The Brief: As shoppers stock up at the grocery store to prepare for Coronavirus quarantines and social distancing, stores have been selling out of toilet paper, causing widespread shortages and inspiring toilet paper hoarding memes.
DEEP DIVE
Toilet paper memes joke about the absurdity of people hoarding bathroom tissue, of all things, during a pandemic. Toilet paper shortages have become widespread in the United States as consumers stockpile TP along with items including hand sanitizer, surgical masks, latex gloves, and food.
This specific form of panic buying points to shoppers preparing for lengthy Coronavirus quarantines. Unfortunately, this has made toilet paper harder to access for everyone, whether they’re hoarding supplies themselves, or just happened to run out at an inconvenient time.
Although there have been widespread reports of toilet paper selling out of stores, the supply chain remains generally uninterrupted and retailers continue to restock. The #PanicBuying that has occurred may be a result of misinformation spreading, or a chain reaction caused after a few people started stocking up and others following suit to avoid running out during a potential shortage. Toilet paper memes make fun of consumers who collectively caused a shortage by buying mass amounts of something that won’t actually help them if they’re infected with COVID-19.
Toilet paper hoarding, but make it fashion:
Some Millennials and Gen Zers have been blaming Boomers for these shortages:
boomers hearing about the coronavirus: "omg we're all going to die BUY TOILET PAPER NOW"
zoomers reacting to the coronavirus: pic.twitter.com/cN2RYAyXO1
— ☀️👀 (@zei_squirrel) March 13, 2020
People. This should be the LIQUOR aisle… not the toiletries aisle. You're doing it wrong.#panicbuying pic.twitter.com/oa0NSHP6Nj
— Blips and Blurbs (@HalRuckus) March 13, 2020
SOCIALISM: wait in line to get bread
CAPITALISM: wait in line to not get bread. Or toilet paper pic.twitter.com/9iYFLLA7Mh
— Drew Franklin (@colonialpanic) March 14, 2020
A Monsters Inc. Stoic face toilet paper meme:
RIP my butt from dankmemes
An Avengers Endgame meme: