Why Is Everyone Suddenly Buying Tissue Boxes?

Hi all

Apologies if I've been living under a rock but my local woolies / coles / aldi have been out-of-stock of tissue boxes. I understand it's flu season surely people aren't getting that sick during these WFH times to the point where stock-levels are like beginning-of-covid toilet paper shortages.

Is everyone just getting so ill or has not everyone figured that you can also use toilet paper?

Comments

  • +4

    Definitely noticed empty shelves in Coles CBD too. Tons of toilet paper but not a single tissue box, not even the pocket packs that no one ever buys.

    Not sure if it's high demand or they just haven't had stock in a while so sold out over time.

    • +19

      It's because Murdoch spewed the idea of tissue/paper towel/etc shortages into crud media about 2 weeks ago.

      • +3

        No, its because everyone is crying over high costs of living, rent and life in general. Case closed

        • People cry over the cost of living all the time, toilet/tissue has been harder to buy in quantity at times since covid started and there have been several runs after media reports on it.

          NB Its a pet hate when people use expressions such as 'case closed' like they can stop the dialog on their (Often incorrect, point).

          • +2

            @Franc-T: Case closed.

            • @HumbleCat: You said the thing he said was stupid! This obviously means you’re funny, not stupid!

          • +1

            @Franc-T: The joke was about using tissues for the tears. Don’t argue a joke.

      • Rent free

    • Im not. Dont blame me

  • +1

    I use paper towel. It's sick, bro.

    • +7

      Yuppie, try toilet paper.

      • +3

        Lol this 100%, spent years of my life without tissues in the house. Chuck a roll next to by bed when sick, like most do with tissues lol.

        Think a lot of people forget this when they're out, of you really need tissues, paper towel or toiletpaper from a public toilet is sometimes better than nothing.

        • +1

          And it's worth noting that toilet paper is also available with Aloe Vera added, so more soothing if your nose is a bit raw from frequent wiping.

          paper towel or toiletpaper from a public toilet is sometimes better than nothing.

          That type of paper is pretty cheap and rough.

          A better option: keep a roll of toilet paper in the boot of your car for this and other emergencies, like when a pigeon or seagull leaves a large deposit on your windscreen. Also moderately good for cleaning the car's windscreen wiper blades.

          • +1

            @Russ: Not a bad idea. I've got paper towel for this reason. Only downside of TP is if it's wet it falls apart really easily while wiping something.

            • +1

              @lancesta:

              it falls apart really easily

              True, but I wouldn't want to wipe my nose with kitchen paper. Sadly no single product can do all of the tasks.

              Sealed sachets with hand-cleaning towelettes are stronger again, and are pre-moistened. Perhaps keep a couple of those in the glove box too.

              • @Russ: Yeah definitely true. They need to be that way to be flushed so I'm not too bothered by it.

  • +65

    Nice try, this is just Big Tissue trying to cause a run on tissues.

    • Have I just found a TARPer in the wild?

      • +16

        Kleenex is made at the Millicent mill in SA. Low value, light weight, very bulky, doesn't make sense to make it on the other side of the world. Would be far better to make in Asia if we were going to do it overseas (but we don't).

        We're probably having the same issue when toilet paper ran out. Rumours circulate that there's a shortage for some reason when there isn't, and seeing empty shelves makes people panic buy even more. But there was never an issue with supply to begin with.

        • -4

          Rumours circulate that there's a shortage for some reason when there isn't

          You don't say?

          • +10

            @whatwasherproblem: But now there's a shortage because of the run caused by the rumour.
            I'm about to pop out to get as much as I can fit in a trolley before all those people that believe the rumours get there and buy everything

            • +3

              @CacheHunter: That's using the ol' noodle!

              I'll join you. In fact I'd better leave right now so I can get in even earlier, before all of the people getting in early to stay ahead of the rumour-run get all of the product first.

        • +6

          @freefall101 You can say what you like, but its a verifiable fact that more than 90% of the Ukrainian toilet paper that gets imported into Australia each year comes from Ukraine.

        • +1

          Correct. But the pulp to make the tissue comes from China, so supply issues may be an issue for the tissue…..

          • @saltypete: I work for a paper (not tissue) company, and we export pulp to China en masse, so it seems unlikely that we'd be importing tissue paper making pulp from there.

