THE NEW TOILET PAPER…

A quick Google search will show you that surfboards, bikes, trampolines and coins are “the new toilet paper” of the pandemic economy. Now that the most coveted item of 2020 is back in stock, consumers are turning their attention to activity and entertainment. It seems like the great toilet paper stock up of 2020 is mostly behind us.

But is it really?

According to the our latest edition of the National TP Index, the answer is yes (in the U.S.). For the month of June, toilet paper was actually ranked lower (28th) on the CPG purchase ranking than it had been in the two months prior to the pandemic (25th).

Although the product has dropped in importance in the average consumer shopping basket, manufacturers are still playing catch-up and adjusting to having more butts at home. As of June 30th, 31% of U.S. grocery stores were still out of stock of the item for most of the day. Paper towels have also experienced continued stock-outs, with 51% of grocery stores having empty shelves for most the day.

As for us, we’re hoping there is no “new toilet paper” and we can return to a state of ready access to whatever we want and need. To see how toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, tissues, and other paper goods have fared, check out the table below.