In contrast to last year when there was a run on Toilet Paper stemming from the spread of COVID-19, current sales are (pardon the expression) going down the toilet, notes Grumpy Editor.
In clearing grocers’ shelves, Americans spent more than $11 billion on toilet paper last year, up from a typical year’s $9 billion. The gain is attributed to a combination of increased use, with many people working from homes, and stockpiling.
The Wall Street Journal notes current sales are sinking below pre-pandemic levels, with January sales off more than four percent from the prior January.
The newspaper points out “demand for toilet paper shot up in the outbreak’s initial weeks, doubling in the second week of March, and remained elevated throughout most of 2020.”
Sales of toilet paper drop 32.7 percent in the 12 weeks ended April 3 from the same period a year ago, according to market research firm NielsenIQ, which tracks point-of-sale data from retailers.
Papermaking mills, operating at 100 percent capacity most of last year, are now running around a more normal 90 to 95 percent capacity, says an analyst.
IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE…
NORTH KOREA BUILDS UP NUKES. After decades of sanctions, threats and diplomacy, North Korea has more nukes than ever and missiles that can hit the U.S., according to latest information.
GIANT RABBIT STOLEN. The British owner of Darius, a stolen giant rabbit, puts up a $2,748 reward. The gray-brown rabbit, measuring four feet, three inches, disappeared from his enclosure in the backyard in the village of Stoulton. The rabbit holds the Guinness World Records citation as the world’s longest rabbit.
SNAKE FOUND IN LETTUCE FROM GROCERY STORE. A Sydney, Australia, lettuce buyer returning from a grocery store, notices a small venomous snake hanging out in a produce bag. It is identified as a pale-headed snake, scientifically known as an hoplocephalus bitorquatus.
PBS AIRS VINTAGE GREAT PERFORMANCE. PBS on Friday went back in time (48 years, to be exact) in a Great Performance with “Beethoven in Beijing” featuring a visit by the Philadelphia Orchestra.
WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENTS SHELVE ANNUAL DINNER. The White House Correspondents’ Association says it is canceling its annual Washington, D.C. dinner --- usually held in April --- for the second year in a row over concerns about the ongoing pandemic.
STOLEN ROMAN STATUE RECOVERED. A Roman statue dating back to the first century BC is recovered almost a decade after it was stolen from an archaeological site in Italy. Two Italian officers came across the sculpture of a headless figure wearing a toga at an antique shop in Belgium. The "Togatus" statue has been missing since 2011 and is believed to be worth around $120,000.
TERRIERS CHASE BEAR FROM HOUSE. A Bear that enters a house near Sacramento is chased off by two terriers. Film footage shows the bear slowly walking around the kitchen, spending a lot of time near the fridge. At one point, the bear appears to react to something off-camera and then exits the house. The two dogs appear and charge at the bear towards the exit. The bear then stands in the backyard for a second, looking back in on the house. The terriers stand their ground and the bear decides to leave without a fight.
MAYAN URN RETURNS TO MEXICO. A Mayan urn, made between 900 and 1600 AD, is returning to Mexico after spending more than 50 years at Albion College in Michigan. The artifact will be placed alongside a twin urn that is on display at the Museo de los Altos in Chiapas.