            • @KlyJuly: Kimberly Clark shut there pulp making down over 10 years ago and imported pulp from China to make tissue products.
              But, that was 10 years ago, so I guess they could be getting it from anywhere. They are a bit vague about their pulp source - so guessing it is still China, but could be wrong…..
              Tissue uses mainly softwood pulp plus a little hardwood, different to paper I think…..

          • @saltypete: Then why is there no stock of no issues tissues

            • +1

              @CandyMan: To quote the Nobel poet laureate
              “To each his own
              It’s all unknown
              If dogs run free.”

      • +5

        I heard that 90% of Australia's tissue paper is actually made in Ukraine.

        lol!!!!!

        If you believe them EVERYTHING is/was made in Ukraine!!!!!! From cars to crops E V E R Y T H I N G ! ! ! ! !

        • Yep, couldn’t be anything to do with a global suply chain and pandemic, and shitty transport logistics. Surely not!

        • Actually the crops one is true though, at least for wheat crops. Ukraine is one of the top exporters (the other being Russia), and with the two of them not being able to grow/export wheat on account of that 'special operation' Putin's got going on at the moment, the price of wheat has skyrocketed for the people that have to import it.

          If Australia is smart about this, then we're actually in a really good place to capitalize on the opportunity, since we have a pretty good wheat export industry ourselves.

          • +1

            @whatwasherproblem:

            Actually the crops one is true though, at least for wheat crops.

            Not really. Only 3% of world wheat produce originated in Ukraine. "Shortages" started because of sanctions/restrictions against Russia the biggest producer after China and India.

            As with cars, electronic chips, fuel, tissues and a lot of other "unusual, unjustified and inexplicable" shortages are now flagged "because of Ukraine".
            Hard to believe at very least.

            • @LFO: Because being Angry at Russia for blocking Ukraine is much more palatable to the public than realising it is because of sanctions against Russia by our government that are causing the shortages. Regardless much of it is BS, most toilet papers and tissues are made locally.

            • @LFO: There can be a big difference between the rankings of production & export.

              Some of the biggest producers consume almost all of their production internally. Ukraine was ranked 5th globally by export volume.

          • +1

            @whatwasherproblem: Is the 'special operation' covered by Medicare?

        • +1

          Cars? Put it in 'H'

  • +58

    To wipe away all the tears from the interest rate rises.

    • +18

      and the drop of bitcoins

      • +2

        Too soon :’(

      • -1

        “Good news for crypto fans, courtesy of Wall Street. According to JPMorgan, the crypto winter may not last much longer, given “the fact that crypto entities with the stronger balance sheets are currently stepping in to help contain contagion.” Still, Bitcoin is on track for its worst quarter in more than a decade.” - Bloomberg

  • +16

    My anecdotal experience is that lots of people have been sick for an extended period. Some people have basically recovered then fallen sick all over again.

    Also, OP - toilet paper for a runny nose? What sort of masochist are you?

    • Yep this.

      My project team has a strict policy of sending anyone with COVID or flu like symptoms to WFH. We've had a lot of people absent from the office in the last month and many people have caught COVID, recovered, but then been struck down by the flu or vice versa.

      But I also expect supply chains are constrained on the paper front too. So increased demand has probably just exacerbated the issue.

    • +3

      I have never bought a box of tissues in my life. If toilet paper is good enough for one end of my body then it’s damn well good enough for the other 😎

      • I suppose you use your nail clippers for haircuts too

      • all well and good till you have a flu/head cold, Toilet paper becomes like sandpaper to your nose after a while. In those situations I only use soft tissues, preferrably ones with aloe in it.

        • Only if you are a girly boy😜

    • +1

      It has been relentless since my kids have gone back to school. We caught a bad cold, got better for a few days caught the flu, got better caught another cold.

      It feels like every other week we are catching something. I feel like our kids and our immunity to everyday bugs because of the whole lockdown has just disappeared.

  • +12

    Rumour has it that there is a shortage of paper pulp and tissues will be in short supply for at least 3 months

  • +24

    Teenagers eh…

    • +6

      Yeah, I heard school holidays coming up, solved

      • +7

        Yup, teenagers sure do blow their noses a lot! Snot-nosed little scamps.

