Either way, toilet paper remains a hot commodity in stores across the metro region, with some hoarding basic necessities and others simply replenishing it for fear of drying out.
Several retailers said this week that once they are in stock, the shelves will be empty within hours.
And the obligatory pictures of those empty store shelves and posts from people who love to shoot rolls – or, unfortunately, get squeezed out – keep popping up on social media feeds.
Then there are the toilet paper stories of people who seem too good to be true.
Like the 77-year-old Eagan woman who reported last week that someone broke into her car in an underground car park in her apartment complex and stole her pack of 24 toilet paper. In completing the incident report, Eagan Police Officer Daniel McCarty rated the loss of toilet paper as “priceless”.
An enterprising pizza shop owner in Virgina Beach, Virginia used toilet paper last week to increase sales. Windy City Pizza rounded off any large or deep pizza order with a roll of toilet paper.
“Take a 6 pack of cold beer or wine and put this 2-ply to the test!” The pizzeria wrote in a Facebook post on March 26th.
Unfortunately, the price drop is not slowing down.
The owner of a smoking shop in downtown St. Paul was brought to his knees last week for charging US $ 79.99 for a 36-roll packet of toilet paper, according to Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who called the act “Pandemic Profit”.
After finding the store shelves near his South St. Paul home empty, John Stone turned to eBay for toilet paper. He told KARE 11 that he thought he was paying $ 10 for a four-pack, so he spent $ 40 and bought four. It turned out he was being charged $ 10 per roll.
“And to make the injury worse, I checked my PayPal account and found that I was being charged an additional $ 20 for shipping,” Stone told the broadcaster.
There are also some cautionary stories.
Lift stations in Apple Valley, Eagan and Lakeville, as well as elsewhere in the subway area, are being clogged with so-called “flushable” towels, which appear to be used in place of toilet paper. City officials warn that the cloths are not flushable and can cause major damage not only to lifting stations, but also to pipelines in houses.
Heather Berens and a dozen other homeowners in the Red Pine neighborhood of Eagan found their basements flooded with raw sewage about a week ago after a city lift station was secured.
“City workers came out and told us the lift station was secured because people were flushing non-flushable appliances when they couldn’t find TP,” she said in an email to Pioneer Press on Wednesday. “Fricking awesome!”
When Pioneer Press asked readers about their toilet paper stories on Facebook on Wednesday, they got through.
Readers said that most stores still limit customers to one or two packages, depending on the retailer. Others said they ordered some through Amazon. Others are still waiting to find some.
“Walmart only brought out pallets – there is no point in stocking shelves when it is so fast,” wrote Tonja Miller in the Pioneer Press Facebook post.
Another reader, Amy Jansen, said she swapped with a friend.
“Traded a dozen eggs for 3 rolls of TP and 1 roll of paper towel,” she wrote. “Both parties satisfied.”
Elizabeth O’Mara said a Girl Scout sold her six cookies and threw a roll of TP in them.
Other readers have alternatives.
“Tamales corn husks work pretty well,” wrote Tito Jacques.
Chantelle Kley said in an email that she cut up scraps of flannel from baby blankets and pajamas to use as reusable, washable towels. She said she will start using them after going to number 1. “But if the toilet paper shortage lasts much longer, my entire family of five will be using the flannel towels all day!”
Meanwhile, Eileen Bertie said in an email that she has Pioneer Press delivered to her home in Roseville on Sundays and Thursdays and when her family goes out, “We will do what our ancestors did. We’re going to use our stacked old papers and wipe our butts. “