A strike by dock workers on Thursday was temporarily suspended as a wage deal was reached. Read on The latest at CBSNews.com.
As the port strike continues into its third day, some consumers are raising concerns that toilet paper could lead to shortages, prompting some to clear the supply from store shelves. But experts say there’s no need to worry about toilet paper shortages because most of it is made in the United States.
Some consumers on Thursday posted pictures of empty shelves at major retailers, with some noting that shoppers were filling their carts with rolls of toilet paper. For some, the images suggest replaying the impact of the pandemic in 2020, when supply chain problems due to a health emergency lead to real shortages of toilet paper and other products.
“You … the toilet paper hoard of 2020 is back!” A shopper X, the former wrote on Twitter. “Two Costcos sold out of the Kirkland brand. Everyone in line had 2 packages, one guy had 8!! Seriously people, please don’t do this again…”
But experts say the situation with the dock workers’ strike is different 14 ports were closed Tuesday on the East and Gulf Coasts. The labor dispute is unlikely to affect many supermarket products, such as toilet paper or meat and breakfast cereals, because they are mostly produced locally, Michigan State University professor Jason Miller told CBS News.
“It’s really important for everyone to understand that this is a completely different situation than the global pandemic that we didn’t know what we were dealing with four and a half years ago,” said Miller, the supply chain expert. , he said. “There’s no reason to panic with this port strike. You know, everything will be fine.”
About 85% of US tissue paper demand, including toilet paper, paper towels, napkins and facial tissue, is supplied by US tissue manufacturers, according to a report by the American Forest & Paper Association, a trade group for the paper and wood products industry. .
“The American Forest & Paper Association is aware of reports of a toilet paper shortage, which some say is the cause of the current port strike,” the group’s CEO Heidi Brock said in an emailed statement to CBS MoneyWatch.
“We continue to insist,” he added [International Longshoremen’s Association] And USMX wants to quickly end this strike and restore our members’ access to export products, and we want to emphasize that we are not aware of any anticipated impact on tissue product supply in the United States.”
Can stores impose toilet paper limits?
Ironically, panic buying or hoarding can create shortages of toilet paper or other products, even though the risk of a shortage due to a port strike is low, Miller said.
“I think retailers are going to take control of things again very quickly,” Miller noted. “It would be really helpful if some of the big retailers would come out and make some public statements about this. You know, Walmart, Target, Costco would come out and say, ‘There’s too much supply, we’re putting limits on this, stop. I’m doing it.'”
Walmart, Target, Kroger and Publix did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Kimberly-Clark, maker of Cottonell and Scott brand products, said the port strike “is not currently impacting our ability to supply our paper products or other products”.
What products will be affected by the port strike?
That’s not to say some products won’t be affected by a strike, especially if it spans weeks, not days. more than 100 types of foodIndustries, including bananas and chocolate, depend on operations that are now closed, while imported beverages such as beer and wine are at risk of shortages if the strike continues.
For example, buying bananas on the East Coast or even finding them can be expensive. Imported wine may be in short supply, although there will still be plenty of wine on the shelves, America being a major producer.
“If you’re on the East or Gulf Coast, I’d say enjoy the bananas while they’re available. Because if this strike lasts three weeks, it’s going to be very difficult or expensive. Bananas,” Miller noted.
Even so, he added, most of the goods consumed in the United States are produced domestically.
“Even though there’s this narrative that we don’t produce anything in the U.S., we actually produce a tremendous amount of stuff,” Miller said. “And especially the things in the supermarket that we make here, the soap and detergent you use is made here in America. Now you don’t have to buy a year’s supply thinking it’s from Europe.”
Nancy Chen et al
contributed to this report.
