeared to have huge stacks of boxes of TP.
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I saw that as well. The warehouse is only holding boxes for existing customers. Many businesses use their paper.
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Visited our local Woolworths today and virtually all the shelves containing tinned tonatoes were empty. Looks like there are many worried about tin tomatoes too…possibly because some are made in Italy, the location of the second biggest outbreak.
What next, dates from Iran etc etc?
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