Trying to buy name-brand toilet paper is currently a challenge in New York State.

Shoppers at BJ's in Wappingers Falls were experiencing flashbacks to the pandemic when they were greeted with empty shelves in the toilet paper aisle on Sunday. If you may remember the panic that happened in 2020 when there wasn't a roll of toilet paper to be found at any store you can understand their concern.

While there was still plenty of toilet paper to go around, news about production slowdowns due to the quarantine sent shoppers into a frenzy, stocking up over fears that they wouldn't be able to find any paper towels, napkins or toilet paper when they really needed it.

This panic buying caused the very shortages people feared. Even though those days are long gone, shoppers haven't forgotten the fear and anxiety they felt during the pandemic.

A. Boris
A. Boris
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Why is there a toilet paper shortage in New York State?

First of all, there isn't an actual toilet paper shortage.  What's happening is that stores are being overwhelmed by uninformed panic buyers. As the short-lived dockworker's strike was making headlines, people incorrectly assumed that the closure of shipping ports would result in a shortage of essential products at stores.

While a prolonged strike could have eventually affected the availability of specific items from overseas like clothing, some fruits and electronics, toilet paper was never in danger of being in short supply.

The majority of toilet paper, paper towels and other paper product manufacturers are located in the United States. Those items are shipped by truck and rail, not by ship. While the dockworker strike would have zero impact on the availability of these products, people who haven't forgotten the pandemic shortages began panic buying.

The impact has had a psychological effect on other shoppers who, seeing limited supplies of toilet paper, instinctually put it in their shopping cart even if they didn't need any.

The self-fulfilling shortage is now playing out at many stores throughout the Hudson Valley and New York State.

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When will the toilet paper shortage end?

Even though we're not technically experiencing a shortage of these products, stores may temporarily find themselves out of stock. The good news is that paper producers continue to manufacture and deliver toilet paper and other necessities, so those aisles should be restocked soon.

We'll likely see tight inventories at local stores over the next few weeks as people continue to make panic purchases. Seeing an empty shelf is enough to scare customers who've lived through the pandemic into buying things they don't need, but once everyone realizes there are no long-term shortages, things should eventually return to normal.

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