### Toilet Paper Panic Buying Resurfaces Amidst Ongoing Port Strike

As fears over the impact of a nationwide port strike grow, toilet paper panic buying has once again gripped parts of the United States. Approximately 45,000 members of the International Longshoremen's Association walked out on Tuesday morning, following the expiration of their contract with the ports. This labor action, affecting around 36 ports, has sparked a new wave of consumer anxiety.

Consumers in states like New Jersey, Colorado, and Virginia have taken to social media, posting photos of empty shelves at their local stores. Despite expert assurances that the strike is more likely to affect imports such as bananas, alcohol, and seafood, shoppers have rushed to stockpile toilet paper, fearing potential shortages.

Notably, most of the toilet paper sold in the United States is produced domestically. According to the Center for Land Use Interpretation, domestic factories supply the bulk of the nation's toilet paper, primarily transported by rail and truck rather than through ports. Even the relatively small amount imported mainly comes from Canada and Mexico, routes unaffected by the current strike.

Georgia Republican Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene commented on the issue, citing the strike as the cause of the toilet paper shortage in her local store. "Toilet paper is always the first to go," she posted on X, adding, "We shouldn't be dependent on foreign countries for all of our needs! Put America FIRST!!!"

Social media is rife with similar reports. An X user shared an image from a Costco in Brick, New Jersey, captioned "No toilet paper to be had!" Meanwhile, another post reported, "Toilet paper panic started already at Sam's club. No toilet paper," and a further user lamented, "They cleaned out the toilet paper at my local Walmart in Virginia. Toilet paper hoarding 2.0!"

While many remember the toilet paper shortages at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, others warn that unnecessary panic buying can create real shortages. During the first lockdown phase, Americans spent an unprecedented $1.4 billion on toilet paper within four weeks, more than double the expenditure during the same period the previous year, as reported by the Washington Post. This frenzied demand far exceeded supply, causing a nationwide shortage.

The repeating pattern of toilet paper panic buying reveals how quickly consumer behavior can escalate into actual shortages, driven by fear rather than facts.