"Controlling cleanliness around B.M.s (bowel movements)the earliest way the child asserts control. The fact that now we are all presumably losing control creates a regressive push to a very early time."
"So the thinking goes...If I have a lifelong supply of toilet paper,I'll never be out of control, never be a helpless dirty child again."
Andrea Greenman, president of the Contemporary Freudian Society
Why to explain it with a simple 'people don't want to run out of toilet paper' when you can talk about early Freudian traumas related to bowel movement? π
Freud believed that human beings equate feces with gold or money. It is the child's first 'gift'. The turning point in a child's so called anal phase is when he learns to relinquish his 'gift'.
I think Freud was full of shit, but it does make for great reading.
No, it's just like any rush on anything, it creates panic, and the fear of missing out, or being caught out, is why it spreads.
It might be heightened because being caught out with no toilet paper is not a very nice idea.
I believe this rush started in Australia and for the first week, Americans were saying 'it's fine here', but within a week, Americans were buying up toilet paper as well as the images spread on social media.
You want to get ahead of a possible trend.
Now Americans have this problem.
Then there are people like me who while shopping, despite normally only repurchasing it when I'm down to 2 rolls decided 'oh look, someone is restocking, I'll rush over and get some'.
So I bought a 4 pack.
Then a week later I saw a 12 pack and thought 'grab it', despite not needing it right now.
I don't want to wait until I need it and they don't have any that day. I don't want to be returning then every day waiting for someone to restock. It's more about not wanting to put myself in an undesirable position.
Toilet paper is something you really don't want to be caught without. Hand soap and sanitizer can also be hard to come by right now, too. With something like food, even if your favorite stuff is out, you can always get by with something else. The grocery store isn't likely to run out of everything, so no panic buying for that kind of thing.
I'm in Australia and I went to the supermarket today. The toilet paper was back on the shelves but now the tomato sauce ( ketchup ), frozen vegetables, vitamin C and bar soap ( including the laundry bar soap ) have been bought out.
Now that you mention it, I do remember one of our Aussies first mentioning the TP run. It may have been Quasimodo.
Then a week or so later it began here in the US. Might have started earlier in the UK and other places.
I was already low and due to buy more TP, along with several other things (paper towels, hand lotion, and whatever), so bought more than usual as a precaution (meaning two large packages) and haven't bought any since.
I only bought a bit more than I needed, and then stopped buying. I agree that once people feel they have enough (although for some that means a year or two's supply), they'll eventually stop and shelves can be restocked again.