Basic Requirements - toilet paper!

[Jane563]

I am very fortunate in that I have a Monday-Friday MSc student. Before she left on Friday morning she said that she wishes to stay this week, provided her university doesn’t close and no travel restrictions come in. She asked what would happen with her money if things change over the weekend.

I very much doubt if I will get anyone else this coming week and told her to book on Sunday evening, just in case things change and said I would keep the room. I also promised her I would refund if she has to go home before Friday. I am talking about a very good guest (who I left in my home, while I went away for a few days) who has booked with me lots of times.

My problem is toilet roll. I usually buy a big pack once a month, but my supplies are starting to dwindle. I resisted the temptation to panic buy and now I can’t get more!  Supplying it is a requirement that I won’t be able to meet unless things change in the UK.

I’m thinking of asking her to bring some in exchange for a discount!!!

[Helen350]

I knew I could rely on you, @Sarah977 !

[Christine615]

Because of hoarding. All of the stores in Kansas City are sold out. One day Costco got a $30,000 shipment of toilet paper and paper towels and it was gone by lunchtime. They're limiting water to 2 case per customer/day.

Also sold out is cleaners, hand sanitizers, rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide. We have plenty, but I can easily see how it would be difficult for a host to have enough (some report it being taken by guests - others report getting an infusion from out of state guests as a gift).

Depends. But I'm glad I stocked up the week before the zombie apocalypse was announced. Now people line up for a block around the stores and rush the doors at opening.

[Michelle53]

Our local Costco has only one door open, a line to get a cart and get in, and police at the door. 

The line waiting to get in when I went by there (on another errand) was the length of the store and across the parking lot.  No paper products available. 

[Dawn81]

I wouldn't even worry about providing her with additional financial compensation. I'm sure your rates are reasonable as it is. Just ask her if she can obtain any TP and if so to bring it with her because of the panic buying you're unable to guarantee a supply of toilet tissue.

[Jane563]

The good news is that I got up early and went to the store when it opened. There had been a delivery!! At last I have some - I was down to two rolls.

And my guest wants to come back this week and next.

[Kath9]

@Jane563, wow, interesting to see this phenomenon happening in other parts of the world too. Nice to know it isn't just Australians who are a bit dim. @Donald28, as others have said, the supermarket shelves are empty of TP and our supermarkets here are limiting sales to 2 rolls per person. Apparently, people are queuing outside of supermarkets before 8am to be the first to get to the toilet paper. WTAF???? Rice, I get (kind of). But toilet paper? Geez, I'd hate to see these same people cope with being an Afghani refugee or something. Anyway, I'm now asking my guests to be sparing with toilet paper. And I think it's a reasonable request to ask your guest to bring their own (it might eventually come to that for me too). I wouldn't worry about the discount though. I would simply say, if you want toilet paper, you need to bring your own, otherwise a bottle of water will be supplied!

[Sarah977]

@Kath9  I agree- I think it's quite reasonable for hosts to request that their guests be as conservative as possible with things like tp and sanitizer right now, or bring their own. Everyone is aware of the shortages, and if guests are just going to use the stuff like it grows on a tree in the host's yard, that's pretty selfish. We might think about providing a basket of clean rags for guests to use to mop up spills and such, so they don't just grab some tp or paper towels. 

There was plenty of tp in all the stores on my shopping run yesterday in Puerto Vallarta, but sanitizers, Clorox and Lysol wipes, and rubbing alcohol were all out everywhere. It would be an interesting study to see what the variation, country by country is, as to what they consider to be essential when people are in a crisis situation.

[Helen3]

@Jane563  have you tried your local shops.

Here in Bristol there is still plenty in local shops, just not in supermarkets where idiots panic buyings are making it impossible for the rest of us to access basics like toilet roll and soap.

[Sam397]

@Donald28 how can you say that running out of TP is on the host, first off have you been to Cotsco or any store for that matter, all the shelves are empty including Cotsco. I myself am not out of TP but its going to be an issue real quick. It has nothing to do with being unprepared or a irresponsible host. Its because of storage space. Do you realize how much space it would take to store months  or even weeks supply of paper products  for 5 listings.  Now if I had known this was going to happen I would have found a place to store it but at least in my area once people started buying it all up stores like Cotsco and Wal Mart was out of stock in one day. I was at Cotco on Wednesday and there was plenty, on Friday I was told by a friend that she had to go to 5 different stores to find TP and how Cotsco and WalMart were completely out. I went out on Saturday looking and cant find one store that has any at all, so yes you can put this on the virus and people buying it all up.  

As far as asking guest to bring their own, I guess its better than not having any but its not something I want to do if at all possible. 

[Jackie570]

The city I live in has two paper mills (Georgia-Pacific and Procter & Gamble), and a third (Kimberly Clark) is less than 50 miles away. We have the toilet paper factories and our stores have been sold out of the stuff. How can anyone possibly blame the people who can't find any to buy right now? 

[Michelle53]

There's one thing it looks like no-one has considered in the TP discussion. Yes, there is hoarding, and panic buying. But there's another aspect. With schools closing and people being asked to work from home, and  families being asked to stay home, they're buying products they wouldn't need under ordinary circumstances, because school and work supply them. 

I work from home, and have for a long time. I know pretty exactly how much I use in a month in paper products. My guess is most people really have no idea, except that they probably use office paper products pretty freely.  

I imagine a lot of buying is just because people generally have no clue what they're going to need, or for how long. 

By the way, I was at Costco yesterday (Monday). I wanted to avoid the weekend crowds. They were completely out of paper products, except for a few boxes of commercial-sized, recycled paper towel rolls, and completely out of frozen vegetables. 

[Laura2592]

I too resisted the urge to panic buy. We have several rolls left in our storage shed (locked) and enough at our primary house. But guests have been taking what we leave out which is typically one back up roll per bathroom. At this rate we will run out very quickly. 

There is NOTHING in stores. We have been three times in the past week to get some extra things here and there-- Wegmans, Costco and Target. Costco has a sign saying "no TP." Even our little bodegas are sold out. So I just purchased some commercial sized rolls online. They are 5 rolls in one-- too big to fit on a regular holder. I am debating doing a temporary rig in our cottage bathroom for guests with a lock. 

[Sandra126]

Our local shop had been hit by swarms of city shoppers, who are driving around scouring the countryside around the city for flour, rice, pasta, frozen goods, paper products etc. What is left for locals, not a lot. They have introduced special hours for the aged and disabled and carers so they can shop in peace for the first hour of the day.

[Juan63]

We are thinking of buying a a tushy bidet. Not sure if this is an option for you. They are not expensive and easy to install:

https://hellotushy.com/

[Maxine3]

@Jane563   @Helen350  @Juan63  @Louise0  @Stephanie  @Donald28  Well, down here in Devon, We just ran out of toilet rolls, and are having to resort to lettuce leaves. - I fear this is the tip of the iceberg . . .