THE TP INDEX: ROUND #2

In mid-March, shoppers spent more on toilet paper than on any other grocery-store category, causing widespread shortages (and more than a few mid-aisle brawls). By summer, sales of the commode-ity had leveled off to just slightly higher than pre-COVID numbers … leaving behind a niggling suspicion that more shortages could be on the horizon. To see if there was truth to that fear (or if it was just leftover trauma from having to resort to single-ply for a couple months), we dove back into our National TP Index.

If you were one of the folks grabbing an extra pack during your grocery trips over the past few months, you just might be set up for a better winter than the rest of us. According to nationwide sales data, TP is once again climbing the ranks. While the product typically hovers between 20th-30th place in the rank of overall CPG spending (out of 340 grocery categories), we saw it hit 13th place in late October, and then ascend to 5th place on November 18. Sales remained elevated 64% YOY in November, as we approach the holidays — a time when we typically see a decreased TP rank, as customers spend more in other CPG categories.

Were you one of the ones laughing at your family who insisted on stocking up? If so, it’s not too late to add a bidet to your Christmas list.