Preparing for Coronavirus?

[ciao_yall]

My sister was also complaining about having to buy Charmin. I don't live in the US so don't know the problem with it.

Here in Oz the local independent grocer was full of tp - including packs of 18.

First, I hate the name.  Second, I hated the old ads with Mr. Wipple caught squeezing the Charmin.  Third, I hate the current ads about how it's sooooo strong but soooooo soft.  Fourth, I hate how overpriced it is.

Nothing is as terrible as that ad campaign based around those bears who spend all their time talking about how they need the right brand of toilet paper to keep their butts clean.

Well, it kind of has the same problem as "feminine products"; showing things "in action" is problematic, as is describing their benefits in that context.

With blue liquid...

[apl68]

Since we're on the subject of TP, our main regional employer, the tissue mill, has said that since there is such a boom in demand they will recall some of the hundreds of workers they laid off last year when they shut half the mill down.  It's an ill wind that blows no one good, I guess.

BTW, they make Charmin.  They make ALL the major brands.  Not all of any of them, but some of each of them.

Are people actually using more TP now? (If so, why?) I would have thought that many households won't be buying any more TP for a year now they have stockpiled.

I'd expect the same thing, but apparently the corporation's trend-analyzers foresee an elevated demand for some months yet.  Of course these are home tissue paper rolls that are made at our plant, and home use (as opposed to commercial use--i.e., the big rolls found in public restrooms) doubtless has indeed gone way up as people are spending so much time at home.  It will take time for that trend to reverse as the economy re-starts.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Since we're on the subject of TP, our main regional employer, the tissue mill, has said that since there is such a boom in demand they will recall some of the hundreds of workers they laid off last year when they shut half the mill down.  It's an ill wind that blows no one good, I guess.

BTW, they make Charmin.  They make ALL the major brands.  Not all of any of them, but some of each of them.

Are people actually using more TP now? (If so, why?) I would have thought that many households won't be buying any more TP for a year now they have stockpiled.

I don't think it's a 'using' more tp kind of thing. I think it's due to lag time. The people who couldn't stock up since tp was out weeks ago are now stocking up. :)

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

My sister was also complaining about having to buy Charmin. I don't live in the US so don't know the problem with it.

Here in Oz the local independent grocer was full of tp - including packs of 18.

First, I hate the name.  Second, I hated the old ads with Mr. Wipple caught squeezing the Charmin.  Third, I hate the current ads about how it's sooooo strong but soooooo soft.  Fourth, I hate how overpriced it is.

Nothing is as terrible as that ad campaign based around those bears who spend all their time talking about how they need the right brand of toilet paper to keep their butts clean.

Well, it kind of has the same problem as "feminine products"; showing things "in action" is problematic, as is describing their benefits in that context.

<rant>
Natural part of life for most women. I don't recall seeing a commercial describing menstrual blood flow 'in action.' Actually, I think we need to desensitize people to the 'God-forbid-they-show-period-stuff-so-we-have-to-acknowledge-that-it-exists' mentality. Unfortunately, there are cultures (in the U.S. and other parts of the world) that have shamed women about natural body functions and still do. Some men I know don't really understand it either, but I'm not sure if that's due to the people I have engaged with socially, age, culture or the geographical region in which I live, probably a combination and I'm sure there are some other lurking variables.

The point is, if we can show bears rubbing their behinds, while commenting on how few dingleberries they have, etc., then we can show a simulation of periods because women need to know that a pad, or other menstrual 'device', is going to do the job, just like people want to know if tp will keep their a$$es clean. Consider how many other health-related commercials there are- can't go?- constipation?, have erectile disfunction?- need nasal irrigation?- going deaf?- need a hearing aid?- or how about those adult diapers?

</rant>

[ciao_yall]

The fluid is blue, so somehow that makes it more... realistic?

[clean]

Are people actually using more TP now? (If so, why?) I would have thought that many households won't be buying any more TP for a year now they have stockpiled.

I suspect that as we 'shelter in place' that we ARE using more (at home).  We are unlikely using more in total, but Im sure that my employer has easily saved 'a shit ton' of their paper budget by being closed (and remaining closed) at least through May 15 for staff and at least July 1 for students. 

I on the other hand, have had no choice but to use my own facilities as I dont go to work or venture out.  I can not even 'make a refund' at a local eatery or grocery store or walmart (the source of the raw material).