        • +1

          So thats what they call it these days…

  • +15

    cant buy lettuce so i buy tissue

    • +6

      Do you use the overnight soak technique - I've found they are the same as lettuce after 12 hours soak.

    • +8

      similar nutritional value…

      • Sadly true.

      • +1

        and taste…

        • But the texture is so good

      • I saw a programme on TV years ago where they put a lettuce in a plastic bag for a period of time. When they came back all that was in the bag was basically water.

  • +2

    wiping tear of joy for 5.2% pay rise

  • +8

    Covid is still going around plus an apparently bad cold/flu season coupled with ongoing supply issues equals bare shelves.

  • +3

    Why Is Everyone Suddenly Buying Tissue Boxes?

    A lot of people need it to clean up the excess lube for the pain 🚂 that's coming.

  • +2

    Too many w@nk*rs…. lol

    • Well, they’re largely in opposition now and can’t use the Parliament House supplies any more.

  • +2

    Everyone has a runny nose, or maybe all the (profanity) have bought them all up

    • Since when is (profanity) a profanity?

      • I've been on /pol/ too long probably because I can't even hazard a guess as to what you're saying when you say (profanity). Not because I have no idea, but because I have too many ideas for what you might've said and can't narrow one down.

        • +1

          (Profanity) the (profanity)ing (profanity)ies

  • +9

    Oh man…

    People can put up with a chip shortage for new cars, but when the Camry drivers find out about this, there will be an uproar.

  • +3

    My woolies got new stock in after 3 months of empty shelves and people were pulling them off the stacking trolley thing before they even got on the shelves

    • 2 box limit at my woolies.

      • I thought everyone knew this but during a grocery shop yesterday, the Woolies self-checkout supervisor at my local stopped an older lady who had 2 cartons of facial tissue boxes piled high in her trolley. The shopper was protesting that she had 2 boxes so it should be OK. Amusing what people try to get away with.

  • +5

    Yup, now its tissues. I got the case of the super cold and I needed tissues, aldi was sold out and they were sold out of eggs too!

    Went to woolies and their cheap tissues were gone, only like those $5-$6 tissues left and im like… i aint paying that much. I'm blowing my nose in some toilet paper and i did just that

  • +3

    Panic buy is the new normal.

  • -2

    Why Is Everyone Suddenly Buying Tissue Boxes?

    Albo is PM and Dan won't leave.

    • +6

      So are the snowflakes crying or doing something else…

      • +2

        Both

  • Be environmentally friendly and just use a tube sock

  • +5

    When did OzBargain become the hotspot for plebs? I read that the average user is on $200,000, owns a high yield investment vehicle powered by Eneloops.

    • I hear lots are stocking up on 100K Model Y Teslas so that Elon Musk can go to the moon. Maybe there is tissue there??

  • +8

    You can use the old granny trick. Grab a toilet paper roll, leave the end of the roll attached. Squeeze it a couple of times, allowing you to remove the cardboard centre. Now pull the paper out from the centre. It works just like a tissue box.

  • When there is colds or flu in this house I insist on the sickie using toilet paper so that it, along with all the germs, can be flushed away not left festering in some bin that someone has to empty. Tissues are used when no one is sick

    • +1

      If I'm at home I'll usually just hock my sickness gummies straight into the bathroom sink. That way you can get as much of the grossness out at once, no tissues needed, and then clean yourself up afterwards.

  • Tissue Boxes are a much better store of value than cryptos.

  • +1

    PornHub had a sale on subscriptions

  • Tissues are in short supply because more people are watching porn :)

  • +2

    Use a hankey

  • There’s a tree shortage. The LNP in NSW tried to kill all the Kolas and now we’re all paying the price 🐨

  • +1

    I went through a box a day when I had covid.

  • greens fault

  • Hey, buy up all of the tissues you like. But then don’t complain when I, a chronic allergy sufferer, sits next to you on the bus or train and sniffs, sneezes and clears my throat all of the time because I can’t get tissues.

  • +2

    There's a big difference when a boy and a girl says, "I went through a box of tissues while watching a movie."

    So op, the answer is a lot of people could be watching movies.

Login or Join to leave a comment