"Panic buying behaves much like a bank run. Nobody knows exactly where it starts-some single, bleating data point that says this store is going to run out of toilet paper, or this bank is going to run out of money."
"The shortage was so severe it caused a measurable shift in American bathroom habits: Bidet sales spiked and, for many households, stuck. But researchers who studied the episode afterward found no actual supply chain disruption for toilet paper."
"Now the panic buying is back-this time in Japan-and in some ways it makes even less sense. During COVID, supply chains across every sector were under strain."
Japanese consumers are panic buying toilet paper amid the U.S.-Israeli-Iran conflict, despite no direct connection to the product. The government has urged citizens to refrain from stockpiling. Panic buying resembles a bank run, where misinformation spreads rapidly through social media, prompting consumers to hoard goods. The previous panic during COVID-19 saw toilet paper sales surge dramatically, yet researchers found no supply chain disruptions. The current situation in Japan reflects similar irrational behavior, with consumers reacting to perceived threats rather than actual shortages.
Read at Fortune
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