IF there are still stock outs in the TP shelves, then there may be a 'fool me once, shame on you;  fool me twice, shame on me' mentality.  Alternatively it could be a Scarlet O'hara moment, "As God is my witness, I will never be short of TP again!"

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

The fluid is blue, so somehow that makes it more... realistic?

Not more realistic. I suspect it is to mollify the people who are upset by it.

[ciao_yall]

The fluid is blue, so somehow that makes it more... realistic?

Not more realistic. I suspect it is to mollify the people who are upset by it.

If I had anything bright blue oozing from my body, I would be really upset.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

The fluid is blue, so somehow that makes it more... realistic?

Not more realistic. I suspect it is to mollify the people who are upset by it.

If I had anything bright blue oozing from my body, I would be really upset.

:) Me too. As a human, I have not experienced this. Perhaps other alien life forms have blue menses. Octopi have blue blood, but I'm pretty sure they don't menstruate. Then again, I am not a biologist.

[spork]

The fluid is blue, so somehow that makes it more... realistic?

Not more realistic. I suspect it is to mollify the people who are upset by it.

If I had anything bright blue oozing from my body, I would be really upset.

:) Me too. As a human, I have not experienced this. Perhaps other alien life forms have blue menses. Octopi have blue blood, but I'm pretty sure they don't menstruate. Then again, I am not a biologist.

Down with the Paper Industrial Complex! Use a menstrual cup.

[Parasaurolophus]

Are people actually using more TP now? (If so, why?) I would have thought that many households won't be buying any more TP for a year now they have stockpiled.

I suspect that as we 'shelter in place' that we ARE using more (at home).  We are unlikely using more in total, but Im sure that my employer has easily saved 'a shit ton' of their paper budget by being closed (and remaining closed) at least through May 15 for staff and at least July 1 for students. 

I on the other hand, have had no choice but to use my own facilities as I dont go to work or venture out.  I can not even 'make a refund' at a local eatery or grocery store or walmart (the source of the raw material).

IF there are still stock outs in the TP shelves, then there may be a 'fool me once, shame on you;  fool me twice, shame on me' mentality.  Alternatively it could be a Scarlet O'hara moment, "As God is my witness, I will never be short of TP again!"

That, and the TP supply is split between commercial and personal use products, which are different (and not sold or supplied the same way, either). The demand for the latter has sharply increased, while the demand for the former has sharply declined, so while there may be plenty of TP in theory, there's not enough of the right kind. Presumably the hoarding doesn't help, but there's gonna be a shortage anyway.

So I expect the mill is stepping up its production of personal TP.


The paper towel shortage, however, I find a little more puzzling.

[saffie]

The paper towel shortage, however, I find a little more puzzling.

Stores were running out of disposable Clorox wipes, so maybe more cleaning and wiping down of surfaces using a bottle of cleaner and paper towels? I also wondered about the increased hand washing prompting people to use disposable paper towels instead of reusing a cloth towel.

[Hegemony]

The fluid in those commercials is blue precisely because blue is not the color of any bodily secretion. That is also why washing machine liquid detergent is blue. Imagine if detergent were red or brown — a little smear of it on a white towel — no. Having studied this stuff, I mean academically, I don't buy that if commercials don't show realistic red-streaking-with-brown fluid on sanitary pads, they are body-shaming women. The fact is that we are biologically wired to find certain combinations of colors and substances repulsive, because they signal biological contamination. We are wired to regard those signs as risky, as regards ingesting them or getting them on our hands, and to keep away from them. This includes a slimy texture on meat; all kinds of viscous, stringy liquids; signs of blood; clots; and the like. If this list seems unappetizing or off-putting, that is precisely the response nature programmed. As the saying is, "Disgust is intuitive microbiology." The fact that women menstruate does not make them unclean, but the actual substances are designed to be unappealing, and giving a realistic display on TV is not going to sell products. In fact I imagine even the fact of this post seems pretty tasteless.

[Cheerful]

The things I learn on the Preparing for Coronavirus thread....

[apl68]

The paper towel shortage, however, I find a little more puzzling.

Stores were running out of disposable Clorox wipes, so maybe more cleaning and wiping down of surfaces using a bottle of cleaner and paper towels? I also wondered about the increased hand washing prompting people to use disposable paper towels instead of reusing a cloth towel.

That all sounds plausible.